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THE BLOG--HISTORY

"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.

"Celtic"

"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."

"Diva"

"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...

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My wildlife week and other stories...

by: Celtic Diva

Wed Jul 01, 2009 at 04:25:36 AM AKDT





A moose looks for a salad at McDonalds

The events of this past 1 1/2 weeks have sent me WAYYYYYY behind on "things I planned to blog about but haven't had time."

--Dennis Zaki has been in Emmonak and because he's the intrepid Dennis Zaki, he's managed to catch John Moller and the Palin Administration in yet more lies, this time about Nick Tucker. Interestingly enough, a couple of days earlier, Gov. Palin "Tweeted" some pre-emptive snarkiness about Dennis not airing an interview full of "good news" from John Moller.  Now Dennis has the hot interview where Moller "allegedly" lies on camera (hopefully it will be available tomorrow) and John Moller is out of reach by cellphone at "an undisclosed location" (on a fishing boat in the middle of....somewhere).

The Palin Administration CONTINUES to ride the backfire bus everytime they open their mouths these days.  I guess they missed that definition of insanity, "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

--And the begging continues...this time, Palin wants to fill the coffers over at SarahPAC.  Per Stapleton:

You have been so incredibly supportive and generous, and now we ask you again for your help - and we ask that you please also encourage your friends and family to give.

It's rumored that they edited the section of the letter out where Stapleton tells folks how to live on Top Raman noodles for a month so they can increase the money they send to Palin.

--I hadn't mentioned yet that Shannyn Moore is trying to get a scholarship to Netroots Nation in Pittsburgh this August and could use your vote!!!!

Yesterday, I took the kids to Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center where all the following pictures came from.  However, the picture above I caught on the way down.  A couple of Dahl Sheep were up in the rocky cliffs along Turnagain Arm. How did I know?  The tipoff was the army of cars and RVs pulled over to the side and the tourists snapping pictures!  That's usually the best wildlife spotting technique!

This is the wildlife observation deck at the Wildlife Center.  Below, is the view from the deck!

It looked like the black bear was eating roots and insects.

I loved following these elk around!  The three babies kept bleating because their moms didn't want to suckle them at the moment...they were too busy grazing.

Below, I had a "Bambi moment" with one little guy when he looked my way while he was bleating.

The musk ox were shedding their "Qiviut"...used to make some of the softest yarn in the world.  Some call it "cashmere of the North."

This is a Great Horned Owl who is a permanent resident at the Park (some animals are sick or wounded and leave when they are well).  The owl has a damaged wing and can't fly very well.

A caribou mama and baby (with a friend who was chased away eventually).

The Center has a "Wood Bison Reintroduction Project" where they hope to grown the herd imported from the Yukon Territory large enough to reintroduce into the Alaska wild.

After we left the park, we went to Alyeska Ski Resort to eat at "The Bake Shop."  They have beautiful flower gardens outside.

And in the wildlife theme...my daughter and I went to Alaska Gubernatorial Candidate Bob Poe's volunteer party last week.  We were able to observe Bob and Terzah in their natural habitat

Here we have Bob Poe showing his "Alaska wildlife" credentials.  He proudly displays the "Poe-mobile," which is the camper he'll be traveling Alaska in during the campaign!  I was impressed, it was very cute and had a full-sized toilet!  (I just love that, for some reason!)

The flower arrangement in their lovely home was put together by Terzah.

I loved their perennial garden, especially the raven that was standing guard!

Terzah and my daughter display their kuspuks.

--Later today, I'll be able to report on the records request!

Celtic Diva :: My wildlife week and other stories...
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Diva.. (0.00 / 0)
beautiful pics! I love the "triplets" and Mr. Bear, the flowers, and the BISON! I had know idea they were making a herd for Alaska!  I can't wait to see Dennis's video and I hope he sends it to CNN also,too.
Thanks for sharing you pics with us.....showing Alaska!

