Transparency in Public Records--The AK Legislature is our only hope **UPDATE**

by: Celtic Diva

Mon Jan 25, 2010 at 05:41:17 AM AKST

The very same week we had a ruling that set back ethics 200 years coming out of the U.S. Supreme Court, the Alaska Superior Court delivered a set-back to government transparency:

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - An Alaska judge has sided with former Gov. Sarah Palin in a lawsuit over e-mail messages, finding that state law does not forbid the use of private e-mail accounts to conduct state business...

...The issue arose from a 2008 records request by Ms. McLeod that showed that Ms. Palin and members of her staff had been using private e-mail accounts. The traffic uncovered, though, was heavily redacted for what were deemed reasons of privacy. Ms. McLeod argued through her lawyer that use of private accounts obstructed the people's right to inspect public records.

(For those of you who have never seen a "redacted" public record, this is what one looks like:)

And Superior Court Judge McKay (yes, it's the same one with 2 DUIs) was quite clear into whose lap he was dropping this:

[State Asst. Attny Gen.] Mr. Mitchell said last month that if the use of private accounts were to be banned for state business, the Legislature, not a court, should say so.

On Friday, Judge McKay agreed.

"The language in our case is clear - the Legislature simply chose to give state agencies some discretion in determining which e-mails are worthy of preservation and which are not," he wrote. A records retention plan through the state archives also makes distinctions, he noted, and classifies messages not required to be retained as "transitory" messages, meant mainly for informal communications.

This is a blow to government transparency in Alaska...a State that may be one of the most corrupt/most secretive in the U.S.

So from this, we can determine three things:

1) The judge not only allowed state employees to hide records from the public by using private accounts, he also may have expanded the definition of "non-record" emails sent on state accounts.  As it stands now, the policy the State adopts regarding archived emails seems to interpret much more narrowly Alaska Statutes guidance on what are considered records.  Per the State policy:

What is Non-record e-mail?  
Non-record e-mail does not meet the definition of Record in AS 40.21.150(6) or AS 40.25.220(3).  Non-record e-mail includes personal messages, spam, extra copies of documents distributed or received for reference, listserv or bulletin board posts, and announcements unrelated to official business, like retirement parties or holiday celebrations.  Personal messages constitute non-records as they are not accounts or writings "developed or received by a public agency," and are not "preserved for their informational value or as evidence of the organization or operation of the public agency" under AS 40.25.110

I suspect the ruling will give folks more confidence in disposing of records that they may have previously questioned.  

(I also find it interesting that this clearly positive ruling towards Sarah Palin occurred days after an Alaska judge warranted a security detail because of threats stemming from the Palin v. Levi custody case.  Just sayin'...)

2)  The judge was clear that he believes Alaska Statutes allow State employees to police themselves, and;

3) The Judge made it clear that the Alaska Legislature is the only vehicle by which this practice can be changed permanently (Gov. Parnell has forbidden his employees from using private accounts to conduct State business...that will only last as long as he's Governor)

**The Legislature (I believe Rep. Mike Doogan) did submit a Bill last session regarding this topic, but I haven't heard anything about it yet this session. **

*******************************************UPDATE***************************************************

Rep. Doogan's HB 195 indeed addresses the issue of private v public emails directly:

* Section 1. AS 39.52 is amended by adding a new section to read:

04            Sec. 39.52.135. State electronic mail delivery systems required for official                              
05       action by electronic mail. (a) When taking or withholding official action, a public                            
06       officer may not send or cause another to send information by electronic transmission
07       within a system for electronic mail delivery unless the system is operated and                                    
08       maintained by the state.

It is currently sitting in the State Affairs Committee.

****************************************************************************************************

However, there is still one more lawsuit out there...the ruling I'm breathlessly waiting for:

Does being the husband of Gov. Sarah Palin give Todd Palin special access to internal communications off limits to the general public?

Andree McLeod, a former state worker turned activist, has gone to court arguing it does not. She is seeking an untold number of state e-mails that were copied to Todd Palin but withheld from a public records request she made in June.

"This latest refusal by the governor's office to hold back official state e-mails has left me no other choice," McLeod said. "And this is real important: The state can't cloak these communications in secrecy when the governor and her staff have broken the chain of custody by sharing them with a mere private citizen, who is not ... a state employee. Therefore, that entitles all citizens the right to examine these documents in the light of day."

In essence, McLeod is arguing that if Todd Palin was copied on the state e-mails, the governor's office can't keep them from the public for reasons such as "executive privilege" and "deliberative process."

As Attny Don Mitchell (McLeod's attorney for the email lawsuits) reported in an article on Mudflats in November "The legislation is ongoing."

I have a very good reason that I'm particularly interested in this second, yet-to-be-determined lawsuit.  It's one many of you will be interested in as well...the majority of the emails that "respond" to my email inquiry were redacted for "privilege."  

I admit that I expected a number of them to be redacted, but I NEVER expected this many...there are over 70!

They go from emails allegedly handling a "cleavage complaint"...something that was NEVER an official complaint but just an email to Annette Kreitzer used to try and discredit Andree McLeod...there should be no privilege attached (more news on this one later):

(click on the images to enlarge)

We have emails claiming privilege when they are discussing a "web column"--basically, the media and their coverage:

And then...my favorite...ones that claim "attorney-client privilege" when they are either missing an attorney, a client or both (between Linda Perez and Cheif of Staff Mike Nizich)!  Also, some have people on the CC who are neither:

The reason this ruling is so important (and I believed we'd have it by now) is Alaska Law in the area of privilege is a little bi-polar.  

--Fuller v. City of Homer which states in the court decision:  

We have repeatedly held that the [Alaska Public Records] act creates a presumption in favor of disclosure and that the act's implicit legislative policy of broad public access requires courts to narrowly construe exceptions to disclosure.10

--However, Gwich'in Steering Committee v. Office of the Governor states in its ruling that the "deliberative process" in the Governor's Office should be protected, even when the decision was already made:

The privilege may protect any governmental decisionmaking function, including the governor's policymaking and lobbying of either state or federal government.

Generally, it is difficult for a requestor to override a presumptive privilege. [Fn. 56]

For this reason, it's unlikely that any attorney will take another case dealing with privilege until they see the outcome of the one Don Mitchell and Andree McLeod is pursuing now.  This is true even though most people can look at this partial list of redacted emails and see the farce in claiming "privilege."

One prediction I will make:  I believe the unfortunate outcome of the first ruling may be that it effects the second--that the court defers to the Alaska Legislature.




(PS:  To all of you who have been asking--I appreciate your patience regarding my posting on the records request.  With everything going on, this post took me a long time (weeks) to write.  

There will be more to come.)

