Tuesday 27 October 2009

Sarah Palin: I spy with my little wonky eye....Pie Spy!


+++UPDATE November 14, 2010+++


Rarely a day without news from the colourful life of Sarah Palin!

As the ADN reports today, Sarah Palin bagged the considerable amount of $1.25 million as an advance payment for her bookdeal. Palin mentions this figure in her new obligatory financial disclosure form for 2009 (the forms includes all income for 2009 until she resigned as Governor on July 26, 2009).

This advance payment, however, doesn't come as a great surprise, taken the fact into account that the previous speculations ranged somewhere between $ 2 million and $ 7 million. Still, nice to have this figure finally confirmed. Did she receive a similar amount as an additional payment recently when the manuscript was handed in, or even more? As always, we can only guess.

Then comes surprise No 1:

In the form, on the first page, she mentions the number of her dependent children ("biological children, stepchildren, adoptive children") as "3".


So...there is Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper and Trig. Everyone knows that Track was in the army during this time, so he most likely doesn't count as a dependent child any more.

But Bristol? Was she not a dependent child during the first half of 2009? She had her High School commencement ceremony on May 14, 2009, and cleverly combined this event with a cover-story in People-magazine. She also had her press-opportunity with the Candie's foundation on May 6, 2009. For both contracts Bristol certainly received a substantial sum of money. Whether this also "removed" her status as dependent child, I cannot answer right now, as I haven't got the specific legal knowledge. We have to be careful with quick conclusions: It might very well be legally possible to consider her as a non-dependent child, taking into account the substanial amount of money she has earned and the fact that she was already 18 years old.

But there is one great inconsistency, and these are the little things which can drive one crazy when it comes to analysing Sarah Palin's "dealings": On her financial disclosure form for 2008, she declared that she had "4" dependent children.


So far so good - "obviously" Track didn't count any more, because he joined the army in September 2007. Or DID Sarah still count him as a dependent?

This question is justified, because curiously, Sarah Palin still mentioned in the attachments to the form for 2008 what the "child" Track Palin earned from January to December 2008 - $ 21,903.20. So, why didn't Sarah Palin mention the income of Track and Bristol in the financial disclosure form for 2009 - in contrast to what she did for 2008? Or did she purposely exclude TRIG in 2008 and didn't count him as a dependent child?


Now to the second surprise: Sarah Palin owns the "Pie Spy LLC".




Huh? The wonky name makes it instantly believable that a Palin is involved in this business. But what exactly is the "Pie Spy LLC" doing?


Thankfully, the ADN already did some digging. From Alaska's corporation database, we learn that the business was founded on April 3, 2009. It provides "Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities". The business has never been mentioned anywhere before - a google search brings no results. Confusingly, in classic Sarah Palin fashion, in her financial disclosure form for 2009, the purpose of the business says "Marketing".

The registered agent of the business is Sarah's "infamous" lawyer Thomas Van Flein.



Who else is involved? From the copy of the
"Articles of Organization" for the "Pie Spy LLC" we learn that Meghan Stapleton acts as the "Organizer".



This document was faxed from
"Rebound Sports and Orthopedic Physical Therapy LLC" which belongs to Meghan Stapleton's husband Eric Steenburgh.

So what is the real purpose of this business, why was it set up? Why is it not out there on the market, advertising itself? Why is Sarah's lawyer the registered agent?

I could think about some sneaky purposes for this business. As always, we are just left to speculate. At some point, we will maybe hear more about it.

Update: Celtic Diva has a very informative post with interesting speculations about the "Pie Spy" business.


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164 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pie Spy = Palin Income Enterprise Sarah Palin YES

Anonymous said...

Smoke and mirrors, the pea and the shell game? Perhaps this bunch is moving and manipulating money through many loopholes? Nothing they do makes any sense. IRS, anyone? S.H.

Anonymous said...

The most interesting thing in the report may be Meg's statement that $P is now a private citizen and there will be no more disclosures. Let's hope she doesn't change her mind.

Anonymous said...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sarah_palin_signature.svg

I found it interesting how different Sarah's signature looks now (latest disclosure form) as compared to before (see the above link).

What's changed? Maybe she was angry when signing the disclosure form?

Anonymous said...

anon 01:18 -- Some people believe that handwriting reveals personality; the French check the handwriting of job applicants. If that's the case, her personality may have changed. I could only speculate about the ways in which a person's personality might change.

Anonymous said...

Huffington Post is suddenly allowing all comments about Trig on the Levi article!

Lisabeth said...

All of this is incredibly strange to me. The dependents, this weird sounding business!? What do others think of this. In 2008, she should have had 5 dependent children, wouldn't you think?? Maybe she has never put Trig as a dependent because he just isn't one! Wouldn't there be a lot of medical deductions for a child with so many problems or would insurance pay for these? I only ask about this because are her taxes going to be released and wouldn't they show medical expenses for all dependents including Bristol and Trig.

About this weird business, could it have been started so she could write off more expenses?? I don't get ot and will be curious what others think. Very weird,

Anonymous said...

Ariana Huffington is an old establishment, mainstream republican. Sarah's been a naughty child with that 3rd party endorsement !!!!

midnightcajun said...

Patrick, a literary advance is generally paid out in either two or three installments. A typical arrangement is 1/3 on signing, 1/3 on delivery of the manuscript, and 1/3 on publication. Another common arrangement splits the advance into two main chunks with a small residual on pub, so say $1.25m on signing, $1.25m on delivery, and $250,000 on publication. Another variation would be a 50-50 split with no pub payment, simply $1.25m on signing, $1.25 on delivery. This would be a sweet arrangement, but I know HC does these because those were actually the terms of my last contract with them--50/50, with no pub payment.

So it's hard to say what her arrangement is. But the $1.25 would represent at least a third, so we know her advance is no more than $3.75, and could even be as little as $2.5, which is, incidentally, what I was told last summer by two different HC editors.

Anonymous said...

The dependents seem simple to me: Trig, Piper & Willow. Track is an "employee" of the Army. Bristol has had income from at least one source and may have a job. Check the IRS regulations where there are some strict requirements about claiming a dependent. It's possible that a six year old -- child celebrity -- couldn't be claimed as a dependent, if the child's income provides a substantial amount of its support.

midnightcajun said...

OT, but I am a member of Team Sarah and receive their email alerts. I just received one saying that "the Iowa Family Policy Action center needs to raise $41,000 in order to have Sarah Palin come to speak on November 21, 2009. They have raised $59,000 already, but they need to know there is enough to coming in (sic) to ensure that they can pull this off." It then goes on to ask Team Sarah members to donate so that Sarah can speak.

In other words, Sarah is charging this Iowa right to life outfit $100,000 to come talk. AND she is getting her little Palinbots to donate so that they can afford to pay her fee. How sick is that?

FEDUP!!! said...

Anon @28 October 2009 01:18 :

Where do you see a different signature? The one I see on the docs is from Megan Stapledtongue, not $arahcuda, the grifter par excellence...

Patrick said...

midnightcajun 1:38

Thanks a lot for the info! I think that we now have a pretty good idea what Sarah will get for the bookdeal. Now we know how she can afford her little chateau with airplane hangar!

Truly Madly deeply said...

"$4,250 worth of tickets to a Yankees game for Palin, her husband and their daughter Willow."

-------------------

The cost of tickets in the first few rows behind home plate at Yankee Stadium -- the two Giulianis and the two Palins were seen to be sitting in THE SECOND ROW -- have been discussed even on baseball blogs, but the crux of the matter is that $4,250 covers only TWO TICKETS.

From the New York Times April 28, 2009:

"¶The full-season, front-row $2,500 tickets BEHIND THE DUGOUTS will be reduced to $1,250, and those who have already purchased such tickets will get a refund or a credit. Still, at $1,250, those tickets will remain roughly twice as expensive as the highest-priced seat at Citi Field, the Mets’ new home.

