Tuesday 14 July 2009

Playing catch-up with Sarah Palin

Having missed all the excitement of Sarah Palin's surprise resignation, I'm playing catch-up. Some things stand out while perusing the blogs and news sites:

1) Sarah Palin's lies: in her resignation speech and subsequent interviews, Sarah referred to the costs incurred by the state in dealing with frivolous ethics complaints, lawsuits and requests for public records as running into millions of dollars. The state published a spreadsheet showing these costs as $1.9 million. Her shiny new spokesperson, testosterone charged David Murrow, later pointed out that the salaries of various state employees were included in the calculations, giving a somewhat distorted picture of the real costs. Sarah Palin lying? What a surprise!

2) Margaret Carlson discussed Sarah Palin's legal expenses with Keith Olbermann on Countdown. John Coale, who masterminded both SarahPac and the Alaska Fund Trust, told Carlson that the legal fund paid most of Sarah Palin's legal expenses. How could the fund pay for anything if it's frozen pending the outcome of an ethics complaint?


3) SarahPac published their figures: they raised around $733,000 since January 2009. Not bad, but not very good either... Sarah's fans claim the figures could be better if they had not diverted their focus onto the Alaska Fund Trust to help retire Sarah Palin's legal liabilities. A certain pro-Palin site ran a begathon and reported the total amount raised as $130,000, but that includes donations since the start of the fund, so nobody knows how much was raised in the begathon itself. There's a lot of confusion about SarahPac and the Alaska Fund Trust all over the place: who pays for what, what's legal, what isn't, etc... All very Sarah Palin.

I went through the list of donors (over $200) and didn't see any of the names of the high profile bloggers from that pro-Palin site. There are some possibilities: they didn't donate. They donated very little. They donated a lot in little amounts in order to remain anonymous... The only person I recognized was our troll Greg. The poor guy donates very often, every time he gets an itch somewhere... his total was nearly $2,000, from small $25 itches to $250 bigger ones.

4) Shannyn Moore discusses the constitutional conundrum regarding the appointment of the next lieutenant governor. Sarah Palin seems to leave some sticky mess behind, whatever she does... One comment on Shannyn's post is quite interesting:

By: TeamSarah4CHOICE on July 13, 2009
at 6:10 am

I wanted to bring up one more thing Palin is not talking about & needs to be complete before she leaves office.

Here goes: On June 17, ADN reported that
1) In April 29 letter – APOC asked the governor if she has any other gifts she hasn’t reported.
2) Palin response to APOC: “Mail continues to arrive. There are boxes of unopened mail at this point, even mail that was delivered in 2008. Thus, as initially disclosed, ‘we continue to open boxes’ and we consider any parcel ‘received’ at the time it is opened. I have reported those gifts received thus far that are required to be disclosed,”
—i.) Does this mean Palin will WAIT to open the gifts to avoid disclosure?
—ii.) It would seem to ME Palin has it wrong – the gifts ‘received’ date should be the post mark of the gift.
—iii.) The IRS, banks, etc ALL USE the “POST MARK” as the date received – NOT the date “opened.”

Next question:
Roughly a week after Palin’s Personal Personnel Board dismissed the Arctic Cat walking billboard – Palin filed with the APOC a written request for EXEMPTION of Financial Disclosure regarding Arctic Cat.
—i) What ever happened with that request?
—ii) IF: APOC decides Palin must follow the AS 39.50 law, THEN: Will she be able to skip out on that disclosure after her “iQuit” date?
—iii) Wouldn’t it be interesting if IN the secret Arctic Cat contract was a line suggesting the Gov wear the Arctic Cat logo.

This is important because:
a) Palin’s Personal Personnel Board SHOULD have investigated the Arctic Cat contract that Palin wants to keep secret and,
b) AS 39.50 requires, by law, that Palin DISCLOSE ALL GIFTS/DISCOUNTS for her family.

These are VERY pertinent questions. I'm very curious to see how APOC will proceed...

5) Pat Buchanan wants Todd Palin to drown Levi Johnston...

6) Finally, there's the ghostwritten Sarah Palin op-ed on the Washington Post. The only thing that makes it remotely palinesque is the use of "progressing" somewhere in the piece. Are they trying to preempt any claims about the op-ed being ghostwritten? "I wrote it all by my own little journalist degree self. Why, I even used my pet verb 'to progress', also, too."

Yeah, right!

Some people appear to be impressed by the op-ed, regardless of authorship.


There we have it: there's never a dull moment when it comes to Sarah Palin.

She may have resigned as the governor of Alaska, but unless that other shoe drops, she seems to have plans to enter the national stage, which means that blogs like mine can't afford to walk into the sunset just yet!
.

36 comments:

Tara said...

Regina, Good to have you back! I hope your trip was productive.