Aloha from Southeast (0.00 / 0)
I've included a virtual American Flag and a red, white and blue can of whoop ass.  Happy 4th of July, the truth is setting us free sister.  McCain had no idea he was looking at a self-imposed ICON anymore than Alaska did.  The whole Icon theme explains everything too, also.

Also included in this package is a thumbs up with a happy dance chaser for your efforts in exposing Alaska's worst nightmare(EVER) to the world.


Cost of Investigation of Ethics Complaints Revealed (4.00 / 1)
http://dop.state.ak.us/iscsi/f...

"How much will this blogger's asinine political grandstanding cost all of us in time and money?" Palin asked after the state Personnel Board dismissed another complaint last spring.

Palin herself may be responsible for much of those costs, as indicated by a list of investigation costs for 13 separate cases the state Personnel Board released Tuesday in response to public records requests.

The minimalist list identifies cases only by the year and a three-digit case number. State Personnel Director Nicki Neal refused to identify them more specifically, so connections between known investigations and the costs released could not be verified.

However, the timing, scope and other factors of the single largest expense appear to fit the case Palin filed against herself that cost $187,797 to investigate. That's almost two-thirds of the total $296,042 of all Personnel Board investigations in the last two years.

http://juneauempire.com/storie...



Thanks (0.00 / 0)
So much for the "millions of dollars"!! Thanks for sharing.

[ Parent ]
Beautiful Pictures! (3.00 / 1)
Yet another GINO lie has been exposed regarding the cost of ethics complaints GINO filed against herself, no big surprise there!

I wonder if any of the Sea-for-Pee'ers feel like idiots right about now, begging for money to pay the bill GINO racked up by her own complaint.....