¶Tickets along the first- and third-base lines that cost $1,000 a game will be cut to $650. Refunds and credits will apply as well.

¶Fans who have purchased $2,500 front-row season tickets BEHIND AND TO THE SIDES OF HOME PLATE will not get a price cut. Instead, THEY WILL RECEIVE AN EQUAL NUMBER OF FRONT-ROW SEATS, FOR FREE, for the rest of the season, in what may be an attempt by the Yankees to fill up the empty spaces so visible on TV."

--

Patrick said...

Huffington Post now obviously let's babygate comments and links through (also links to palingates!).

There is now a front page story on Huffington Post about the book advance for Sarah. Please go there and comment! I just managed to leave a link to palingates.

Truly Madly Deeply said...

So where was Willow?

Patrick said...

If you type in "Pie Spy LLC" in google, our palingates story appears at the moment on the first place right now! :-)

Anonymous said...

No, assuming she knows*** how to fill the form out properly, by declaring Track's income she's calling Track a dependant child. The form itself says that "child" means "dependant child" throughout the form.

One could argue that Bristol, then, is the non-dependant child. However, Sarah Palin also declared income from one of her (dependent) children working as a barista. I'm fairly sure the barista was Bristol, since there were rumours she was working as a barista when she was mysteriously absent, and also since I believe Willow would have been a little too young to have a job. So if the barista is Bristol then the other two children would have to be Willow and Piper.

I think this is it. She can lie to the media and the public, but she can't lie legally.

*** Although I'm not sure she knows how to fill those forms out properly. At one point she's talking about how she has all these legal fees because of "false, wasteful and frivolous allegations." So maybe she just didn't read the fine print.

Anonymous said...

Some publishing questions for MC: Who pays Lynn Vincent's salary? Does it come from the publisher or from Sarah's chunk?

Do you see anything behind their rushing the book out quickly for Nov.release, as opposed to original release for next spring? (Xmas sales? Trying to beat Levi to the punch? Cutting their losses?)

Does the agent's fee come from Sarah's chunk? So, what does that leave her? I'm guessing since Sarah is high profile, HC will pay for the publicity tour. I'll value your expert opinion. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

So, 254 aged and disabled folks died from lack of state-run Medicaid services during her partial term in office, and now she has started a limited liability company to assist the elderly and disabled people! To prove she cares about the elderly and disabled!! When was the first wrongful death lawsuit filed, anyone know?

The internet is being wiped, and she's starting a new party and a book tour.

She's being rebranded....

Anonymous said...

@ FEDUP!!!
Sarah's signature is on page 12 of the 2009 disclosure form.

FEDUP!!! said...

OK. I was thinking about this LLC while fixing dinner...

First off: she has it for EIGHTY YEARS. *She* will not live for so long. Hence, it must be a front for her kids' future income.
Second: she says it is for helping the old and the disabled. Thus my deduction as follows: It is set up for kids, but also,too, for HERSELF - when SHE becomes old and decrepit and not wanted by her minions any more. Also, too, possibly it is set up for Trig ('disabled') - maybe a hush money for whoever the father and/or mother is/are?

Not a lawyer or any such thing, so I wonder what it means that the 'registered member' is van Fleabag, and that it is being 'managed by single member'

FEDUP!!! said...

LOL! I always called him 'Toad' - and now I see, his company name is 'Toads Fisheries'?


Re. the # of dependents: If Bristol and Track file their own returns, they cannot be claimed by her any more...

FEDUP!!! said...

Oh, and: Thanks anon @ 2:18! Very interesting, and some eye-opening...

FEDUP!!! said...

OK, OK. I promise I'll stop after this post...

Big Question: $arahcuda is listing the Pie Spy as her endeavor, however, her name is NOWHERE mentioned in the filed papers...

Also, too: did anyone notice Article II, the purpose of the LLC is: ANY LAWFUL? WTH???

Mary G. said...

So many breaking scandals today! I was about to comment on the "Jackie G." births, when I read this new post! Amazing.
I wanted to put some info here regarding Palin's schedule in mid January 2008:
According to the schedule, until Jan. 11 Palin was in the Anchorage area... On Jan 10 she flew KING AIR with Todd, Comm. Bishop, Monegan, and McBride to Bethel departing 9:45 am and returning that same day at 3:00.
next trip: Jan 12 4:00pm with Willow and Piper on KING AIR to Juneau
Then, Jan 15, after her "early" State of the State speech, Palin and Todd flew "commercial" between 8:00 and 10:00pm (???) to Seattle (were they on standby?)
Jan 16-18--says only DO NOT SCHEDULE--there is no FYI about Track's graduation or anything
Jan. 19 Do not schedule; Gov/Todd SEA/JNU--Commercial (it never says any other destination, which is extremely odd!)
Jan. 20--it says Juneau--so she apparently didn't go back to Anchorage--and there is NO mention of the girls
Not until Jan 25 does she fly again--on KING Air to Anchorage with Willow and Piper

Anonymous said...

This was obviously set up to stash money. She can spend in on Trig and claim she's helping the disable. No conflict of interest since he isn't her child. I'm really starting to believe if the child isn't Bristol's it is most definitely Todd's child.

I've always wondered if they were forced to assume the child of an affair he might have had with someone else's wife who was then paid a nice sum to move on with their life.

Anonymous said...

Looks like it was set up to benefit Trig.

624120 Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities

This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing nonresidential social assistance services to improve the quality of life for the elderly, persons diagnosed with mental retardation, or persons with disabilities. These establishments provide for the welfare of these individuals in such areas as day care, nonmedical home care or homemaker services, social activities, group support, and companionship.

Amy1 said...

All these questions and uncertainties (re her disclosure, business, taxes) is why I thought babygate is the symbol for all of it and the one thing we could prove to be either true or false.

We will NEVER get to the bottom of so many of the other Palingates -- like this new shell-game business. And what the Alaskans who post here seem to be saying, consistently, is that this kind of graft and cheating and immoral behavior is common in AK. Well, we know it's common in the lower 48 also. And usually we poor law-abiding suckers never get to even learn the whole story, most of the time -- to say nothing of getting the legalities enforced.

So: we WILL identify what's what re babygate. We prob will never know a lot of the issues that have so many gray areas or able-to-be-concealed areas. I just want one thing to be clear and publicly acknowledged: Did she lie about giving birth to T1 or not? Did she hoax us or not? Is she a liar or not? Did McCain et al., know, or not? Did the MSM know? And why did they not report it? And the answers are: yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, too wimpy.

Grrrrrr. We KNOW these answers. But no one cares.

At a simple level, SP can deduct "business expenses"of any amount on the PieSpy company for 2009 so long as it has some income in 2009, no matter how small. I see the stated purpose meaning "for SP to give speeches on disabilities," and the "marketing" part is what they are doing now, marketing SP's availability for speechmaking. Pretty flimsy, but I bet it yields her a huge tax deduction for all those "expenses."

anniebgood said...

Hilarious title to this post! I always noticed that Sarah has a wonky eye. Also, too, a wonky sense of ethics (and reality)!

EyeOnYou said...

Truly Madly deeply,

Could you post a link to that story in the NYTimes?

PLEASE!!! I am in the middle of writing about this financial disclosure and would LOVE to include that tidbit!

Thanks!!!

Patrick said...

HuffPost blogger Lee Stranahan wrote me to yesterday and said again that he doesn't believe that Sarah Palin had faked her pregnancy. We exchanged some emails after I had criticized him in this blogpost:

http://palingates.blogspot.com/2009/10/huffington-post-and-babygate-iron.html

Here is Lee Stranahans last email to me - unaltered (I didn't correct the typos):

"Patrick,

There a ton of holes in your theory. One of them involves a giant conspiracy of a lot of people, including people like Levi Johnston and the people I spoke to. It's implausible.

I've seen the 'proof'. Much of it - like her flight from Texas - doesn't mean anything. First off, I don't her behavior weird. My wife gave birth to two kids, unassisted - no doctor or midwife. Not everyone views the birthing process the same way.