I read the op-ed piece 4 times. If Sarah Palin wrote that, I wrote War and Peace.

We need you now more than ever. I usually don't pay attention but my wv is fooked. Hopefully as in Sarah will soon be...

Unknown said...

Thank you for the recap. It will be great for reference....we'll need it!

FEDUP!!! said...

Is there someone who has the plagiarism software and can check the piece out? Seems someone on HuffPo thinks there is at least *one* part taken from somewhere else...

I agree with Tara: If GINO wrote the whole piece by herself w/o any help, I will eat crow (since Tara already wrote W&P ;) )

sjk from the belly of the plane said...

Tara, you couldn't have written War and Peace. I did!

;-)

Dianne said...

Hi, Reg!!!

Glad you're back at your keyboard. Must agree with all above. There's NO WAY Sarah wrote that without some serious hand holding - and tape across her mouth.

Anonymous said...

Glad to see you're back Regina. Hope all went well, too.

Seems the handlers are trying to reinvent the Palin brand. So, keep up the good work!

Ennealogic said...

Welcome back, Regina. Now, get back to work! (j/k)

Yah, you and Jon Stewart left at a most inauspicious time. You weren't off fishing together, were you?

The Saga of $arah continues, thus so does our task of peeling back the layers one thin skin at a time.

basheert said...

Welcome back girlie! I personally missed your witty little self.

No folks, I wrote War & Peace if $P wrote that column.

I wonder who she paid and dumbed down?

At this point, sad as it may seem, I don't CARE what happens with her. Alaska did this to itself and frankly it's up to them to make enough noise to fix it. We are all facing weirdness with our politicians (I personally am stuck with Fat Kyl and InsaneMcCain (who owes the world an apology).

We all have our crosses to bear. Alaska needs to clean up it's own mess.

Kat said...

Now that $he will be hitting the national stage we need you more than ever Regina! Welcome back! You HAVE been missed.

CC ... said...

Regina!!!

I hope you had a lovely holiday. I'm so glad you are back as yours is the first blog I read in the morning.:)

You have been missed, girl!

Looking forward to your ever-wonderful posts.

:))

Casey said...

Regina...I second everything everyone else has said. So glad you are back...and cannot wait for more posts.

Laurie

Anonymous said...

So happy you are back on the case Regina!

I think some poor ghostwriter was assigned the task of listening to SP spout off a few of her buzzwords and talking points about cap and trade and then put it through a word salad processor to turn out that WP op-ed. And add progressing in there to make it sound authentic :)

SoCalWolfGal said...

Hi Regina,

Welcome Back!! Hope you had a good holiday but you were certainly missed. Please check out Phil's Progressive Alaska blog today regarding the wonderful, witty writings of of Queen Buttercup. His responses are easy to pick up as they are highlighted in red or blue. I just love this comment, "I've met very few Alaskans competent to discuss cap-and-trade with any authority". Quite true, I am sure most of us could not discuss this with any authority, but we are expected to accept that the woman who couldn't remember what she reads, can suddenly discuss this complex issue.

http://progressivealaska.blogspot.com/2009/07/saradise-lost-book-3-chapter-20-raise.html

Anonymous said...

Welcome Back Regina! $arah as Governor has no trouble calling a press conference to get her 15 minutes of attention each day. I wonder if $arah, the private citizen, will be able to do the same thing. In the way that a vampire requires the taste of human blood to stay a vampire (maybe), well, $arah craves the spotlight and attention in the same way. I can picture the cartoon that Regina will find on line-- plants with $arah faces in the center of the flowers turning towards the sun and smiling. Then, at night, they sag and droop down, waiting for the next sunrise. It's a drug for our $arah; she must be the center of attention each day in the way that ordinary people require nourishment

Anonymous said...

Good thing that you came back, Regina, there is too much stuff to keep up with!

The Associated Press
Tuesday, July 14, 2009

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Another ethics complaint has been filed against Gov. Sarah Palin, alleging she abused her office by accepting a salary and used state staff while campaigning as the Republican vice presidential candidate last year.

It's the 18th ethics complaint filed against Palin, and the third since Palin announced her resignation July 3.

In her resignation speech, Palin cited the complaints as taking a personal toll and crippling her ability to govern effectively.

She officially steps down July 26.

The latest complaint was filed Monday and is the fifth by outspoken Palin critic Andree McLeod of Anchorage. Three of McLeod's grievances have been dismissed and another remains active.

Anonymous said...

I have to share my latest theory about Sarah's op ed piece in the Washington Post. They are already up to their eyes in scandal, selling access to lobbyists and politicians. They need the money. Perhaps Sarah paid them to run her piece, sort of like a Vanity Press. (Don't mix it up with Vanity Fair)

FEDUP!!! said...