 

I got a Christmas Present from the State of Alaska...

by: Celtic Diva

Tue Dec 01, 2009 at 18:32:00 PM AKST

...yes...the records request is ready!

However, the picture above still applies because they are definitely holding out!

This week, I'll be posting information as I get to it regarding the nature of the emails (whether it will be copies or all electronic PDF) and will be figuring out how to process over 2,300 pieces of paper if I choose to get the hard copies. (The attachments only come in paper format - I think I need to get a scanner!)

We'll also discuss the emails the Governor's office considers to be "privileged" that I won't be receiving. (Enough that the request is legally considered to be "partially denied.") That's a post all by itself.

There are some very interesting "surprises" involved in the resolution of this records request that I can't wait to tell you about! (i.e. An internal "review" (audit) determined that we were "overcharged"...I believe as a result of my rather crabby email.)

So, stay tuned!

Yesterday's activities--including Sen. Begich's statement and overdue update on records request

by: Celtic Diva

Fri Nov 20, 2009 at 09:59:40 AM AKST

Yesterday was an "office day."

Unfortunately, when I have an "office day," that also usually means I'm doing some things that I'm not quite ready to share publicly...you know, fact-checking...that stuff Palin calls "opposition research!"  Yesterday was no exception, but I'll give you an idea what the subject might be.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mayor Sullivan

Much has been made here in Alaska about a report put out by Mayor Dan Sullivan's appointee, Municipal Attorney Dennis Wheeler.  It seems that Mr. Wheeler tries to claim that then-Mayor-now-Senator Mark Begich maybe, quite possibly, allegedly didn't give the Anchorage Assembly all of the information that he could have regarding the past budget.  However, Mr. Wheeler also lets us know that his interpretation "is not unassailable" (p 59).  Per the ADN:  

In an interview and in his report, Wheeler concedes that other "reasonable minds" might disagree about whether Begich's financial reporting to Assembly members violated a provision in the charter that says: "If the mayor determines that revenues will be less than appropriations for a fiscal year, the mayor shall so report to the Assembly."

In other words, he's conceding that less-biased minds than his (will cover that a future post) could easily look at this and see no wrongdoing...hmmmmm.

Then there's this line in the ADN which seems incongruous with the rest of the article:

In any case, the labor contracts in question are valid, he said.

Wait...isn't this report on Mark Begich and the budget?  What's this "union stuff" doing in here?

The Assembly in late September asked Wheeler to review the process used last year to approve the labor contracts, as well as a private attorney's opinion that was critical of the process.

AHA!!!!  In other words, the Assembly NEVER ASKED HIM to review the budget information.  When Wheeler determined that Senator Begich had done no wrong in the union contracts (as the right and talk radio previously was harping about) he decided to go beyond the "issues presented" (p 4).

What it really comes down to:  The Assembly already had all the financial information that the Mayor had.  The Conservative's beef: the then-mayor asked for a spreadsheet from then City Finance Officer Sharon Weddleton, where she combined the information everyone already had and inserted some "risk factors" the city might face.  As she said, "Most of that information has been disclosed in the footnotes of the financial statements for years."  (As it stands, most of these "risk factors" never came to pass.)

I guess the Assembly doesn't read their footnotes.  Then, they fired Ms. Weddleton as soon as Mayor Begich left to become Senator and before the Budget was completed.  Ooops...

Mudflats explains all of this in an EXTREMELY entertaining way and alludes to some of the information that...well...quite frankly required more research before it could be discussed at any depth.

Thus...yesterday was an "office day."

Here is Senator Begich's statement on the entire issue.  If you click on the very first ADN article, you can find the report and Senator Begich's response to Wheeler's questions.

November 18, 2009

Statement from Sen. Mark Begich on release of Wheeler report:

-----

"It comes as no surprise that the report issued by Municipal Attorney Dennis Wheeler is critical of me and my administration. We should not pretend that this review of the facts was objective, fair or complete. The Sullivan Administration, in concert with a handful of Assembly members, is determined to tarnish the record of my administration and this is just the latest step in that effort.

"I cooperated with the Municipal Attorney, provided documents showing information the Assembly had about the state of city finances in 2008 and throughout my tenure as mayor, and supplied facts and information to put those documents in context. I sent Mr. Wheeler several letters inviting him to submit any additional questions he had, but it wasn't until Nov. 12 - after receiving my fourth such letter and three days before he released his report - that any questions were submitted. I promptly answered those questions (see attachment).

"As I have said since day one, the Anchorage Assembly was fully apprised of all financial information related to the Municipality throughout my terms as mayor. The suggestion that the Assembly was not fully informed about the Municipality's financial condition is absurd and totally at odds with the record. We held multiple work sessions, issued reports and memos, and fully answered all questions. I could not, however, hold their collective hand to make sure they retained and analyzed the information provided. I think what we've seen is the result of an Assembly that eliminated its own budget analyst office and then was unable to keep up with the job they were elected to do. It's regrettable that some have tried to gain political advantage calling into question labor contracts that were vigorously negotiated and contained terms that were fair, both to the Municipality and to the police officers and fire fighters who put their lives on the line for us every day.

"When I was elected mayor in 2003 and inherited a $33 million budget gap, I didn't complain about the previous administration. We got to work, closed the gap and pulled the city together. I would urge the Sullivan Administration and the Anchorage Assembly to stop trying to divide the community, deal with the budget challenges they face, and put the citizens of Anchorage above political games.

Stay tuned...there will be more on this one.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

It has been awhile since I gave you an update on where we stand with your email/records request.

HERE was the last update.  I was put in a position that I could either agree to an extension or risk losing if I treated all of this as non-responsive and appealed to the Governor.  The other option, the court option, isn't really feasible at this time.

So, I said I'd agree to the third option...to have the Governor belatedly ask the Attorney General to grant an extension.

This is the email I sent:

According to your October 9th extension request, you have stated that I have three options:

1) I could agree to an extension request.  

You did not state how long that extension would be.  I cannot agree to it if I do not know the length of time of that extension. Also, there have been a few weeks between your letter and my response.  I would assume that should considerably reduce the length of the extension if not make it unnecessary.  For me to agree to #1, the length of the extension must be identified and it must be of reasonable length for the small number of emails I have requested.  Besides, as a result of my research and experience with this process, I believe you have already had plenty of time.

2) I could treat this as a denial of my request and appeal to Governor Parnell or Superior Court.

My understanding is that:  a) your letter alleges that the services for which the $5,552.62 was covering have already been rendered (i.e. the email search and filtering-see attached June 5th modified request and June 17th additional questions).  b) We are now waiting for the lawyers at DoL to go through and see if anything needs to be redacted-services for which Alaska Statute specifically states I cannot be charged.  