[ Parent ]
~~~~~~THE MENTAL INSTABILITY~~~~~~ (0.00 / 0)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~THE MENTAL INSTABILITY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diva....The Palin Administration CONTINUES to ride the backfire bus everytime they open their mouths these days.  I guess they missed that definition of insanity, "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."....you are correct!!

This is what I plucked out of the Vanity Fair article considering the state of Palin's "grey matter".

Todd Purdum did an excellent job of threading the history of Palin's mental instability for the folks "outside" to comprehend.

Now they know what all the Alaskan bloggers and citizens have to deal with......M..my real initial
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The pattern is inescapable: she takes disagreements personally, and swiftly deals vengeance on enemies, real or perceived.

In the aftermath of the November election, the conventional wisdom among Palin's supporters in the Republican establishment was that she should go home, keep her head down, show that she could govern effectively, and quietly educate herself about foreign and domestic policy with the help of a cadre of experienced advisers. She has done none of this.

Rather, she has pursued an erratic course that, for her, may actually represent the closest thing there is to True North

Also with Coale's help, Palin formed the grandiosely named Alaska Fund Trust, to defray a reported half million dollars in legal expenses arising from a slew of formal ethics complaints against her in her home state-prompting yet another formal complaint, that the fund itself constitutes an ethical breach.

Palin is a cipher by choice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DICTIONARY MEANING- a person of no influence; nonentity.

Main Entry: cipher
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: zero; nothingness
Synonyms: blank, naught, nil, nobody, nonentity, nothing, nullity, squat, zilch, zip, diddly squat, goose egg, insignificancy, nada, nought, zippo, zot
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When she chooses to reveal herself, what she reveals is not always the same thing as the truth. Her singular refusal to have in-depth conversations with the national media-even Richard Nixon and Dick Cheney, among the most saturnine political figures in modern American history, each submitted to countless detailed interviews over the years-has compounded the challenge of understanding who she really is.
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I've included this because Palins previous interviews showed not JUST her lack of knowledge, but her irrational thought processes....M
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The caricature of Sarah Palin that emerged in the presidential campaign, for good and ill, is now ineradicable.

The swift journey from her knockout convention speech to Tina Fey's dead-eyed incarnation of her as Dan Quayle with an updo played out in real time, no less for the bewildered McCain campaign than for the public at large.

It is an ironclad axiom of politics that if a campaign looks troubled from the outside the inside reality is far worse, and the McCain-Palin fiasco was no exception.

By the time Election Day rolled around, the staff had been serially pummeled by unflattering press reports about the gaps in Palin's knowledge, her stubborn resistance to direction, and the post-selection spending spree in which she ran up bills of $150,000 on clothes for herself and her family at high-end stores.

The top McCain aides who had tried hard to work with Palin-Steve Schmidt, the chief strategist; Nicolle Wallace, the communications ace; and Tucker Eskew, her traveling counselor-were barely on speaking terms with her, and news organizations were reporting that anonymous McCain aides saw Palin as a "diva" and a "whack job."

Many of the details that led to such assessments have remained obscure. But in a recent series of conversations, a range of people from the McCain-Palin campaign, including members of the high command, agreed to elaborate on how a match they thought so right ended up going so wrong.

At one point, trying out a debating point that she believed showed she could empathize with uninsured Americans, Palin told McCain aides that she and Todd in the early years of their marriage had been unable to afford health insurance of any kind, and had gone without it until he got his union card and went to work for British Petroleum on the North Slope of Alaska.

Checking with Todd Palin himself revealed that, no, they had had catastrophic coverage all along. She insisted that catastrophic insurance didn't really count and need not be revealed.

This sort of slipperiness-about both what the truth was and whether the truth even mattered-persisted on questions great and small. By late September, when the time came to coach Palin for her second major interview, this time with Katie Couric, there were severe tensions between Palin and the campaign.
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To attempt to use something like this, that is so easily disproved, lends to Palins mental state, her delusional grandiose opinion of herself....M
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By all accounts, Palin was either unwilling, or simply unable, to prepare. In the run-up to the Couric interview, Palin had become preoccupied with a far more parochial concern: answering a humdrum written questionnaire from her hometown newspaper, the Frontiersman.

McCain aides saw it as easy stuff, the usual boilerplate, the work of 20 minutes or so, but Palin worried intently.

At the same time, she grew concerned that her approval ratings back home in Alaska were sagging as she embraced the role of McCain's bad cop.