Ano @01:57:
No, I cannot see $arah paying for ANYthing - on the contrary, I believe SHE GOT PAID for the article (OK, come to think of it, maybe she DID pay for the article - like college kids do for some term papers - but she definitely got paid way MORE than SHE paid for it, IMHO!

Kyra said...

Tara, sjk, and Basheert, extremely well written! And to stay so alert at your ages! Let's see, W & P was published .....

Anyway, GINO has such a unique way of interpreting the law "it's received when it's opened" is certainly a new one to this once upon a time tax preparer. I wonder why then the IRS makes such an issue out of postmarks? hmmmm.

Could be that a scandal in the making is that very same Arctic Cat contract she has asked to have exempted from disclosure - and perhaps all those gifts waiting for her to be un-governor to be opened. Perhaps a little bug in the ear of a fed somewhere?

Also, does she not understand that it doesn't matter if she isn't governor anymore? The rules still apply to her regarding what happened when she was. They can still demand release of that information after she leaves the office and she can still be charged with ethics violations for actions taken while governor. What, she thinks that she's Bush/Cheney?

Lisa K said...

Great to have you back Regina!

To those asking about plagiarism, in the co
ments secion on the actual piece, there are several accusations including references.

I think SarH wrote this and then had her ghost writer clean it up. It's not very well written, and is very simplistic. To focus only on fossil fuels in this day and age is dispicable and sickening. Is she so in bed with the oil companies that that is all she focuses on. Her article completely dismisses the protection of our environment and planet as a reason for seeking out alternatives to fossil fuels. John Kerry inthe Huffington Post said Sarah never even mentioned global warming and if she would open her eyes and look out of her window, she would see Alaskan towns destroyed by climate change. Kerry did not mention that "Sarah is not one to think climate change is effected by man." That is because she is a religious zealot who is also an idiot.

Anonymous said...

Regina, since you allegedly live in France and are a British ex-pat, I can understand how you can get our IRS laws wrong.

First of all, for your information, a person can receive checks for whatever amount, but if those checks are not deposited nor cashed, they are not considered income and therefore are not considered income. Additionally, the biggest threshold for converting an act from a civil matter to criminal charges is willfulness. You have to knowingly commit the act. Since, not only has she not cashed any checks nor knows if there are any checks, that blows your whole scenario out of the water.

Second, if you do not know if you received something there is no way that you can declare it. For all she knows, the envelopes she has received are just congratulatory cards or the like. I am sure that the IRS would take get a little bogged down if all of us would declare the price of each and every birthday card from family and friends.

Of course, if you can cite the IRS code that supports your statement that is a different matter altogether. Somehow I believe that would be impossible though.

FEDUP!!! said...

O/T, but what is this twit all about from the soon-to-be-Ex-GINO:"Daughter just returned from NBC basketball tour in Italy" ???
Which daughter?

FEDUP!!! said...

Oh, Ano @02:59: One thing you also, too, forgot to mention is that *IF* you get a check and do not deposit it within SIX MONTHS, you forfeit it. No bank will honor it, as far as I know!
Also, too, claiming ignorance of ANY law is NOT A VALID DEFENSE! (Go check with any lawyer...)

Anonymous said...

To Anon@2:59: First of all, there is no need to be so rude to Regina. We keep a civil tone here.

Regarding the IRS, since they are the ones who will decide if $arah received gift$, whether or not they were declared, and if taxe$ are due, I'll use the example of most US citizens sending in that annual check before midnight, April 15.

Suppose the check gets lost in the mail, someone at the IRS carelessly let your envelope slip behind the counter, guess what. You will have to write them a new check and negotiate any fines for overdue payment.

The postmark is the deciding mark as far as time. It would be impossible for the IRS to require that the checks arrive by midnight April 15 because there are so many variables: planes, trains delayed, highway accident, weather. No, the official deadline is the postmark.

I also believe that there were boxes of clothing sent to Bristol's baby, Tripp. No one would have sent an unwed teen aged mom lots of gifts if she wasn't the governor's daughter. They do have an ethics guideline that neither the Governor nor her family can be allowed to profit by her office. That includes the unopened checks (why hasn't anyone filed a complaint against the profit that the checks represents?) and all of the gifts. They have raked in a grand prize haul because of $arah's celebrety, I mean political office.

Suppose I write a check to my favorite charity and I want to be sure to claim it on my 2009 taxes as a deduction. I must write, date and get that check in the mail as of midnight Dec.31, 2009. It doesn't matter when they open the envelope-- why, they may think that I'm just sending them a card like all of those nice cards that $arah received-- my gift was given as of Dec.31, 2009.