I am not financially able to either pay the money again for the same search (if Governor Parnell denies the appeal) or afford an appeal to the Superior Court.  Therefore, I would not choose this option.  (As an aside, since you now know how many emails are being analyzed as the result of the search specific to my records request, I would like to know the number.  You should now be able to answer that question as the search process is completed.)

3)  The Governor could belatedly request an extension from Attorney General Sullivan.

I think this would be my first choice, as long as my request is in no way penalized for it.  In other words, no matter what happens, this process moves forward.  

My ultimate goal, after all, is to obtain these emails.

So, in conclusion, I would request number three as long as the above conditions apply.

I believe that the $5,552.62 we paid was for inefficiency and poor management.  It was outrageous to pay those inflated rates even one time as this is information guaranteed by Alaska Statute and Federal Law to be accessible to the public, much less pay for them again.  If any action you are about to take could lead to that as a possibility, I expect that you will contact me and await a response before acting.

Thank you for your attention

Linda Kellen Biegel

As soon as I know that they will be asking the Governor to make that request of the AG, I will let all of you know.

Update on Records Requests and Emails...nothing has changed under Gov. Parnell

by: Celtic Diva

Sat Oct 10, 2009 at 12:06:54 PM AKDT

This week, Sean Cockerham and Alaska AP both wrote pieces on the Alaska Democratic Party's long and continued wait for their records request...Per AP:

Public records requested more than a year ago for Palin's e-mails still haven't been provided by the state, and Alaska Democratic Party Chairwoman Patti Higgins said she thinks officials are trying to hide something.

"I think this is a travesty of justice," Higgins told the Anchorage Daily News.

Public records in Alaska are supposed to be provided within 10 days, but the state can extend the deadline for complicated requests. State officials said it's taking a lot of time to process the request for e-mails because so many were sought.

According to both articles, the request includes emails to and from the governor with various keywords, including "Monegan" and "Wooten".  This betrays the date of the request which was September 2008, in the thick of the Troopergate investigation.

However, in Cockerham's article he adds this:

Democratic Party Chairwoman Higgins said she'll meet with the Alaska Civil Liberties Union to see if the ACLU would be willing to file a lawsuit seeking to force the state to produce the records, which she requested on Sept. 22, 2008. State officials said her request involves reviewing about 21,000 documents.

Higgins said she also worries the state will black out much of the information and charge large fees. "The other threat that the state is giving us is that this may cost us up to half a million dollars," she said, promising to sue if that turns out to be the case.

You wonderful folks whose money paid for our yet undelivered record's request have been incredibly patient, especially considering the conflicting issues between advocacy and reporting/blogging:  I can't always write about "behind the scenes" activities.  I have had conversations and email traffic with advisors over the months regarding this and I'm unable as yet to talk about things still in the works.  However, there is some news.

As a reminder, this is where we stood as of July 2nd, the last contact I had with the Department of Administration regarding this records request (click the letter for a larger, easier-to-read copy):

After the Cockerham/AP articles, it was suggested that I write a letter to Mr. David Jones, the lawyer from the Attorney General's office quoted in both articles.  

(Disclaimer:  I do not believe FOR ONE SECOND that the Democratic Party should pay a single cent for their records request.  I just used the information to highlight the differences.)

Mr. Jones:

I saw the quotes from you in the Associated Press story on the Democratic Party emails and was struck by several things:

a)  The Democratic Party has not paid you anything for their emails, and

b)  You send them regular notification that extensions have been granted.  

My public records request has not been in the works for as long as the one they submitted.  However:

1)  I sent a money order (receipt acknowledged in the attached July 2nd letter) for $5,552.64 to the Department of Administration for my records request to be completed.

2)  Only parts 3 and 4 were sent (see letter) which was only two pages and was a record request itself, which made it unnecessary to search for it.  The previous emails describing what the money would pay for makes that fact very clear.

3)  The money was to search for parts 1 and 2 (again, see letter).  I have heard nothing about it.

4)  I have also received nothing from your office or the Department of Administration stating that any extension has been granted.

5)  My request only covers a five employees' email accounts and about 10 months of time.

It seems to me that the Department of Administration is in violation of AS 40.25, which requires the agency to provide the information within 10 days of receiving the requested fees.  As it is now October and the money was received before July 2nd, I wonder if this also may qualify as a breech of contract, since I have not received the product for which I've already paid?

This email is to request a response from your office.

Thank you for your attention.

Linda Kellen
aka:  Linda Kellen Biegel

Note:  I purposely did not send any letters or "reminders" to the Department of Administration over the last several months regarding the records request because I wanted to see how long it took them to request an extension...THEY NEVER DID.  (I didn't want to tell you guys either because, yes, they still monitor this website.)

Yesterday, I received this letter from Michelle Fabrello of the Department of Administration in response to my communication to the Attorney General's office:

First off, these are emails between the Governor's Office and two members of the media...a gossip columnist and a buffoon.  I have searched and searched the list of exempted records from AS 40.25.140 and found not ONE SINGLE CATEGORY where those emails could fit WITHIN REASON even if they used petroleum jelly and a shoehorn.

Secondly, I like how THEY lay out my options.  They say that I "could treat the failure to respond" to the request as "a denial" and appeal "to Governor Parnell or to superior court."

Actually, I am much more likely to view the entire process THIS WAY:

AS 40.25.125. Enforcement: Injunctive Relief.

A person having custody or control of a public record who denies, obstructs, or attempts to obstruct, or a person not having custody or control who aids or abets another person in denying, obstructing, or attempting to obstruct, the inspection of a public record subject to inspection under AS 40.25.110 or 40.25.120 may be enjoined by the superior court from denying, obstructing, or attempting to obstruct, the inspection of public records subject to inspection under AS 40.25.110 or 40.25.120. A person may seek injunctive relief under this section without exhausting the person's remedies under AS 40.25.123 - 40.25.124.

I have some serious work ahead of me before I respond to this letter.

I look forward to your comments, suggestions, advice and rantings!

What's up? A little summary including email and APOC news

by: Celtic Diva

Tue Aug 25, 2009 at 01:24:00 AM AKDT

--I've been organizing my house and harvesting the garden each day (I pulled the rest of the broccoli tonight in order to blanch and freeze it tomorrow).  Plus, there are tasks we must get done before the snow flies.  Here, the snow is almost ALWAYS flying before All Hallows Eve...that's only about 8 weeks tops.

In memory of Segundo

--Last week I learned something I'd never known before...how Alaska treats its Rural residents after death.  

The get treated just as badly as they do in life.

I want to check with Ann before I get into the details of everything involved, what I WILL say is it cost over %7,000.00 just to get Segundo from Ugashik to Nunam Iqua (with a few day stop in Anchorage).

That's insane!  