To keep her happy, the chief McCain strategist, Steve Schmidt, agreed to conduct a onetime poll of 300 Alaska voters. It would prove to Palin, Schmidt thought, that everything was all right.

Then came the near-total meltdown of the financial system and McCain's much-derided decision to briefly "suspend" his campaign.

Under the circumstances, and with severely limited resources, Schmidt and the McCain-campaign chairman, Rick Davis, scrapped the Alaska poll and urgently set out to survey voters' views of the economy (and of McCain's response to it) in competitive states.

Palin was furious. She was convinced that Schmidt had lied to her, a belief she conveyed to anyone who would listen.
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It's all about her, the paranoia is showing.........M
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next big milestone for Palin was the debate with Joe Biden, on October 2. An early rehearsal effort in Philadelphia found 20 people sitting in a stifling room with hundreds of sample questions on note cards.

Palin just stared down, disengaged, non-participatory.

A disaster loomed, so Schmidt made the difficult decision to leave campaign headquarters, in Virginia, and fly to McCain's vacation retreat in Sedona, Arizona, where it was thought that Palin might be able to relax and recharge, and accept the assistance of a voice coach and a television coach. For three full days-at the height of the campaign-Schmidt dropped virtually all other business to help Palin prepare
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From paranoid to completely disfunctional...M
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He also enlisted some extra help. By this point, Palin's relations with Nicolle Wallace-a veteran of the Bush White House and a former CBS News analyst who had tried to help Palin get ready for the Couric interview, and whom Palin blamed for the result-were so strained that campaign aides cast about for someone who could serve as a calming presence:

Palin's horse whisperer.

They settled on Mark McKinnon, a smart, funny, soft-spoken former Democrat from Texas. McKinnon had long admired McCain, and had begun the Republican primary season helping him out-though warning that he would never work against Obama in the general election.

But now McKinnon, whose role in helping prepare Palin has not been previously reported, and who declined to elaborate on it to V.F., changed his mind and quietly signed on.

Mark Salter, McCain's longtime aide, says that McKinnon was picked because "he's got a lovely manner You sort of want a guy who's very easygoing, gives good advice, and doesn't add to the natural nervousness."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WOW! This is really over the top. Typical Palin blaming others, which is part of her mental instability, then needs a "horse whisperer ?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When orders or advice from McCain headquarters began to conflict with her own impulses, aides told me, she simply did what she wanted to do.

Some top aides worried about her mental state: was it possible that she was experiencing postpartum depression? (Palin's youngest son was less than six months old.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not postpartum, just typical Palin. If they had taken the time to know her they would have realized that there is s"something wrong" with her.........M
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Palin maintained only the barest level of civil discourse with Tucker Eskew, the veteran G.O.P. operative who had been made her chief minder.

A third party had to shuttle between them to convey even the most rudimentary messages.

"She started to hedge her bets," the same McCain friend says. "Frequently, she would be concerned about how something would play in Alaska.

What? You're worried about your backside in Alaska when there are hundreds of millions of dollars being spent?"

One longtime McCain friend and frequent companion on the trail was heard to refer to Palin as "Little Shop of Horrors."

When aides went to load McCain's concession speech into the teleprompter, they found a concession speech for Palin-written by Bush speechwriter Matthew Scully, who had also been the principal drafter of her convention speech-already on the system.

Schmidt and Salter told Palin that there was no tradition of Election Night speeches by running mates, and that she wouldn't be giving one.

Palin was insistent. "Are those John's wishes?" she asked. They were, she was told.

But Palin took the issue to McCain himself, raising it on the walk from his suite to the outdoor rally. Again the answer was no.

Polar Disorder

There is virtually nothing about Palin's performance in the fall campaign that should have come as a surprise to John McCain.

Had he really attempted to learn something about her before the fateful day of August 29, 2008, when he announced that she was his choice for running mate, he would easily have discerned all the traits that he belatedly came to know.

In every job, she surrounded herself with an insular coterie of trusted friends, took disagreements personally, discarded people who were no longer useful, and swiftly dealt vengeance on enemies, real or perceived.

"Remember," says Lyda Green, a former Republican state senator who once represented Palin's home district, and who over the years went from being a supporter of Palin's to a bitter foe, "her nickname in high school was 'Barracuda.' I was never called Barracuda. Were you? There's a certain instinct there that you go for the jugular."

The second thing McCain could have discovered about Palin is that no political principle or personal relationship is more sacred than her own ambition.