More importantly - why rush home? Palin wasn't really pregant, right? No need to rush.

And for that matter, why do such a shitty job of faking it? Appearing without her fat suit in all those pictures.

It doesn't pass any sniff test to me and I talked to people."

+++

Unfortunately, Lee didn't tell me what people he talked to. It is not true that Sarah Palin "rushed" back from Texas on April 17, 2008. There is no evidence whatsoever that she had switched flights. Lee had written some pretty important articles on HuffPost about "babygate" about one year ago:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lee-stranahan/anchorage-tv-station-pali_b_123029.html

Anonymous said...

At her last rally while running for VP, Sarah Palin screamed, "GOD WON'T LET THE WRONG CANDIDATE WIN."

That's what she said. That's the way it is.

wv=proper

Anonymous said...

Arianna Huffington is NOT a mainstram Republican!!!! She is a liberal! Do you think all liberals are smart and open minded? No there are some very narrow ones out there. If you read Arianna's weekly articles you"ll see where she stands. Maybe years ago she was a Repub but not now.
There have been lots of theories about why babygate hasn't been allowed in the comments. Finally it is so it's coming out soon.

midnightcajun said...

Anon at 1:59 asked: "Who pays Lynn Vincent's salary?" Typically the author pays for the ghostwriter, not the publisher. Vincent probably was payed between $100-250,000.

"Do you see anything behind their rushing the book out quickly for Nov.release?" Undoubtedly to catch the Christmas sales (they really are important in publishing). Recognition that her star is fading since her resignation may have helped.

"Does the agent's fee come from Sarah's chunk?" Yes, it does. Barnett charges his authors by the hour rather than a typical percentage, but he'll probably take $250-300,000.

"I'm guessing HC will pay for the publicity tour." Yes they will. They are the ones who will have arranged the Oprah appearance. Their publicity people are undoubtedly busy trying to line up more appearances and interviews. She's going to be all over the place in November. They want to make their money back.

ArmchairJane said...

Patrick, thanks for pointing out that Sarah did NOT "rush home" from Texas. I thought I heard some annoying insect buzzing around here the other day that mentioned "why rush home if she wasn't really pregnant", but wasn't going to waste any keystrokes on that particular gnat.

But now here's Lee Stranahan mentioning the same myth of rushing home. What rush? Like you said, no evidence flights were changed. Palin had made the speech she wanted to make, and all she was missing was the formal dinner/dance.

We have only Palin's word that there was any rush at all (and we know what that's worth), as well as the "implied" behavior of rushing that people are *assuming* because the claim is that it is a woman leaking amniotic fluid doing the traveling.

I think Palin felt she needed to go to the event so she could give the speech and have the chance to raise her hand as being willing to be VP if asked.

Then she wanted to get done "being pregnant" as soon possible, because she needed to get a few months of Super Guv, Supermom of Special Needs Trig under her belt so that McCain would not be afraid to choose her. Not to mention the "newborn" was starting to look a bit large and not newborn, so he had better be introduced quickly.

I seem to remember there was also a special session coming up that if she had "delivered" around the supposed due date she might have had to miss.

If there really was a "rush", I think they would at a minimum have driven right to the main Anchorage hospital with the NICU. Seems like the story is really starting to break down if Sarah's non-existent "rush" is being used to argue that the pictures lie and she really WAS pregnant.

EyeOnYou said...

TMD..Nevermind, I found it! :)

Thanks for the information though, this is a nice tidbit to add.

Anonymous said...

Patrick, even if Lee thought you were right, he would never admit it now. Huge ego.

Truly Madly Deeply said...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/sports/baseball/29tickets.html

Anonymous said...

We need to keep an eye on this "Spy" corporation. Palin is twisted.

CR46 said...

The spell is broken! Huffpo is allowing ALL remarks about Bumpit Barbie w/o the baby bump through!!

Patrick said...

@CR46

The comments don't usually go into moderation any more. Big step forward. I hope that don't have a change of mind.

Anonymous said...

Arianna was once a right winger but not now. She describes herself as a "progessive populist."

see her wiki:http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianna_Huffington?wasRedirected=true

it's Interesting. I find Huffington Post to be liberal as well as her views.

Flloyd who posts here says she is all about money.

Anonymous said...

Big Shout Out to Mary G! I'm really impressed with a piece of Sarah's schedule, Jan.16-18 Do Not Schedule. Especially, since this is a time period that may coincide with the presumed early birth of Trig.

A birth could have been unexpected, home delivery, local small community hospital, and they quickly realized that they needed to transfer to a more specialized infant care facility. Just a wild guess and speculation.

The question regarding other parts of Sarah's schedule: did she ever use that phrase again, "Do not schedule" for unusual amounts of time? Knowing how Sarah loves (loved) being in the front row and making a celebrated event out of a basketball game, a hockey game, Track's graduation would be the same sort of photo op, not a "do not schedule" event. (Remember when she appeared at the returning soldiers event recently in Alaska, no longer governor, still in the front row receiving her flowers).

A nasty aside about the I Spy the Pie or whatever that weird name is supposed to represent: I think that when Sarah makes her appearances promoting her book, she needs a charity or organization devoted to care of the disabled as her good deed-- in the same way that she lugged Trig around as her visual prop for the same purpose.

Since the organization was recently founded (april 2009) I see it as something that Sarah can point to in promoting her care for the disabled.

And, it appears to be physical therapy. Not knowing anything about the kind of therapy required for treating Down Syndrome, I did a simple Google search. It indicates that in addition to exercise, speech therapy is very important. For the infant, visual and auditory stimulation are also important. As important as the physical exercise is, I think that there must be mental therapy as well.

My only interaction with Down Syndrome kids is that some work as baggers at a local grocery store. They appear to be teens or in their twenties. They require constant supervision; every simple repeated tasks need reinforcement-- therapy required for these kids goes well beyond just physical exercise. My heart goes out to their families and the people who work with them. They have such dedication, patience and love. I wish that we saw even a glimmer of that selfless caring in Sarah. I only see her as a selfish person.

Amy1 said...

Well! SP was right for once if she said "GOD WON'T LET THE WRONG CANDIDATE WIN." She didn't! Thank you, SP.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry but any man whose wife gives birth UNASSISTED in this day and age sounds like one of those quiverful/dominionist whackjobs, who expect their wives to do it that way. His nonchalance about that makes everything he says from now on suspect to me.

Can't remember my pw but I'm IWorshipCats.

ProChoiceGrandma said...

Patrick, delete your last post and try again, it did not work. Better yet, can you put her full schedule on the side panel under Extra Babygate Resources?

ProChoiceGrandma said...

Uh huh, you told me not to be so hard on Lee Stranahan and give him a chance? He has got to be the laziest "journalist" of all time. Sarah must have given a special wink for him.
"It doesn't pass any sniff test to me and I talked to people." I don't think Stranahan could smell a skunk if it sprayed him in the face!

NakedTruth said...

Also keep in mind that Lee's wife was probably not expecting a child with Down Syndrome and I am sure that her deliveries were most likely full-term deliveries. This guy Lee makes no sense and I hope Patrick told him so.

Anonymous said...

I'm with you on that "journalist," PCG. He sounded to me like he was *covering* for Palin.

My wv is breep!

Waves to Bree Palin!

IWorshipCats

Barb Dwyer said...

Obviously Stranahan has had his head stuck so far up SP's butt, he's lost his sense of smell. I wonder if he could see Russia from in there

Anonymous said...

Cool to see a lot of you posting on HuffPo.

Feels good seeing The Truth getting out there.

Anonymous said...

Waving back at 'ya, IWorshipCats!

Lee Stranahan sounds like he's got some stars bursting for Sarah.

Would he have thought it "weird" for his wife to chance giving birth in the aisle of a commercial airliner to a premature baby with Down Syndrome? What a crock!

the norwegian blue said...