This made it clear to me that I want to spend more time covering the huge, complex Rural issues on the blog.

Abbreviated Palin News

--Americans United for Change had a great idea...counter Sarah Palin in the same medium she's using by running an ad in Facebook (above). What a great idea!

--APOC and Arctic Cat--I contacted APOC, asking what they were going to do about Palin/Van Flein's non-answer to their inquiry.  Executive Director Holly Hill stated that a decision would be made at their next meeting, to be held in September.  I will keep you up to date on when the meeting is as soon as they announce it (and of course, I'll be there).

--After getting the first trickle I have yet to receive the rest of the emails from the Governor's Office.

However, today I just got a notice to pick up a certified letter from the state.  Since I can't think of anything else it could be (I don't think I have an outstanding ticket) I'm wondering if that's what's waiting for me at the post office. I'll let everyone know tomorrow.

I also need to catch up on where the AK Fund Trust issue stands, what's going on with the Juneteenth lawsuit, Andree McLeod's email case and the gifts issue with both APOC and the Executive Branch Ethic's Act.

Records Request---it starts with a trickle...but it's an interesting trickle...

by: Celtic Diva

Tue Jul 14, 2009 at 00:51:25 AM AKDT

As you can see from the above picture, the Office of the Governor in Juneau received the check THAT ALL OF YOU MADE POSSIBLE (thank you!!!!) on July 8th.  

And yes, we have some results!

Dear Ms. Kellen,

Attached is a partial response to your May 23 request, as revised by your May 26 email.  

Sincerely,

Michelle Fabrello
Administrative Coordinator
Division of Administrative Services
Office of the Governor

According to the attached letter, they have fulfilled the part of the records request which involved finding out if Eddie Burke and Sheila Toomey filed requests like they claimed.  

(Yay...may have to pay more money...but that's a worry for later.)

First, we'll find out what Eddie wanted regarding Andree McLeod:

Wow...Eddie wanted ALL of the emails and/or letters between Andree McLeod and ALL STATE OF ALASKA employees...back to Dec. 2006, when Palin took office. I wonder who was actually going to sort through all those emails, as Eddie really isn't the type?

Could it be that he was getting them for people at C4P...hypothetically?

As it turns out, he was charged a fee, which I don't believe he's paid:

However, there are several interesting aspects to that:

1)  The $65,000 quote was exactly the same as mine.  

2)  It was also sent days after I INITIATED MY OWN RECORDS REQUEST to examine the one(s) Eddie and Sheila may have sent in as well as whether or not they were assessed fees.

The most fascinating aspect to this entire thing:

3)  Linda Perez states that 3 and 4 in my request have been satisfied, yet I SEE NO RECORDS REQUEST FROM SHEILA TOOMEY, who claimed back in May:

Your email to the above has been forwarded to me.

Your facts are incorrect. The governor's chief of staff did not forward me anything. The emails I quoted from are public documents. You may FOI them if you wish.

Thank you for your communication.

Sheila Toomey

So which Office of the Governor lackey DID forward an email from a private Alaskan citizen to you, Sheila? You clearly didn't get them from your own FOI records request.

Can you just smell the backlash?

Look what you did!!!! Plus, responding to more obfuscation from the Office of the Gov.

by: Celtic Diva

Fri Jul 03, 2009 at 01:37:54 AM AKDT

First, let's gaze upon the fruits of ALL of your labor!!!!  On one hand, it made me feel REALLY good to see those numbers in writing!  I felt so proud of YOU FOLKS for doing this...it sure wasn't me!  

And I admit it, I felt a tad bit grateful to C4P and especially the Stapletongue for opening that gargantuan mouth and shortening our fundraiser probably by days!

However, all of that is replaced by the anger I feel over the games the Palin Administration plays on every level to keep their activities secret.  

Let's go back to several weeks ago, before icons and desecrations and pageant pictures in running magazines...back to trying to get over the initial shock of how much an "open and transparent Governor" actually costs a private citizen.

Let's go back to when we DARED to ask for a fee waiver and see the response!!!

UNDER $5.00??  Really???  So if Father Fiorelli at Our Lady of Perpetual Guilt made a records request of all emails dealing with charitable work, you guys would charge him if it was over $5.00???

Wow, that I'd like to see!!!!  Oh...but wait...it will cost me an arm and a leg to prove it, won't it?

Nice little racket you guys have going here!

Now comes the responses to my computer guru's questions:

Oh, yeah, that's much clearer and in layman's terms...except that it doesn't even make sense to the computer guys!

And I loved the part about "I don't have a breakdown of time for each task nor can I produce it.  We are not tracking our time to that level of detail..."

I see...so that's the story you give to the State budget people when one Department feels they are being overcharged for your services?  You are saying that you cannot provide them proof to the contrary?  Or is it that you just don't WANT to give them to us so that we cannot point out the amount of time you are charging us for overnight functions when no one is working...those labor-free calculations?  But that's covered in the next questions...

So the answer to #2 is "yes" and not-so-amazingly, so is the answer to #3!!!!!

"Reasonable processing time is chargeable..."  Realize, pretty much EVERY AGENCY does its "processing" overnight, while the IT department is at home in bed and if there is a night worker, he/she is reading a book or catching up on his/her email.  So exactly how is it "reasonable" to charge me $54.84/hr FOR UNMANNED COMPUTER CALCULATIONS??

Here's a direct response to this letter from a System Administrator at a government agency:

Getting someone's current email mailbox from the exchange email server should not be that lengthy of a task.  Even with a large mailbox, it is something that can be started and left to run.  Multiple mailboxes can be done at the same time.

Converting the e-mail to a .pst file would be part of pulling a user's email from teh exchange server.  There would be no need to convert it as a separate process.  Again, if it is going to take a while, it can be started and left alone until completed.  Multiple email accounts can be handled this way.

The SSO team uses this Paraben search tool to look for email.  It will only search "reasonable sized blocks" of data at a time.  This is really bizarre as using something like Microsoft Office Outlook will search the entire .pst at a time and you only have to start it once.  If you combined all the various .pst files into a single file, you could perform one search and be done with it.

Here are comments from a computer expert in the private sector regarding explanations given by the State's computer geniuses, Enterprise Technology Services:

They need the .PST files from Outlook for the individuals requested for that period of time, then run those files through Electronic Discovery software to put into a text searchable format. IPro EDD for example. This I know since I do it for a living every day. We do it all the time for attorneys.

Since it is unknown how many pages these collections will be, the onus is on THEM to meet the strictures of the narrowed request. That means they don't hand you a stack of 200,000 email and say "here you go", they just give you the ones responsive to the request. All the extra charges for winnowing through them should be born by the state and it's obviously outdated and ill equipped IT department. It is not your responsibility to pay for their inefficiency nor do you need an explaination of "boo-hoo our job is so hard". They're paid much better than I am and have state benefits. They should do their jobs before the F.B.I. marches in there, seizes it all and brings it to me to do their jobs for them.