Let's be honest. In this day of email, people who wanted to tell $arah how much they loved her would send an email. Snail mail envelopes contain checks. And, her PAC and Defense Fund were not set up until months after the election. Let's hope that the unopened mail from 2008 is now worthless, except for the kind wishes. As for the book-
keeping, I'm not an accountant, but I'm going to assume that there is going to be a difference if the check is made out to "Sarah Palin," "SarahPAC" or "Alaska Fund Trust." If they are made out to "The Governor of Alaska," she had better cash those quickly; they won't be good by the end of the month.

As for not opening the envelopes, it reminds me of playing peek-a-boo with a baby. Put the blanket over the baby's head, and the baby thinks that you can't see him. If $arah doesn't open the envelopes, there's nothing there.
Peek-a-boo!

By the way, I have decided to spell $arah's name with a $ instead of the letter S because it is clear that one of the reasons that she is leaving office early is because of the money. We should be calling her $how Me the Money $arah.

crystalwolf aka caligrl said...

Welcome Back Reg! :) Hope you have a nice Bastille day! We missed you...Alot!
But believe me, the fun has just begun....
3rd ethics complaint Dennis Zaki predicted (3) was filed today. Can the *iceberg* be far away?
Grifter $arah is standing in the $h!T so high we can barely see her eyes, lol. The fun has just begun!
lol *SUE ME!!*

Gail said...

oh no, don't even think of walking into the sunset. SP is on the cover of Time, and her WaPo fake oped is an indication she intends to hand around. Stay on the case, please!

Rocky in Texas said... said...

Welcome back!!

I was starting to worry that maybe Trig's Grandmother, The Quitter might have thrown you under the iceburg!

Kyra said...

I think her contribution to the op-ed was "progressing" and maybe her name.

ProChoiceGrandma said...

Thrilled to see you back, Regina! You deserved a vacation, but oh the timing!

jo said...

Moveon.org is collecting donations to run a commercial to counter $arah's lies. The C4pee sect are always saying every time they think their god has been slighted "just made another donation to $arah pac, or ATF". Well this time I just made a donation to move on. Funny she was for Cap and Trade during the debate last year, I guess she forgot. How can you tell if Sinister $arah is lying? Her lips are moving. She lies so much she wouldn't be able to keep up with them all, except she keeps repeating them over and over again. Whats so frustrating though is the pundits and the journalist keep repeating some of the worst ones, like it cost the state 2 million for frivolous ethics complaints that have all been dismissed. Since the cost to state is so grossly overstated I would imagine her out of pocket expenses have been jacked up from $0 to $600,000. I don't see how she would have had any expenses, most have been dismissed, focus on the family paid for trooper gate, and isn't she provided by the state a lawyer? We know her family are millionaires, but yet she has no problem asking for handouts from people who most likely make less than $50,000 a year. Such a good little Christian she is. She is evil. Well tell us Ms. energy expert how God's fossil fuel is formed.

regina said...

Thanks for the warm welcome back, everybody!

It's nice to be back. I'll put some photos on an open thread later.

We spent our holiday in good company, Jon Stewart, no less! LOL

Cheers,

Regina

Anonymous said...

Regina,

great you are back, we have missed you very much!

lynnrockets said...

You folks will enjoy this new video spoof from Redstate Update about Palin's resignation. It's a hoot.

http://www.redstateupdate.com/video/sarah-palins-resignation

-lynnrockets.com

Rogue said...

Just a few clarifications on U.S. tax matters.

First, gifts are not taxable to the recipient. The donor may pay a tax on them if they are in excess of $13,000 or are a future interest in property, rather than an immediate interest in property.

Checks written and mailed on December 31, 2009 would affect the check writer's 2009 return, but not the recipient return unless actually also received on December 31, 2009 (impossible with the current mail system). However, checks received before December 31, 2009, even if not opened or cashed, would affect 2009 filings (a doctrine known as "constructive receipt"). In Palin's case, this would be political disclosure filings since the gifts are not taxable to her. However, if checks from Artic Cat were received before December 31, they would be taxable on that year's return, even if not opened until January.

Ennealogic said...

IIRC, any gifts Sarah Palin receives as Governor that are greater than $150 in value must be reported on her financial disclosure form (not her federal tax form). This has to do with the possibility of corruption. If someone gifts you a substantial sum, they may very well be expecting something in return.

Quid pro quo and all that.

Lerual said...

I don't think Sarah wrote the Op/Ed. I think someone wrote it and asked Sarah to personalize it because right now she has the press in her hands.

If she wrote the piece, she needs to "Sit Down and Shut Up" because her writing is much better than her speaking!

the problem child said...

First, a belated welcome back, Reg!

Second, your assumption that the $arah supporters were donating in small amounts to stay under the radar of reporting only works until they hit $200. The reporting requirement for donations of over $200 is cumulative. So, the C4P palinbot leaders were not really putting their money where their mouths are. Funny, I had Mansour pegged a trustfund baby. And I checked for all of the "names" that they claim are real.