When you have kids, you tend to name family legal entities after things like characters in their favorite books. Betcha Piper is a fan of "The Case of the Pizza Pie Spy"
http://www.amazon.com/Case-Pizza-Pie-Clues-Kids/dp/0816716994/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256702358&sr=1-2

Anonymous said...

Echo the sentiments of anon 04:20, in fact, is there one woman out there who would willingly give birth unassisted? I don't think so. Even the emergencies we hear of, driving to the hospital and not making it in time involves a husband, a fireman, a passerby, a cop. Can't you just imagine some gal driving to the hospital, pulling over when she finds that there isn't time.....come on!

In fact, if I have to examine the word "unassisted" that would mean that poor women pulled the babe out, cleaned it off, cut the cord, got it breathing, did I mention cleaned it off and cleaned the gunk out of its mouth and nasal passages, no help whatsoever. And cleaned herself off, too.

OK, back in the day, some brave farmer's wife stopping weeding, had the baby out there in the field, wrapped it in a blanket and kept on working. Most women had a midwife, or another woman to help her. In fact, the only time that I recall reading about someone giving birth alone, unassisted usually involved some unwed teen who bravely slipped into a bathroom stall, and tried to hid what she had been hiding for 8 or 9 months.

If there is anyone out there who delivered her own child, unassisted, please do tell us that it was as easy as Patrick's friend seems to think.

Punkinbugg said...

It's great that Lee's wife had two babies at home.

Now let's ask him if the missus would have been willing to step out of her midwife's bed, attend a meeting, give a speech, then strap herself into the passenger seat of not one, but TWO four hour flights with a 1 hour layover, then drive another hour to an inadequate hospital while amniotic fluid was trickling down her leg.

No rush was mentioned. But the fluids were. BY Sarah Palin.

THAT stunt ALONE does not pass the smell test. (Ew)

Then forget the photos. Show Lee the VIDEOS of her hopping around, slapping her stomach, thrashing her guts while pregnant, then striding into an office at full tilt while 2 DAYS post-partum.

Was Mrs. Stranahan 44 years old when she delivered her two babies?

Did she march around (vs. tiptoe around) after having both?

That doesn't pass the COMMON SENSE TEST, and he knows it.

pie in the sky spy said...

Back in the day infant death rate was high. That was before good record keeping. Infant death rate was higher than we know back in the day.

CR46 said...

Any man that would have his wife deliver without some sort of assistance is not a man, but a monster. I was an RN and I had planned a midwife to attend to me, I had problems 3 wks early and RUSHED to the hospital(well 45 mph during a blizzard). 2 other pregnancies ended badly in the second trimester and without assistance for either and I would not be here. He sounds like his family is in the quiverful movement, but only 2 kids?? He must not have high standing in that group.

Anonymous said...

Certainly, I am rooting for babygate to depalin our nation, and the sooner the better. In looking over the financial disclosure, I do believe that Catgate is going to come up again!

I think she disclosed approx. $7500 in Arctic Cat discounts on last year's disclosure, and then this year pitched a hissy fit via Van Flea to avoid disclosing the dollar amount of the discount by claiming it was "proprietary and confidential" information.

So, what do we see on page 13? A measly $3252 disclosed in discount money from Arctic Cat.

It will be most interesting to see Celtic Diva's follow up on this as her last trip to an APOC meeting revealed this:

"The Commission has now tasked the APOC Staff with three new duties:

1) They are to acquire information on the what merchandise was discounted to the Palins and at what monetary value.

2) They are to review a redacted version of the contract so they can examine the confidentiality agreement.

3) They are to find out the amount of the sponsorship fee.

At the end of the meeting, Hickerson asked the staff when Palin's final POFD is due into the office and received the answer: October 26th. This is the Financial Disclosure that covers this last Iron Dog...the one where the "Davis/Palin team was prodigiously sponsored."

Stay tuned...$3252 seems like awfully small potatoes to have pitched a fit as loudly as Palin and Van Flea did, and furthermore seems like a far less than "prodigious" amount of sponsorship money."

Palin lies again, you betcha!

KaJo said...

Truly Madly deeply @ 28 October 2009 01:51, thanks -- I think -- for copying and pasting my HuffPo comment about the Yankee Stadium ticket cost verbatim here, albeit without a H/T to me -- I go by "KayJay90" on HuffPo which predates my Alaska/Palin blog logon by several years. :/

I would have re-posted it here myself (as I did the first time last June) but you beat me to it...

EyeOnYou said...

Actually it was 2007 that Palin put up the $7500.00 amount as sponsorship for Todd/Arctic Cat. There was no dollar amount listed for last year, which is supposedly (according to Diva) one of many things that the APOC is investigating. The only reason for her to put no dollar amount is if it is less than $1,000.00. which seems highly suspect.

As for this last year, we know that Todd got at least 2 brand new machines, and it has been reported they cost around $10,000. each and during the investigation into the Arctic Cat ethics complaint Sarah via her lawyer Van Flien told the APOC that Todd got a 50% discount on his machines (and other things) so right there is $10,000.00 in discounts not including spare parts, clothing, special gear....

This might not end well for Sarah, especially if this is what they are claiming on their tax forms.

All in all, let's hope that something is done, and a real investigation takes place into all these serious discrepancies.

EyeOnYou said...

Anon @ 6:31

Palin fans will NEVER see her for what she truly is. They just won't. Not the true devotees anyhow.

Over at BreePalins, they have the letter that Team Sarah sent out asking for donations (they need to raise $41,000.00) to pay for Sarah to speak at an Iowa gig for RTL, and it also shows that someone questioned the suggestion and stated it was "unseemly" to be requesting donations in light of the recent financial disclosure, and Bill Collier who runs Team Sarah was quit nasty about it. He disagreed with that idea and stated something to the effect that this money would go directly to Sarah herself and she needed all the money she could get in order to be free and not beholden to anyone so that she could progress her messege! (more or less).

These people are like cult members. They are DEVOTED! They have been brainwashed. It is frightening to watch it happen, but it has happened right in front of our eyes. It is reminicent of Jim Jones, or Charles Manson, and how they were able to get their followers to do just about anything for them.

They are not going to change their minds about her, no matter what she does, no matter how much money she has, she will always be able to ask them for more and if they have it they will give it, and if they don't they will find away to get it in order to give it to her.

Barb Dwyer said...

Those Palinistas who believe they are her boyfriend are never going to change their minds. That's true Eye on You, they have warped into some nonsensical world that spins around her. However other people are seeing the light in droves and that's a good thing.

She's going to have problems trying to raise money from prison however, thanks to those new pesky laws where you can no longer profit from your crimes. Although I'm sure when she gets out, she'll take her walker around and start panhandling for funds again

Kallie in Texas said...

Pie Spy = Palin's Death Panels.
You give me the money for your elderly and needy family members, and I will take care of them. Yeah right.

Anonymous said...

EyeOnYou: Thx for the add'l info on Catgate...I think I knew that but it is so easy to get confused when she was for disclosure before she was against it, LOL.

Still interesting that she easily gives up the info in dollars on the just released form (however inaccurate we think it probably is) but was so determined to not release for 2008.

She is a never ending supply of things that make you go hmmmm.....oh, and smell the smoke in the air, always lingering, always present.

Anonymous said...

Hey Eye,

Here's a link to that NYT piece about Yankee ticket prices.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/sports/baseball/29tickets.html

Anonymous said...

To armchairJane:

Do you have any evidence whatsoever that she did not change her flight schedule? It's a small detail, but an important one.

exposebabygate said...

I’ve been reading here for a little while, but this is my first time posting...With the intelligent discourse of postings and replies, plus the sheer craziness of a “real life soap opera” playing as this enormous hoax on a mostly unsuspecting populace (thanks to the MSM blackout) – well, this story is just so hard to stay away from!