Even with all the technical jargon, it's more than obvious that something stinks.

By the way, if you read this and YOU have any questions about the Office of the Governor's email and records request process, the Director of ETS (Information Technology) is:

Anand Dubey
anand.dubey@alaska.gov
(907)269-5744

Records Request--Quickie Update

by: Celtic Diva

Wed Jul 01, 2009 at 23:43:58 PM AKDT

I know you've all been waiting patiently for a number of things to happen:

--me to march down to the Governor's Office, check in hand

--your avatars to show up on your emails

--a post talking about all of the above.

However, here's the most pertinent information:

***THE MONEY IS IN THE BANK!!! It made it over from Paypal, WOOO HOOO!!!***

What I can tell you is that, after a three-week break, I'm now watching my friend's daughter again during the week.  As I don't want the kids' brains to rot while I'm constantly on the computer, I'm actually taking them places, doing things with them and working in the yard with them.

I'm also still waiting for the rest of the information to come in so I can do a complete post on all of this, including my response to their last letter and their "answers" to the computer questions.  (Still waiting for one of the "computer guys" to send me their response to ETS.)

Another thing I needed:  whose name is on the check?

I called Linda Perez yesterday then sent her an email today asking who I should make the check out to.  Here was her response this afternoon:

Hello Ms. Kellen,

I didn't receive a message yesterday, so my apology for not responding.  The check should be made payable to the State of Alaska and mailed to my attention at Office of the Governor, Division of Administrative Services, P.O. Box 110001, Juneau, AK 99811-0001.

Please call me at 465-3876 if you need any further information.

Thank you,

Linda Perez

So, they were quite clear about wanting the check sent to Juneau instead of bringing it to the Governor's Office here in Anchorage.

I talked to several people who are quite knowledgeable of records request issues.  While I was hesitant to put the check in the mail out of fear that it may be lost, they encouraged me to do that instead of taking it to the Governor's Office in Anchorage.  So, I'll be getting a cashier's check and mailing it certified, receipt requested.  That way, someone has to sign for it.

When I get the rest of the information I need (hopefully sometime late tonight) I can finish the letter I'll be sending with the check, get the check ready, take pictures of it, send it to Juneau and post all about it tomorrow!!!!

And regarding your avatars...they are coming along VERY slowly...the list is HUGE!  However, you should see some with more frequency very soon.  (Again, if you want a different one, email me with a screen name and let me know!)

 

Some interesting facts about the donations...how our garden has grown!

by: Celtic Diva

Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 09:12:46 AM AKDT

--I only received one donation over $150.00--it was for $250.00.  

--My rough (very rough) estimates are that 98% of all donations were $100.00 or under.  About 85% of all donations were under $100.00.  (Like I said, these are very rough right now)

--The largest number of donations by far were $25.00 and under.

--There were many people who gave more than once.  THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!

--The single biggest fundraising day...the first one, believe it or not!!!!  With the over 10,000 hit traffic I had yesterday, the first day still beat it...barely!  You guys TOTALLY ROCK!!!!!

Keep watch on the blog starting Monday.  As soon as the money transfers to my account, I'll be marching down to the State of Alaska offices!

WOOOOOOOOT!!!! WE'RE AT 100% !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by: Celtic Diva

Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 17:03:08 PM AKDT

Thank you SO much guys!!!!

I'll change the banner when I get the new file from Dr. Chill.  We were going to change it but we've had a number of requests to keep the same "thermometer" that we have now, so we aim to please!

And now, we will celebrate by reading three stories from my wonderful fellow bloggers.

The first is from Phil over at Progressive Alaska which reprints a Blue Oasis post from January by BSN Lee Tompkins, who talks about the medical implications of Sarah Palin's "wild ride" from Texas leading up to Trig's birth.  Were those the actions of a loving mother?

The second is a Huffington Post article done by Mudflats which is probably the best summary of this whole situation out there.  

The third is from Wonkette because I love it when the national politicos "get it!"  So far CNN and MSNBC have completely missed the mark.

Here's just a tantalizing nibblet from Wonkette:

Famous bad mother Sarah Palin, hot off her successful campaign to fire David Letterman, from television, is now yelling about how some other random person hates or rapes her children. See that photoshop up there of Governor Palin with Bristol Palin's child, Trig? We thought "Verne Troyer" too, but no, it is the head of conservative Alaskan radio host Eddie Burke, who is in love with Sarah Palin. The terrifying graphic is the work of "the liberal Alaskan blogger, Celtic Diva," who earlier this month pushed some other story about Todd's snowmobiling clothes. Now Palin has denounced the blogger through her evil spokesperson Meg Stapleton, who released a statement saying, "The mere idea of someone doctoring the photo of a special needs baby is appalling." Oh.. oh MEG.

I especially love some of the quotes:

"Dueling emo govs?"

"What's next, btw, "Palin Takes On Rude Construction Workers?"

"I have unending sympathy for any child born with the horrible affliction of having Sarah Palin as a mother."

"That's Megan Stapleton! Don't call her Meg! Who told you could call her Meg? Don't ever call her Meg! Whoever told you it was "OK" to call her Meg set you up."

"Okay, sure, whatever, I'm on board with restoring decency and "real" tolerance. So as soon as Sarah Palin gets down on her knees and licks Obama's new French shoes - literally, and repeatedly - to apologize for encouraging those violence-bent cracker mobs that came out to see her in the fall, then we can start negotiations on the moral compass thing."

Anyway, go read up on these stories and I hope to have some new, exciting information for you tomorrow!

And by the way...YOU ALL ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!

New total...new percentage...new "thermometer" -- Thanks to EVERYONE for your help!

by: Celtic Diva

Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 01:00:13 AM AKDT

Yup, Governor, that's your boy!!!!!  

Besides, if I had photoshopped it, "racist" would be spelled correctly.

Day 3 and we keep marching forward!!!

by: Celtic Diva

Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 00:32:45 AM AKDT

Yup...the website that was so desperate to hear from me they were actually MAKING UP AN IMAGINARY DIALOGUE IN THE COMMENTS!!!!

***insert "Theme to Twilight Zone" here***

You have fun with that, kids!  **backs away slowly**

I apologize for being so far behind on the posting.  I got all the pictures ready to post from the trip but I'm so worn out, I'll do it in the morning.  There's so much going on, it's REALLY hard to keep up!

I'm getting up early in the morning so I'll tell you about my trip.