To be sure, Palin is "conservative," whatever that means, but she can be all over the lot in the articulation of her platform.

She gained the mayoralty of Wasilla in 1996 by turning against the incumbent, John Stein, who had been one of her mentors when she was on the city council, and injecting sharply partisan issues such as gun rights and abortion into what had previously been a low-key local contest.

She fired the police chief, eased out the museum director and the city planner, and fired and then rehired the librarian (who had opposed book censorship).

Palin was entitled to make the dismissals, and she variously justified them on the grounds of budget difficulties or the need for a team that she could be sure would support her efforts.

But the Frontiersman accused Palin of confusing her election with a "coronation."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Richard Nixon, eat your heart out!.....M
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She apparently didn't like preparing for debates back then either. "In the campaign for governor, they're prepping her for debate," Curtis Smith's former business partner, Jim Lottsfeldt, told me recently in Anchorage, "and Curtis says, 'The debate prep's going horribly. Every time we try to help her with an answer, she just gets mad.'"

But there were ominous signs-indications of an erratic nature.

This is the third thing McCain could have discovered about Palin-a woman, after all, who kept a pregnancy secret for seven months, flew all the way home from Texas to Alaska with a near-full-term baby while leaking amniotic fluid, and then finally drove the 45 minutes from Anchorage to a hospital in Wasilla, all so that the child could be born in the 49th state.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~This will never make sense to anyone, either she is crazy or a liar........M
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As governor, she hired several old high-school, hometown, or political friends with minimal qualifications for important state jobs.

One friend, a former mid-level manager for Alaska Airlines, headed the department that reviewed candidates for state boards and commissions; another became director of the state Division of Agriculture, citing a childhood love of cows as one qualification.

Palin communicated with legislators and her staff mainly by BlackBerry, sometimes using a personal e-mail account to avoid having to disclose documents under the state public-records laws.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nixon again............M
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The brutal reality is that many people who have worked closely with Palin have found themselves disillusioned.

More than once in my travels in Alaska, people brought up, without prompting, the question of Palin's extravagant self-regard. Several told me, independently of one another, that they had consulted the definition of "narcissistic personality disorder" in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-"a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy"-and thought it fit her perfectly.

When Trig was born, Palin wrote an e-mail letter to friends and relatives, describing the belated news of her pregnancy and detailing Trig's condition; she wrote the e-mail not in her own name but in God's, and signed it "Trig's Creator, Your Heavenly Father."

In Alaska, there has never been a gubernatorial tradition of pardoning a turkey at Thanksgiving, but Palin decided to stage such a ceremony last November all the same, at the Triple D Farm & Hatchery, outside Wasilla.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More presidential delusions.........M
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Because Palin had taken particular umbrage in the fall campaign at any effort to criticize her children or invade their privacy, her willingness to mix it up in public with an 18-year-old, who is after all the father of her only grandchild, struck many in Alaska as odd.

So did Palin's suggestion, at a time when declining oil prices have thrown the state budget into the red, that she did not want to accept about a third of the $930 million in federal stimulus money available to Alaska, because it would come with too many big-government strings attached.

The move seemed calculated to burnish her national conservative credentials.

In the face of bipartisan outcry, Palin's aides insisted she had never meant to say she wouldn't take the money, only that she wanted to review the matter carefully.

That was news to former aide Larry Persily. After the first meeting on the stimulus money, Persily told me, "Everyone in the room left thinking she'd said no.

Then her staff said, 'She didn't say no. She just didn't say yes."' Palin wound up taking all but about 3 percent of the $900 million available to Alaska. The consensus even among the Republicans I spoke to was that she rejected the last $28 million-for energy assistance-mostly to save face.

The ever shifting sands of Palin's sensibility were also on display after former senator Ted Stevens's conviction on corruption charges was set aside, in April. Palin's old nemesis, the Alaska Republican Party chair Randy Ruedrich, called on Stevens's Democratic successor, Mark Begich, who had defeated Stevens just days after the original conviction last fall, to step down and allow a new election.

Palin told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner in an e-mail, "I absolutely agree."

Days later, at a news conference, Palin insisted she had never called on Begich to step down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is not simply "ordinary lying", even for a politician. THIS is just nuts! Like a kid who puts their hands over their face and says...you can't see me............M