I have to admit, though, this story just gets stranger and stranger. I don't understand why SP didn’t claim more dependents or why Bristol would be excluded, so to satisfy some curiosity....I did a little digging into who exactly is considered a “dependent.”

From http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/26/usc_sec_26_00000152----000-.html

Dependent Defined: (c) Qualifying child For purposes of this section— (1) In general The term “qualifying child” means, with respect to any taxpayer for any taxable year, an individual—
(A) who bears a relationship to the taxpayer described in paragraph (2),
(B) who has the same principal place of abode as the taxpayer for more than one-half of such taxable year,
(C) who meets the age requirements of paragraph (3), and
(D) who has not provided over one-half of such individual’s own support for the calendar year in which the taxable year of the taxpayer begins.

(3) Age requirements
(A) In general For purposes of paragraph (1)(C), an individual meets the requirements of this paragraph if such individual—
(i) has not attained the age of 19 as of the close of the calendar year in which the taxable year of the taxpayer begins, or
(ii) is a student who has not attained the age of 24 as of the close of such calendar year.

Excluding the many questions about Bristol’s place of residence, “income,” how she’s come by that “income,” and what constitutes “support” ($$ room & board, childcare costs?), it appears that she would be ineligible based solely upon her age (she recently turned 19) and possible lack of “student” status (rumor has it that she’s going to college, but this hasn’t been confirmed as fact). If we factor in all the “residence,” “income” and “support” issues, she could also be ineligible if she did not live in the same home as her parents for at least 6 months + 1 day during this year, OR if she earned more than one-half of whatever her “support” for the year would be (again, however that’s determined).

But that doesn't mean that Tripp couldn't have been included...unless he and Bristol did not or will not have lived in the same home as Bristol’s parents for at least 6 months + 1 day OR unless his income was more than one-half his support for the year.

So that sorta, kinda, not really clears that all up. LOL

Another thing I was wondering... Are there pictures of SP when she was pregnant with Piper? After all, she said she delivered Piper on Mon & was back to work on Tues….so you’d think there would be pics of what she looked like actually pregnant & working from not so long ago... might make for an interesting comparison…

Thanks everyone, for keeping me riveted and hopeful that one day babygate will finally be exposed!

PS. When I first tried to post this, my WV was adepat (as in we all need to aid Patrick) But I got a 404 Error - now the new wv is "reamband". Not so sure I want to try to interpret that one! (Maybe, let's band together to ream this hoax down everyone's throats?)

EyeOnYou said...

First...
Truly Madly deeply, KaJo, & Anon@7:28, thanks to all of you for the link/information on the NY Yankee tickets pricing information. It is greatly appreciated.

Barb, I agree that a lot of people are waking up, but what I meant (and should have been more clear about) is that her true devoted followers will never question her motivations. They will blindly accept whatever she does.

Look at VO aka Tim Lindell from C4P and RAM, both have gone to Alaska to be close to her. Other fans have traveled up there just in the hopes of seeing her. It is one thing to plan on going up there is wishing or hoping you get a chance to see her, but it is entirely another thing altogether to go up there specifically because of her, and worse if you send up staying because of her. That is a brainwashed person.

Anon@7:26:
The disclosure she was actively fighting was for this year. She did not want to give details, she claimed confidential contract, but then admitted during the ethics investigation that Todd got a 50% discount in a letter.

To then give up a number like $3,252.00 for the total is asinine. There is NO WAY that is the total discount that Todd got. They have tried every way possible to avoid giving out this information, and suddenly she comes up with a number like that? Seriously? It is almost like she is just asking for an investigation. More than likely there will be one considering what we know, and then she can cry "poor pitiful picked upon me" once again and get the faithful to donate more to her.


As for Sarah claiming Bristol as a dependent, it may be that if she did, she would have to include Bristols income and she might not want that information to come out, so leaving off Bristol means leaving off Track as well so his income isn't reported as part of hers.

I had thought that all those who lived in the house and had an income (family members) needed to disclose that information, but I could be incorrect about that. We shall see.

I have also seen it mentioned that Palin should have disclosed the total amount of the book deal considering the deal in its entirety was struck while she was still in office, but again I am only repeating an observation from someone else.

EyeOnYou said...

Okay after doing a little bit of searching I was incorrect about the disclosure of the 2008 arctic cat information. THAT was the year she is fighting disclosure, not this years information.

:/

Barb Dwyer said...

JC:

I'm not an expert on her schedule, there are people here that have studied it much more closely than I have. I will tell you this though as someone who actually LIVES in Alaska and flies to Seattle quite a bit. There is usually only one flight nightly in and out of the Anchorage airport from Seattle, and those flights are packed. It's not like you have a lot of choice between flights or airlines. Anchorage is not a hub, except for some international stops. So I would guess if it was changed, the day would have to be changed as well. Someone else here would be better able than I to answer whether that was the case or not.

I have done my best to answer your questions, so I would like to ask you one. Do you believe that Sarah Palin writes her Facebook entries and her op ed's? I mean, do you believe she really sits down, thinks about the issues at hand and types those out?

It's a small detail but an important one

Barb Dwyer said...

Does anyone know if she's stated how she actually GOT to Wasilla from the airport? Did Todd supposedly drive her? As I recall this was during the time they had the avalanche power outages in Juneau, and they were breaking records there for snowfall and cold that week.

If it's that cold in Juneau it's likely going to be fiercly cold in Anchorage and the Valley. One would think a sitting Governor in labor would have an ambulance waiting at the airport. Anyone who's ever driven from Anchorage to Wasilla when the roads are frozen will tell you it can be a nightmare. I've seen over 200 cars off the road at a time just between Chugiak and Muldoon. I can't imagine an ambulance passing by Providence in that kind of weather with a woman in labor

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Jesus, for my little, special needs tax write-off!

Patrick said...

Hi everybody,

sorry, I had given the wrong link for the folder with Sarah Palin's schedule and other documents earlier.

HERE IS NOW THE CORRECT LINK

Anonymous said...

Many months ago, there was discussion about that nurse who had previously worked NICU and moved on to home health, then died in a fire at her home. Some posters were wondering if there was any connection to Palin and possibly T1 ever discovered?

Patrick said...

Excellent blog by Bree Palin!

Team Sarah is begging to raise an additional $41,000 for Sarah Palin – straight into her pocket!

Patrick said...

Listen to Bill Collier from Team Sarah performing an insane rant - it's hilarious.

http://www.tindeck.com/listen/dicy

Anonymous said...

Sarah can lie all she wants on the state disclosure form.

Alaska will not take any actions against her even if it is proven she lied on this form.

The money from Arctic Cat is a blatant lie.

Patrick said...

That's Bill's brother Paul Collier - even more hilarious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epHLQmDwQlE

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Patrick! You have got to do a post about this loon - he's out there leading her cultists and exhorting them to send her money!

Patrick said...

ANDREW SULLIVAN WROTE YESTERDAY:

"Will Oprah Ask?

One has to wonder if Oprah will indeed ask Sarah Palin about the bizarre stories she has told about her fifth pregnancy. I mean: why not ask her to recount that astonishing intercontinental, multiple day labor experience across several time zones and past nearby children's hospitals? Why not ask her if Levi was telling the truth when he claimed that Sarah kept nagging him to allow Tripp to be adopted by his nearly-mother-in-law?
My guess is that Oprah will punt, like everyone else. But we don't know what's in Lynn Vincent's "book" yet, do we?"

ProChoiceGrandma said...

Barb Dwyer @ 10:21, here is a handy dandy site to look up weather history:

http://www.almanac.com/weather/history/AK/Anchorage/2008-04-17

ProChoiceGrandma said...

To anon @ 11:37, I’m still wondering … and unless and until we find out where Trig was kept in hiding and who was helping to take care of him, I will always wonder. I believe Trig was born in Fairbanks in mid-January, was released from the hospital the weekend of 2-15-08 (AHA luncheon and Iron Dog weekend) and was driven to the Wasilla area on 2-17-08. Where Trig remained until his staged presentation on 4-18-08 is a big secret. Obviously Trig would not be able to appear anywhere for doctor appointments. He would have been about due for his 3 month check-up about the time he was “born” on 4-18-08.