And the total after Day 2 (June 21st) of the Fund Raising Drive is...**FAQ UPDATED**

by: Celtic Diva

Mon Jun 22, 2009 at 00:21:29 AM AKDT

$2,478.00!!!!!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU and PLEASE KEEP IT GOING!!!!!

For those who wanted to see it in thermometer form, please everyone LOOK UP at the banner on top and give a big hand to Dr. Chill!  He's promised that he'll do one for me tomorrow as well!

I just got home from our trip, I'm exhausted, I need a shower and to go to bed, but I wanted you guys to have this info right away.  I'll post tomorrow about the trip and some things I've learned.

Night, all!!!!

****UPDATE****I updated the FAQs and am running errands like crazy.  I will be posting about trip and other stuff tonight.  Don't worry too much about the Neanderthals, they know as much about tax code as they do about anything else in Alaska...absolutely nothing!

Heading to Soldotna...donation total for the day and a photo recap...

by: Celtic Diva

Fri Jun 19, 2009 at 22:45:45 PM AKDT

Records Request Fund Raising:

I have GOT to get on the road back to Soldotna for setnetting after wasting hours trying (and paying for) 3 different donation thermometer scripts on the blog that didn't work.  I need a web person to help me because I'm SURE it's operator error.  (Anyone who wants to make their donation in the form of "website services" would SERIOUSLY make my day!)  I miss my husband terribly and can't wait to see him tonight!

So, are you ready for today's total so far from donations on the blog?

$709.00!!!!!!

This is excellent because I didn't advertise this ANYWHERE...this is all from you guys!  No other blogs (that I know of) have linked to me yet because I haven't asked them to...that should happen tomorrow.

YAY YOU!!!!!!

Children of the Corn?

Anchorage Assembly Anti-Discrimination Ordinance:

I was able to write about the APOC part of my whirlwind activities since I've been home these two 1/2 days.  However, I didn't get to talk much about the Assembly testimony.

I gave mine on Wednesday:

In the late 1980s-early 1990s I was in the folk/rock band called "Sky Is Blu," whose members were LGBT or LGBT-friendly.  We ended up playing many gigs for LGBT events and for close to six years, I felt privileged to be involved in this wonderful, close-knit community.

When the Anchorage Assembly brought an Ordinance forward in 1992/1993 to add "sexual orientation" to the list of classes protected from discrimination within Municipal employment.  I became part of a group that started a now-defunct 501 C3 to help educate the community-at-large. So,  we wrote letters, we marched and I attended every day of the Assembly testimony.

The testimony was about the hardest, most eye-opening thing I've ever done.  However, Sky Is Blu also got an additional "education" in exchange for or our participation.  

There was a National March for LGBT Rights gearing up in D.C. for late April 1993 and we were selected as the band going to represent Alaska.  The local media interviewed us about it as well as our thoughts on the Ordinance.  As a result, I received threatening phone calls and all four of my tires on my SUV were slashed. Another member of the band was (literally) harassed and followed down the street!

Worst of all, our bass player lost the job he had been offered with, ironically, the Municipality, at a time when his wife had just quit her job because she was pregnant. As a result of this, he couldn't get hired in his field in this state and he and his family ended up moving to the lower-48.

When these things happened to us, no one asked which of us was gay...our solidarity made us all targets.

So I stand here again, much older, much wiser and hopeful.  I see how many more LGBT folks and allies have come out to openly testify to end LGBT discrimination in Anchorage.  I also see the folks who are literally "coming out" in front of the whole city.  One only has to look outside on the lawn to see that all are taking a risk.  I ask you, Assembly members, please ensure that the risk is not in vain.

Many wonderful posts have been written on the other blogs.  I wanted to summarize a few issues I wanted to highlight:

-- The red shirts were a donation by Bailey's Furniture Store to Anchorage Christian Schools (ACS).  This information came from a very reliable source anyway, but I called Bailey's and confirmed it with their donation guy, Richard.  Supposedly, the donation happened in coordination with the "ACS Jam" basketball tourney.  

Note on the flyer where it says that the tournament is for Grades 1 through 6.  How amazing that those hundreds of adults (and a number of them met and surpassed my plus-sized body) were able to fit into shirts made for 6 through 12-year-olds?

Jeff Mittman, Exec. Director of ACLU Alaska has a "civilized" disagreement with Pastor Jerry Prevo

-- I know that folks have been avoiding Eddie Burke's shows even MORE than usual, but there's been an even scarier turn as of late when it comes to the Ordinance...Mr. Burke is attacking the Unitarian Universalist Church!  Some of this is another way to attack acting Mayor Matt Claman but it's VERY disturbing, to say the least.  Eddie even goes so far as to slam their bylaws and claim that UUC is "code" for the "Homosexual Church" and "that's what it was formed for."  find it on his podcasts from June 16th and 18th and on the 16th it starts at about 20 minutes in.

So, I'm off now (finally) and the last thing I have to mention is a big, special hug and load of appreciation to "Pallin' Around with Tourists," whom we can all thank for the pictures I'm about to take for the rest of the summer!!  The Canon arrived on Thursday and it's awesome!  I can't wait to play with it down on the Kasilof!

Help shine a light on the Palin Administration--FAQs about this fundraiser

by: Celtic Diva

Fri Jun 19, 2009 at 14:32:12 PM AKDT

What is this fund for?

The primary focus of this fundraising drive is to collect the $5,552.64 fee needed for the Palin Administration to release records of potentially questionable conversations between with "preferred" members of the media.  The posts on this can be found **HERE** and HERE**. While this is my regular PayPal account that I use for blog expenses, they money I'm raising now is to go for the release of the emails involved in the records request.

I don't have a PayPal account nor do I want one.  Can I donate another way?

-- You don't need a PayPal account to give through PayPal.

-- I know there are those who do not wish to do financial transactions on line.  I will have a P.O. Box posted by this evening (June 22nd).

Is this tax deductable?

At this time, no.  I will end up reporting this as income on my taxes just like I did with the blog and other donations (to go to the Convention) I received last year.

What are your plans for fund accountability?

I will pay the State in person and get a receipt, which I'll scan-in and post on the blog in a place of honor to show you all what you've accomplished!

The beauty of PayPal is they have all the account activity records online for as long as the account has existed. So, in case there is a need to provide a list of transactions and dates, I can do that anytime.

**NOTE** I will NOT release the names or other information about ANYONE who gives to this fund drive.  These are NOT political contributions.  This is money raised to pay for the unreasonable fees charged by the Palin Administration in a records request per Alaska Statute 40.25.110 Public Records Open to Inspection and Copying; Fees.  This is (supposed to be) a non-partisan process that provides public information for minimal cost in a reasonable amount of time.  However, the Palin Administration has made obfuscation their mantra.

What if all the emails are redacted?  What if they continue to delay like they have done with the Democratic Party?  Will this be in vain?