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Perhaps nothing has caused a bigger stir than Palin's nomination of Wayne Anthony Ross to be Alaska's attorney general.

It was the first time in Alaska history that a cabinet nominee was rejected.

Though Palin's spokeswoman has said she does not intend to challenge Senator Lisa Murkowski, the former governor's daughter, who is also up for re-election next year, Palin has changed her mind without warning in the past, and becoming a senator would keep her in the national spotlight.

Surveying the landscape of political and policy troubles in Alaska, Gregg Erickson, an independent economic consultant in Juneau, concludes,

"Everything she's doing seems to be saying that there'll be a problem in the future owing to her inattention, but she won't be here to deal with it."

In Evansville, though, Palin concentrated on the task at hand: an emphatic defense of the anti-abortion cause.

But in doing so she made a startling confession about what she thought when she learned she was pregnant at 43 with her youngest child, Trig, who arrived in April 2008, as the world now knows, with Down syndrome.

"I had found out that I was pregnant while out of state first," Palin told the crowd. "While out of state, there just for a fleeting moment, I thought, Nobody knows me here. Nobody would ever know. I thought, Wow, it is easy to think maybe of trying to change the circumstances and no one would know-no one would ever know.

Then when my amniocentesis results came back, showing what they called abnormalities-oh, dear God-I knew, I had instantly an understanding, for that fleeting moment, why someone would believe it could seem possible to change those circumstances, just make it all go away, get some normalcy back in life."

It is almost impossible not to be touched by the rawness of her confession, even if it is precisely this choice that Palin believes no other woman should ever have, not even in the case of rape or incest.

When I ask Bitney what he makes of the whole Palin phenomenon, he sighs. "What do I take away from this?" he asks.

"Oh, I don't know. I don't know. It's just a lot of emotions and stuff. I find it's frustrating dealing with Sarah, because it seems we're always dealing with emotional crap and we never seem to be able to focus on the business at hand that needs to be done.

I don't know whether to blame her or pity her for all this emotional upheaval that we're always going through with her.

Now we all get to listen to Levi and Bristol.

Check my feet for horseshoes if I have to sit there and listen to another talk show.

I got involved in helping her become governor because we needed to change some policy directions. Teen abstinence is not why I waved signs for her."

Palin seemed resigned to the fact that her reputation would never again be as fresh and glowing as it once was.

She complained about "national figures and some in the press who, who want to put not just me, but anybody who dares speak up, it seems nowadays, right back down in their place."

She bemoaned her changing fortunes in Alaska. "I think things here that have so drastically changed these past months ... Some want to forbid others from speaking up, and it's been through lawsuits, been ethics-violation charges, media distortions And those are the folks who want to tell me, they want to tell you to sit down and shut up.

We will not do so. I just can't because I love my state, I love my country, and I need you, we need Michael Reagan to keep on fighting for our freedoms, for our country, and what we're being fed today, it seems, is a steady diet of selected misrepresented news So I join you in speaking up and asking the questions and taking action, and here at home in my beloved Alaska, I just say, politically speaking, if I die, I die."
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These are not the words of a skilled politician, faking victimization.

These are the words of a mentally unstable women, who believes everything she says.......at the time. Flip the switch in her head and the words might be different tomorrow, however her mental state will not.........M


As was pointed out by another blogger... (0.00 / 0)
...he grabbed pieces that everyone else already wrote about.

However, this is the first article that puts them together so succintly in order to paint a bigger picture.  This is on par with the New York Times article written during the campaign.


Celtic Diva


[ Parent ]
Beautiful (0.00 / 0)
These are some really nice photographs. My wife and I plan to visit Alaska (perhaps next year). In the meantime, I have become addicted to watching the political/human dramas playing out in Alaska.            

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Busted~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (0.00 / 0)
The truth came out today and Palin along with her staff are exposed for the lies they have told.

Is Sarah going to pay the $187,797 cost for the troopergate investigation she filed against herself, or the $29,962.00 for travelgate? That is well over 2/3 over the entire cost of all the ethics complaints.

How does that generate $600,000 in legal fees?

When Palin lies about millions of dollars like this, how can anyone believe a thing she says anymore?
==================================================
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/new...

Fifteenth Ethics Complaint Dismissed   Printer Friendly

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 09-155

Fifteenth Ethics Complaint Dismissed
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/new...