Mary G. said...

I found this interesting with regard to the "wild ride" (which seems more choreographed by the minute--and for those who question the "rush" home--on the schedule, it is clear that Palin had a full morning and did not miss anything, leak or no!).
35 or 36 weeks? Does it matter? On October 18, the Chicago Tribune ran the following article: http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/family/chi-tc-health-consumer-air-1014oct18,0,2096238.story

I found it interesting in light of Cathy Baldwin-Johnson and her lawyer.... I mean, how coincidental was it that Palin got to fly to Texas for her all-important energy speech, yet was able to have her "premature" birth occur just under the wire in terms of American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) guidelines? In fact, if May 18 was the due date (she mentioned a date at some point--and CBJ's letter puts the birth at 35 wks; other sources say 35 and a half)--then Trig was born at 35 weeks and 5 days--almost 36 weeks. However, if he had been born at or after 36 weeks, then it would have been incumbent upon CBJ to have discussed this with Palin--to fly or not to fly. If you look at the article, you will see that even though they do not automatically forbid air travel to women in their last 4 weeks of pregnancy, they ALL say that doctors make the decision based on the woman and her medical history.
So, perhaps CBJ said she would only go along with the birth "plan" IF Palin claimed to have given birth before the last month of pregnancy. Otherwise, CBJ might have come under some scrutiny, knowing Palin's risk factors, the condition of Trig, and the ACOG guidelines on travel in the last month.

Mary G. said...

And another thing! I can't figure out the Pie Spy name--Stapletongue's husband's initials E P plus????-- but I wonder if this "private" "LLC" could have its funding cut if the government actually started doing its job and started making sure the sick, elderly, and disabled got excellent healthcare--rather than leaving it up to private companies....?? Is this why Palin doesn't want health care reform?

Anonymous said...

Levi "SAYS THAT HE IS NOT GOING TO GO THERE" and he is " HIDING HUGE THINGS THAT SARAH DID DURING HER TIME AS GOVERNOR"

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/23/earlyshow/main5415742.shtml?tag=stack

Anonymous said...

Mary G - The Pie Spy name uses her initials....

I read a little about the PieSpy bot. It can be used to crawl social websites in order to make connections...I wondered if her company name is set up to reflect that fact.

I'm concerned that Palin said on her financial disclosure form that the company was a "Marketing" one and that on the application as a registered company form said that it was for services for the elderly and disabled.

I'm not sure what to make of all that.

I'm now going to read the rest of your comments.

Silver Salmon said...

I doubt it's of any use, but here is the Alaska Airlines schedule for the fall of 2007.

One has not popped up from spring 2008.

Anonymous said...

Kathleen, everything is "marketing" to Miss Wasilla, but the lawyer got the right business code. The lawyer probably didn't help with the disclosure form.

Patrick said...

"Todd, I have to fill out this stupid financial disclosure form, and I have to mention on the form what our nice new tax saving Triggybear slush fund is for, what shall I write there?"

"Just write 'Marketing', nobody will see it anyway. They are all idiots, you know."

Anonymous said...

Here is the avalanche portion of Jotman.com's Palin timeline from http://jotman.blogspot.com/2008/09/palin-timeline.html

2008 - Apr 16 - 04:00 - Avalanches took out five transmission towers at the Snettisham hydroelectric power plant near Juneau that provides the primary source of electric power to the citizens of Juneau. Estimates indicated the hydroelectric power will not be restored for approximately three months.
2008 - Apr 17 - Thu - 05:00 - National Weather Service in Juneau issued a Heavy Snow Warning for Juneau. "Heavy snow could pose a threat to life and property" it advised
2008 - Apr 17 - Thu - Day's low temperature for Juneau was 21 F (-6C); record snowfall for Southeast Alaska for April 17.
2008 - Apr 17 - Thu - 04:00 - told family physician Cathy Baldwin-Johnson: passing water, contractions. (two risk factors: premature at week 36 week, has Downs Syndrome)
2008 - Apr 17 - Thu - ??:00 - keynote speech at energy conference in Dallas
2008 - Apr 17 - Thu - ??:00 - plane departs Dallas
2008 - Apr 17 - Thu - ??:00 - plane stops in Seattle
2008 - Apr 17 - Thu - 17:00 - Juneau city government declared the loss of its hydroelectricity a "disaster," then asked the state for aid. (Passes Resolution 2440: a Resolution Ratifying the City Manager’s Declaration of Emergency). The Resolution requested "that the Governor of Alaska seek appropriate Federal assistance to help the City and Borough recover from this event". Further it asks "that the Governor of Alaska declare a Disaster Emergency to exist as provided in AS 26.23.140, to provide such State assistance as may be available, and to request additional assistance from Federal agencies where State capability is not adequate."
2008 - Apr 17 - Thu - 18:00 -- Juneau's legislative delegation sent a letter to Gov. Palin supporting a state disaster declaration and asked her office to hire an expert to assist with Juneau's response."The one in five area households that heat solely with electricity face a terrible burden.
2008 - Apr 17 - Thu - ??:00 - plane lands in Anchorage.
2008 - Apr 17 - Thu - ??:00 - one hour drive to Wasilla, driving past NICU hospitals.
2008 - Apr 18 - Fri - day's low temperature in Juneau Alaska is 17F (-8C); Record low temperatures for Southeast Alaska for April 18.
2008 - Apr 18 - Fri - Trig born.
2008 - Apr 18 - Fri - 18:00 - Alaskan comments: "It boggles my mind how quiet the Governor's office has been. I think this is all part of a plan by her office and some legislators to move the capital."
2008 - Apr 18 - Fri - 23:00 - Alaskan comments: "Since the governor just gave birth, I guess I should excuse the silence from the mansion. Congratulations Sarah!"
2008 - Apr 19 - Sat - day's low temperature in Juneau Alaska is 19F (-7C)
2008 - Apr 19 - Sat - 01:00 - Alaskan comments: "Regarding the Governor, I can understand her being indisposed, new baby and all, but where's her spokesperson?"
2008 - Apr 19 - Sat - hospital.
2008 - Apr 20 - Sun - day's low temperature in Juneau Alaska is 24F (-4C)
2008 - Apr 20 - Sun - hospital?
2008 - Apr 21 - Mon - day's low temperature in Juneau Alaska is 27F (-3C)
2008 - Apr 21 - Mon - attended pipeline meeting.

Anonymous said...

The only crumb I can get out of this interview is that at 6.21 Levi says " How's the kid...baby doing?" He changes from asking after a kid to correcting himself and asking after a baby.

Now this is likely just a turn of phrase, that he does actually refer to Tripp as a kid.....but it's complexing nevertheless.

Anonymous said...

She can get paid to provide care to her own grandson, I mean, "son."

THAT is what this is.

Anonymous said...

She will probably remain non-commital about 2012 just to keep the faithful sending money, but I think she knows that as of right now she doesn't have a chance. Bree has a link to a CNN poll that found 70% believe she's not fit for office.

Anonymous said...

Mrs. Tarquin Biscuitbarrel

Could you please contact Patrick at

patrick12344@yahoo.com

Thanks

passinthru said...

Birth and children are my personal area of expertise.

First, unattended birth. It's actually (I blame the internet) a quite common choice for women in the left/hippie community. Has to do with a number of things. There are a lot of attachment parenting sources that like it. You can expect non-vaxing, extended breastfeeding, homebirth, with or without attendant. I had 4 children in midwife attended home births, and my last in a birthing center, because a friend of mine operated it. Although I appreciated her, and the fact that my insurance paid for her care, I wouldn't go back. However, over the 15 years of my birthing life, I've seen a sharp move from attended homebirth to unattended. My observation is that it does require a certain relentless ego on the husband's part (as well as a disdain for science) but I've never seen any kind of community where all the men lacked ego. ;) Also, if you're income restricted, paying for midwives out of pocket (as they usually are) is pricy.