It is definitely NOT in the long-term best interest of the Palin Administration to try and claim "Executive Privilege" on emails between or about a radio personality and a newspaper gossip columnist.  It's also not in the best interest to show a pattern of delay when they are supposed to be meeting their statutory responsibilities.  I will be writing and providing information about EVERY STEP of this process FOR THE RECORD, which is something I don't think anyone has done before.  The only way I can do that is to keep following through with the next step.  

As we in Alaska learned up-close-and-personally with Sarah Palin's VP candidacy, the national media researches EVERY INCH of that record when someone attempts to run for national office.    

No, this MOST DEFINITELY will not be in vain, no matter what the outcome.

AVATARS AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION AFTER A DONATION IS MADE:

Dolphin -- Friendship, intelligence and good luck

Wolf -- a cunning, intelligent creature, capable of out-thinking hunters. It teaches us how to read the signs of Nature in everything, how to pass by danger invisibly, how to outwit those who wish harm, and how to fight when needed.

Owl -- a creature of keen sight in darkness, and a silent and swift hunter. It can unmask those who would deceive or take advantage

Dragon -- The dragon symbolized the power of the Elements, especially Earth and Fire, as well as treasure and prosperity

Unicorn -- the symbol of supreme magical power.

So please help us make Palin accountable by helping us get those emails!

Help raise $5,552.64 and join the fight for government transparency! **UPDATED**

by: Celtic Diva

Fri Jun 19, 2009 at 10:46:45 AM AKDT

Everyone gets to pick their avatars!  I've changed the PayPal button and I'm in the process of making a link underneath to the list of avatars and their pictures. Make sure you put your blog screen name in the first text box and write in which avatar you want in the second one.

Thank you for all of your input on the blog and in email!

****************************UPDATE**************************
A couple of important things:

-- I just added a text field so that donors can add their Blue Oasis screen name and make it easier for me to find their account.

-- Please participate in the poll I just added. (Poll appears when you click on post title)  I'm fine with making it so that folks can pick their own avatar...originally, that's what I was going to do.  However, I haven't figured out the logistical problems with it yet.  

-- I've received emails asking for an address to send checks.  I don't have a P.O. Box at this time so I may have to invest in one today.  I'll post it as soon as I have it!

Thank you all SO much for your support!  It's very nice to only have this up a few hours and still see how quickly folks pitch in!

************************************************************************

I received a response from the Governor's Office to the computer questions.  I'm going to wait to post those until my Sys Admin can look at them and respond (after I get back from setnetting on Monday.)

However, it's clear that the only way we're going to see these emails is to pay the bill.

The last three days have made it crystal clear to me that I couldn't do any of this with the Personnel Board, the APOC, even testifying at the Assembly without all of you.  Your comments, emails and support have been lifesaving.

Now, I need to ask everyone to make even more of a commitment to help.  

This records request is expensive, but it is also VERY important to follow it all the way through and report on it to all of you.  I discovered that I can add avatars to accounts so that they appear when people comment.  As a result, there is a new PayPal setup in the upper left hand corner of the blog.  You can now donate to whichever level you want and I'll add that avatar to your blog account!  That way, everyone can know that you have joined us in the fight to make the Palin Administration accountable!

Here are the avatars:

Dolphin -- Friendship, intelligence and good luck

Wolf -- a cunning, intelligent creature, capable of out-thinking hunters. It teaches us how to read the signs of Nature in everything, how to pass by danger invisibly, how to outwit those who wish harm, and how to fight when needed.

Owl -- a creature of keen sight in darkness, and a silent and swift hunter. It can unmask those who would deceive or take advantage

Dragon -- The dragon symbolized the power of the Elements, especially Earth and Fire, as well as treasure and prosperity

Unicorn -- the symbol of supreme magical power.

So please help us make Palin accountable by helping us get those emails!

The price tag of Palin's transparency: What that money is paying for...

by: Celtic Diva

Tue Jun 16, 2009 at 10:40:30 AM AKDT

So we know the final cost of:

-- doing a search on two names

-- in six email accounts

-- through 10 months worth of emails.

In this post, I've provided the third page that I requested from the Palin Administration--the explanation for those costs from Enterprise Technology Services (ETS).  

I know what you are thinking.  You are thinking EXACTLY the same thing I thought when first reading this page...

HUH???????

Luckily, not being a computer expert, I happen to know a number of them who could wade through this gobbildy-gook and either a) explain it or b) ask the right questions to get a better explanation.  One of them, a government System Administrator, provided questions for me to ask ETS about their processes.

From: Linda Kellen
Sent: Sunday, June 14, 2009 1:42 AM
To: 'Perez, Linda J (GOV)'
Cc: 'Nizich, Michael A (GOV)'; 'Perry, Kristina Y (GOV)'; 'Fabrello, Michelle A (GOV)'; 'Jones, David T (LAW)'; 'Leighow, Sharon W (GOV)'
Subject: RE: Records Requests

Thank you for the reply.

I gave the 3rd page of the letter to a Network Operations Manager at a federal government agency so he could explain it to me.  He had some questions:

1)  Please break down the parts of the job and the amount of time required for each part.  Please describe each step in layman's terms.

2)  At any of those steps, are you performing a batch process that requires no intervention until it's complete?  That is, is it something you start by defining parameters, and then wait until it's finished for the output?

3)  Agencies generally do their batch outputs overnight and off the clock. Are you billing the time for someone to sit and wait for that batch output?

4)  Since all email is "combined," why can you not search on multiple users/mailboxes at the same time?  Are you actually having a technician search on multiple users/mailboxes at the same time but just multiplying those same hours by the number of individual users for billing purposes?

5)  You indicated that the duration of time for which to search does not change the time required to perform the searches.  This seems to indicate that some process will automatically pull files for a set duration from the retrieval location.  Is this correct?

6)  Why do the e-mails need to be converted?  Shouldn't e-mails be in a text format already, even if it's an e-mail coded in HTML that adds tags but doesn't interfere with searching it for text?

7)  It sounds like you are doing a text-based search, meaning that you search for several text terms or phrases, correct?

8)  Why does the e-mail need to be converted twice?  From your statement before, it sounds like the e-mails have to be converted once when they are retrieved, then again when they get to the State Security Office for parsing.  Why is that?

I would like to know, what criteria do you use when you determine who gets a fee waiver and who does not?

Also, could I please have a list of the records requests you have filled in the last 6 months where fee waivers were granted?

Thank you for your help!

Linda

Though these questions are also somewhat technical in nature, one can glean from them a pattern.  In order for ETS to come up with the number of hours/charges per email account, they may be:

1)  Charging labor for services (batch output) that do not require labor (are generally overnight processes),

2)  Charging for a single search of all files, then multiplying those hours per email account to come up with the cost,

3)  Charging for processes (multiple conversions) that may be unneccessary.