June 23, 2009, Anchorage, Alaska - The 15th ethics complaint filed against the governor or one of her staff has been dismissed. The complaint, filed by Andree McLeod against Anchorage Office Director Kris Perry, alleged Perry used her official position for personal gain by traveling with the governor on three occasions.

The investigator continued: "We would also be remiss in not stating for the record that for the highly unusual situation of the vice presidential campaign, and even the two other trips, the record clearly shows that Ms. Perry gave far more of her personal time to the state of Alaska than she may have used state time, if any, for non-state-related or unavoidable personal activities."

"While asserting false accusations of ethics law violations, the complainant simultaneously violates the same ethics law by publicizing her malicious accusations," Perry said. "These improper actions benefit no one, waste state money and resources, and only seek to damage reputations."

In the past two years, the state of Alaska has spent millions of dollars processing ethics complaints, public records requests, and related lawsuits. ###
==================================

Web links

For more on Gov. Palin in the news, check out juneauempire.com/sarah_palin

State Personnel Board investigations

Independent Counsel Investigations, 2008-2009

Case No.(s) - Total
2008-001 - $43,028.36
2008-002, 2008-003, 2008-004 - $187,797.62
2008-005 - 0
2008-006 - $29,962.00
2008-007, 2008-008 - $12,921.44
2008-009 - $3,712.00
2009-001 - $4,478.66
2009-002 - $7,438.50
2009-003 - $4,192.00
2009-004 - $2,512.00
TOTAL EXPENDITURES - $296,042.58
Source: Alaska Personnel Board
================================
State spent nearly $300K investigating Palin ethics complaints
Most expensive investigation may have been driven by Palin herself

Juneau Empire
Alaska has spent nearly $300,000 investigating ethics complaints against Gov. Sarah Palin, who calls the complaints "harassment" against her and expensive for the state to defend.
Palin has accused bloggers and political opponents of bringing "frivolous" ethics charges against her.
"How much will this blogger's asinine political grandstanding cost all of us in time and money?" Palin asked after the state Personnel Board dismissed another complaint last spring.
Palin herself may be responsible for much of those costs, as indicated by a list of investigation costs for 13 separate cases the state Personnel Board released Tuesday in response to public records requests.

The minimalist list identifies cases only by the year and a three-digit case number. State Personnel Director Nicki Neal ~~~~~~refused~~~~~ to identify them more specifically, so connections between known investigations and the costs released could not be verified.

However, the timing, scope and other factors of the single largest expense appear to fit the case Palin filed against herself that cost $187,797 to investigate. That's almost two-thirds of the total $296,042 of all Personnel Board investigations in the last two years.
The self-reported complaint was a means to have a legislative investigator's findings in the "Troopergate" case reexamined by a Personnel Board investigator. She said publicly that her self-reported complaint was without merit.
The Legislative Council, chaired by then-Sen. Kim Elton, D-Juneau, had budgeted $100,000 for its independent investigation of Troopergate. Legislative investigator Stephen Branchflower concluded Palin abused her authority when she waged a campaign against a state trooper with whom she had a family dispute, but found she had the legitimate power to fire former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan who failed to take action against the trooper.
Branchflower's report came out Oct. 10, 2008, in the heat of a bitter presidential campaign. Then, Palin filed her complaint against herself on Troopergate with the Personnel Board. Its report, done by the Personnel Board-hired counsel Tim Petumenos, cleared Palin and came out the evening before the election.
Palin waived confidentiality to make that report public.
Petumenos' report said it included two other allegations against Palin. It was the only investigation in the newly released information in which three complaints were folded into one lump sum.
Palin and her staff have harshly criticized the numerous complaints against her, and maintain that all have so far been "resolved with no finding of a violation of the executive ethics act."
The flurry of ethics complaints has prompted a political ally of Palin's in the state Legislature to say he'll introduce legislation barring those who bring complaints from speaking publicly about them.
Some cases have been resolved with repayment of possibly improper expenses and other measures.
The second largest investigation expense, a 2008 case costing $43,028, may be the other case the board made public. In that case, a member of Palin's Governor's Office staff helped a Palin campaign supporter get a state job in Fairbanks.
No improper action was found on Palin's part, but the independent counsel recommended the staff member get additional ethics training and the matter be referred the Department of Law for possible violations of the Alaska Personnel Act. No outcome of that referral was available.
The listing of complaints against Palin includes some made against her staff members, but which appear primarily to be attacks on Palin.
Several of the complaints were resolved with little expense. Many failed to state an allegation of law violation, and were dismissed without further investigation, Palin staff said at the time.
One case cost nothing at all to investigate, but most of the smaller cases cost several thousand dollars each to investigate.


wow DAMAGING Palin e-mails released - on CBS!!! (0.00 / 0)




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