But Sarah isn't one of those gals, and he's an idiot to even imply so. :D No way she had birth anywhere a professional didn't change the sheets.

As far as "dependent", I've never seen anywhere either Levi or Bristol making enough to buy insurance for their son. Is Bristol enough Native to be covered by tribal programs? Because the overwhelming concern of every parent of a child in BRISTOL'S age range is having them covered by health insurance. That's why people enroll in college... it's like how people went to college for student deferment to Vietnam. In many places (don't know about Alaska) students 19-21 can still be covered under their parents' health plan, if claimed as a dependent. But someone has to be listing T2, and Grandma might, if that was the way to get him covered. That brings missing dependents up to...4? If we exclude Track and bristol, the 3 are Willow, Piper and Trig, but who's covering Trip?

Anonymous said...

Well, I am disappointed to hear that Levi's interview was uneventful. I have always thought Levi was just another SP puppet. Nothing he has said, nothing...has been damaging to SP, and anything close, she just says he's a liar.

Every time he speaks out, he just gives more publicity to SP. I think this interview was for the purpose of increasing interest, i.e., selling books and magazines.

Anonymous said...

Hi Patrick,

longtime lurker and rare poster:)

I have been following babygate for over a year now. I have been worried about Audrey over at PalinsDeceptions and was wondering if she is well and okay.

I hate that she (and others) have obviously been bullied.

Anonymous said...

Re: Levi's interview...I am definitely on his side, but honestly, he just came off as kind of slow, a big dumb kid. I can see how Sarah could pay him off/manipulate him/etc. There was no substance to the interview whatsoever...but I took it as a big FU to Sarah - a reminder to her that he CAN bring her down.

I don't think Sarah's got a chance in national politics - I think other repubs would get cut-throat on her and her craziness, but I want the truth to come out on her simply because I am curious.

Anonymous said...

I thought Levi did well. The interview continues tomorrow. He did reiterate that she referred to the baby as "retarded," and -- news -- other members of the family were uncomfortable about that. He said that he's got damaging info about her -- wouldn't say whether it was illegal or immoral -- while she was gov. and that it probably wouldn't be disclosed. It may depend on whether she attacks in her book. He comes across as an honest guy. Some have said that he's not smart enough to make up lies.

Anonymous said...

Another "news" thing in the interview, when he mentioned the Palins fighting over divorce, he told about how that's painful for the kids. He knows that from his own experience.

ginny said...

Anon@16:03, I don't think he "isn't smart enough" to lie, or that he's "big and dumb" as a previous commenter said. I think he is a pretty simple guy in terms of what he wants out of life, and he is still a kid. He is not very sophisticated, but that doesn't make him dumb. I don't think he is inclined to lie. I think he is probably a very loyal person, someone who would be a good friend. But he has been pushed quite far by $P. To me, he comes off as honest, and I think that there is a strategy at work here, between Levi, Tank, and Rex.

Anonymous said...

ProChoiceGrandma: Some time ago, Gryphen gave us a big clue. A poster wrote that before he was Trig he was Tripp. Grphy said that remark was the closest thing to his "iceberg." Do you think that a premature infant with DS and other problems been originally hospitalized under another name??????

Barb Dwyer: The following are the first and last paragraphs from a recent Sarah Facebook:

As I stand here in a high school gymnasium watching freshmen girls' basketball games, I'm struck by the sight of America's future right in front of me - these tenacious young women full of energy and intensity. I want them to realize every opportunity this great, free nation can provide.

The young student athletes I'm watching right now are counting on us to do the right thing - to fight for what is right for America today and into their future. Electing candidates with common sense and respect for freedom is one way we can fight for what is right.

This dribble sounds just like Sarah, whose philosophical musings are as deep as the magnets on her mother's refrigerator. The other stuff, is written by someone else who may well be paying Sarah rent for the FaceBook space.

When Sarah gave her speech in Hong Kong, at the same time the Wall Street Journal (owned by Rupert Murdoch) printed the speech. The problem was that Sarah had added a couple of paragraphs of her own which were as profound as the tenacious basketball players. An on site recording produced the additional material. There is no mistaking Sarah dribble and writing to advance a conservative political agenda.

Anonymous said...

So I was just over at Sarah Palin Truth Squad and I listened, again, to the interview she did with Andrea Mitchell (while fishing) just after she resigned. I actually can see and understand why her "handlers" might have told her it would be LESS damaging to her creds to resign, rather than remain as Gov and remain "under attack." I know this is OT, but I think it goes to the widely held belief among the readers here that she resigned under duress because of an iceberg, or some other unseemly revelation that was on the horizon. I really can see why (if she had such handlers)they had her spin that resignation as being "selfless" and "altruistic." They knew that would appeal, at the very least, to her base. To me there were just too many personal benefits for her NOT to resign. The reason for her shaky and breathless voice could certainly be attributed to a relative novice, being worried that everyone might not buy into her explanation. That and her NPD fueling the fire.

So this goes to Levi's potential revelations (and fits with her claims of being "tired" of doing the job and wanting the money instead and certainly combines with her personal enrichment opportunities (with anonymity even, at some point) since stepping down. To me there is enough evidence that what Sarah has done has been perfectly crafted for her enrichment rather than being a result of some impending scandal. As I posited on IM, she's pretty much looking like the female Newt Gingrich (rich off setting up pacs and foundations, too much baggage to be a serious candidate).

Nonetheless, I don't believe she was ever pregnant with Trig and I've stated before that my money is with the theory that she acquired Trig to secure her nomination and to secure support from the base. They are so rabidly anti-abortion, to the exclusion of so many other important issues of the day, that a story crafted such as hers would send them over the top. Which, in fact, it did (but only with the base). That is the story that I wish to see exposed. Regardless of who the birth parents are, I belive that this type of deception (or any type of deception)in our political system MUST be exposed. It is duplicitious, deceptive, and manipulative to the point of wondering even, what are the desired end results of this group? Ends which are likely just as deceptive and not fully disclosed to the US electorate.

I do apologize for such a rant this morning. I think when I get to a point of critical mass of information, I just have to VENT. Thank you all for indulging my thoughts. I have the utmost admiration for your pusuit and the intentions that keep you going.

Susan in MD

WV - enlessin (let's hope it's a lesson not to vote for the cult of personality!)

Anonymous said...

To Barb Dwyer:

Yes, I would be more than happy to answer your or anyone's questions.

Yes, I do believe she wrote them, unless someone can provide me with any contradicting evidence. Sarah Palin graduated from college, thus more likely than not had to pick up some writing skills. It wouldn't be hard for her to pen a op-ed here and there. With all the available tools now around, such as Microsoft Word, the task is even easier.

And please don't mention her twitter writings. I always knew those were shorthand-Sarah Palin was trying to cram in as much as possible. People can use formal or informal writing styles, depending on the occasion. It is that way with me.

Anonymous said...

Some comments about Pie Spy:

Politico makes the point that this company was set up while Sarah was still governor. Was that legal???????

I agree with the poster who noted that the two words use Sarah's initials. I was also reminded of the expression, "Pie in the Sky." I decided to look it up that expression.

It is said to have originated with Joe Hill, a member of a radical labor movement. In 1911, he wrote a satirical parody of the Salvation Army's song, "In the Sweet Bye and Bye."

Joe criticized the business of saving souls, thinking it was more important to feed the hungry. A verse went like this:

"You will eat bye and bye
In that glorious land above the sky.
Work and pray, live on hay,
You'll get pie in the sky when you die."

By World War II, the expression was part of American Speech, meaning the prospect of future happiness unlikely to be realized.

Sarah may have imagined that Pie in the Sky were her dreams of financial reward, but as always, her thinking is just a little off.