So now, we eagerly await Ms. Perez's response, as well as her explanation for who is eligible for the fee waiver available for information in the "public interest" that is provided in the Alaska Statutes.

However, I'm not going to wait until then to start collecting money to pay the bill because I have a limited time frame in which to do that before they make me start the process all over again.  I've come up with an idea where you guys can truly help support this process but I'm still working out some of the details. Since I must get on the road in the next 1 1/2 hours to get back to Anchorage, I'll post more on this after the Assembly Meeting tonight.

And the final amount for getting the Palin Administration to cough up public documents is...

by: Celtic Diva

Mon Jun 15, 2009 at 14:40:38 PM AKDT

To recap:

Eddie Burke (KBYR talk show host) and Sheila Toomey (Alaska Ear gossip columnist) both seemed to be participating in a coordinated smear campaign of citizen watchdog Andree McLeod.  Both received inside information from the Administration that they discussed in their respective mediums. Both made claims that they were receiving/had received documents from requesting records of the State.  Knowing how it works and knowing the timing required, that seemed highly unlikely if not impossible.

So, I did my own records request(s) looking to see what kind of communication between the Palin Administration and these media figures was actually going on.  The initial price tag--$65,000!  

I replied to Linda Perez, Administrative Director of the Department of Administration, combining the records requests into one and limiting the scope.  I also asked for an explanation of the search process that was taking 16 hours per employee.

I received a response back from Linda Perez, Palin's right-hand-woman, over at the Office of the Governor (click on the letter for a larger size of each page):

Yup...$5552.64!!

Even Eddie Burke himself was shocked!!!!

Two things of note:

1)  They are perfectly willing to reduce the fees if I decide to ignore the "deleted" emails and focus on the ones still in the active email file.  

Let's see...I'm going to send an email to several media figures, giving them "special" information.  What should I do with the email afterwards?  Hmmmm...

2)  They are refusing to waive the fees due to the "staff hours required" to process these many requests, not addressing the issue of "benefiting the public interest."

I find it fascinating that anyone I've talked to whose worked for any government agency other than the State of Alaska has said they've NEVER HEARD OF charging money for a record request.  As a matter of fact, the agencies within the Army I've talked to don't even charge for the copying costs!

The State's explanation for billing the fees plus the response I sent back (which included a list of questions from a System Administrator who does this stuff for other government agencies) is worthy of its own post, which I'll include tonight.  

Also, we'll discuss plans for payment of this bill, since it's the only way I'm going to get to see those records.

...an "Accountability-A-Thon" perhaps????

I'm swamped--a VERY abbreviated wrap-up of what's up!

by: Celtic Diva

Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 13:29:02 PM AKDT

I had a lovely weekend:

We finished our veggie boxes and planted them!

We also started creating a rock garden/fountain combination but that's not ready for viewing yet.

We went to the Three Barons Renaissance Faire:

It was so hot, we didn't even stay for the Living Chess Game, our favorite thing.  However, the above picture is the "Circus of the Damned".  My good friend, Robert, from back-in-the-day is their juggler.  He also has a KILLER Blues voice and plays a wicked harmonica!

Oh, I also hear he's a helluva bartender!

We had a few glitchs this weekend...things that broke:

--My computer--some automatic update has now made it that before I can use any MS Office functions, I need the disc to upgrade.  My husband says the discs are in storage (sigh).  That's why none of the pictures are cropped.

--My camera--the view screen just shows a bunch of fine cracks on the inside.  All of the pictures you see were taken blind!

--The shower in the master bathroom...my husband is a computer god but not a plumber!  He installed the shower system from our old place into the shower here...it was too heavy and pulled the pipe thingee out of the sheetrock.

Just add this to the list of stuff to fix in a new house...sigh...

Then, of course, there was my spectacular fall at a garden nursery...broken only (and luckily) by a $75.00 planter. No, they didn't make me buy the planter.  When someone on a cane falls, the first thing they worry about is a lawsuit! **rofl**  (And no, I wouldn't sue them for having a wet floor...it's a nursery!)  I'm mostly OK, but it wrenched my old injuries so I'm using my neck brace more.  I'm going to the doctor this week to make sure everything's not any worse.

Dang, two car accidents and now two good falls this year!  I'm either really unlucky or really lucky!

Things I'm working on:

--The fee estimate came for the revised records request.  I'll have a post out on that tonight or tomorrow morning.

--Public testimony in front of the Assembly for the Ordinance to add "sexual orientation" as a protected group in Anchorage is TOMORROW NIGHT.  I'll be there and will also post on this tonight.

There's the update...I'll post more later!

Records Request Update

by: Celtic Diva

Tue May 26, 2009 at 11:01:42 AM AKDT

I've heard from quite a few people since publishing the "records request" post and had lots of support and many wonderful suggestions.  Thanks to all of you for responding!

As of this morning, I have not heard anything today from Linda Perez.  However, I didn't expect to because everyone is coming off of a long weekend.  I did shoot off another email to her, as I forgot one Office of the Governor employee, Mike Nizich.

I summarized the request, adding and subtracting the things I discussed in the previous email:

My amended records request reads as follows:

1) any and all email contact to/from Governor Palin, Office of the Governor employees Linda Perez, Mike Nizich, Bill McAllister, Kris Perry, Sharon Leighow that are to/from Alaska residents Eddie Burke and/or Sheila Toomey,  

2) any and all emails to/from the Governor and those same Office of the Governor employees that discuss Eddie Burke or Sheila Toomey,

3) all records requests submitted which target emails to or from Alaska resident Andree McLeod, and

4) all fee breakdowns, invoices or any other documents which assesses the cost of retrieving the McLeod emails and whether or not those fees have been/will be charged to the requester.

The date range for the request is July 1, 2008 to May 11, 2009.

I've also seen that Conservatives4Palin weighed in on this...very weakly which (of course) included ripping on my weight, my disability status (I am officially disabled but I DO NOT receive any Government funding), my lack-of-employment status (My husband is the provider...I'm a stay-at-home mom, I get some donations off of the blog [thank you!]I occasionally sell free-lance writing and I'm also doing childcare during the summer.  However, I'm doing the childcare for a good friend of mine for expenses only.  She's a working mom who can't afford $700.00/month for summer care for one child.)

It's amazing how the insults change with the circumstances.  Because I posted my financial situation (which can be verified) to the Office of the Governor, I'm getting the insults mentioned above.  However, in past posts, it was stated as if it was fact that I was getting paid by Obama?  (Those missed checks are sure piling up since last summer's Convention!)

This reminds me of the last gasp of a dying animal.