On the other hand, it may be the charming mispronouncing of some cute phrase by either Trig or Tripp. Someone could be playing peek-a-boo with baby, saying "I Spy." My kids had adorable mispronounced words which we still use today, such as "water-blub-blub" for "watermelon." They couldn't pronounce the next door neighbor's name (Joseph) so it came out "Joe-fes."

Anonymous said...

If SP wrote her Facebook pages, please show us other published examples of her policy writing BEFORE Aug. 2008 when Randy S., as a McCain-Palin operative, took over for her.

Because here's one that Alaskans know about, that SP wrote all by herself, and is replicated in her Twitter style, too:

http://cjrarchive.org/img/posts/PalinDaddyCJR.pdf

Barb Dwyer said...

anon 17:12

Yes, that is an excellent example of HER scatterbrained writing style. She writes just like she speaks and both are without substance.

JC:

I wasn't so much interested in the lack of grammar, punctuation aspect of her writing skills, which are well displayed in her emails. I realize those can be cleaned up. You won't find anyone in Alaska, friend or foe of Palins who would call her a "deep thinker", I mean she can't even name a magazine she's ever read. We've all her her speak for years and it's always been the same scatterbrained style, to confuse with no substance. Now suddenly she's writing policy? It seems rather odd, but I do appreciate you answering me

Anonymous said...

That article about her dad is painful. As I was reading it I kept thinking - point, point, where's the point to this, can you at least make a point!! Pointless dribble. How did she ever get to be governor?

Anonymous said...

Some info about "as I stand here watching ..." Go to Wasilla High's webpage. Girls Basketball doesn't start until late December. It isn't even November yet!!! Could be she's a time-traveler, too???

Anonymous said...

Sarah Palin: A flip-flopper before she wasn't; went to 6 colleges in 6years

Sampling schools as if they were ice cream flavors, Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin switched colleges six times in six years - sometimes because she just didn't like the weather.

Palin began her college marathon in 1982 after graduating from Wasilla High School in Alaska, her biography, "Sarah," says. She and three friends enrolled at the University of Hawaii in Hilo.

Upon arrival in Hilo, it rained for three weeks straight. She and her friends quickly realized that Hilo is located on the rainy side of the Big Island.

"Once we got there, we hated it," Tilly Ketchum, one of Palin's friends, recalled in the bio, written months before she was named the GOP's vice presidential nominee.

To get away from the rain, Palin and her friends quickly transferred to Hawaii Pacific University on sunny Oahu. When they weren't studying, the women visited the set of "Magnum P.I.," the biography noted.

Oahu's unlimited sunshine quickly lost its appeal for the Alaska girls.

"It was always 82 degrees," Ketchum said. "When Christmas comes around you want cool temperatures and a change of season."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/09/05/2008-09-05_sarah_palin_a_flipflopper_before_she_was.html#ixzz0VFX08JJu

Anonymous said...

Twitter: TourdeFroth

"Tour de Froth announces that the Alaskan marketing firm "Pie Spy" will be handling our media interviews for next year."

Anonymous said...

Another thing that goes to any discussion of whether she wrote the faccebook stuff is the death panels. After her initial outburst, she tried to walk it back with the "we've got to be careful what we say" message. But the big thing in that was the footnotes: she referred to the Washington Post's Eugene Robinson to back up her opinion; however, what Eugene Robinson wrote was taken out of context; he was even interviewed in a news story about it and had quite a laugh about Palin's learnedness. Some have speculated that Rebecca Mansour wrote that one, because her style is to cite things out of context that may not -- when taken in their entirey -- support the point she's trying to make.

Anonymous said...

This can’t get any better. The Republican pick for VP went to community college before transferring to a university.

Palin attended North Idaho College for the 1983-1984 school year before she transferred to the University of Idaho. The college takes pride in its “open-door” admissions policy.

For the record, Barack Obama got his B.A. from Columbia University in New York and his J.D. from Harvard. While at Harvard he was president of the prestigious Harvard Law Review.

Sarah Palin only has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism/Communication from the University of Idaho. Not to belittle the University of Idaho, but it’s not exactly a tough school to get into. I don’t want to say Palin is completely uneducated, but she’s not exactly one of the brightest people our country has to offer. Well, that’s what happens when you want a “regular” person to be VP/President.

http://sarahpalinexposed.com/?p=104

Anonymous said...

I am eager to read more about PIE SPY. Thanks for this post.

Anonymous said...

OT - I'm loving being able to comment on HuffPo - and so many links being directed back to this site!

Anonymous said...

Great comments on HuffPo on this same topic: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/28/palins-pie-spy-business-c_n_336787.html

Anonymous said...

HEY!!! Pie Spy is Meg's company. Not Sarah's company. You can see that in the 2-page pdf filed with the state.

the norwegian blue said...

@17:54 - Tour de Froth is a deeply goofy and jokey bunch of long distance bike racers -- so funny that they picked up on this already!

@17:41 - Willow was at last report at Colony High in Palmer. They were number #2 in the league last season, better than Wasilla. While the bball season has not started yet, they did have a Fall League practice on Monday the 19th http://www.highschoolsports.net/defaultcal.cfm?ct=w&schoolid=AK9964518032&spt=-1&lvl=-1&division=-1&curntdate={ts%20'2009-10-21%2013:07:56'}

Anonymous said...

Yeah, Sarah's "business interest" in Pie Spy may be as an investor. If so, I wonder how much she chipped in? Inquiring minds want to know.

wv cessi ... says I

EyeOnYou said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
EyeOnYou said...

The Financial disclosure forms that Sarah submitted states she is the "owner" of Pie Spy (she crossed off 'filer' and wrote 'owner' under that). It seems she wants to be listed on her disclosure as the 'owner'.

Under "Type & Name of Business Interest" is states:

PIE SPY/LLC (marketing) Business Interest

Interesting!

Anonymous said...

Is it true that Palin signed her name as "S'arah" on that disclosure form, as reported elsewhere?

EyeOnYou said...

The "S'arah" was done on the top of the form, but not elsewhere that I can see.

Personally, I think it was just a slip of the pen and nothing more.

Anonymous said...

Really, taking Jesse Cornish seriously should now be over. Going to some college at 18 does not make you a writer at 45 when you never were before.

When she goes on a real news show and answers questions related to her suddenly, amazingly clear policy writing, like she actually knew what she wrote and could further elaborate, then it might look like she wrote it.

But she hides behind Fakebook and takes no questions. She is a Potemkin celebrity.

Anonymous said...

Oh, thanks, EOY. You are right. She writes it that way in the opening page.

Anonymous said...

EyeOnYou, In the 2-pager filed with the state, by Meg, Meg is the sole organizer and manager. $P may be an investor of some sort, but she is not the owner. The disclosure form was filled-out in a sloppy manner: it was an out of date form, hand written, etc. No doubt $P thinks she owns everything she touches, but legally it is Meg's Pie Sky business. $P may own a percentage of the company.

Anonymous said...

Uhmmmm, could Pie Spy be a company established to solicit and hold funds for the disabled child T2? Set us as a tax shelter, SP can contribute sums equal to the cost of Bristol and Levi's silence. Withdrawls to be made by his parents or caretakers? This would allow SP to receive tax breaks on the cost of silence.

Anonymous said...

anon 19:31 ... Potemkin celebrity is right! Her facebook rants are soviet-style pronouncements. No questions. No discussion. The Russians got away from that sort of thing. It's a wonder $P didn't learn that when she saw Russia from her house.

wv is exess, as in $P's excesses

Anonymous said...

Per HuffPost, Palin is the owner.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/28/palins-pie-spy-business-c_n_336787.html

EyeOnYou said...

The Pie Spy business paperwork lists Van Flien as the "agent" and Meg Stapleton as the "organizer", so I'm guess that Palin is the owner with the other two working on her behalf.

Anonymous said...

If anyone has any questions regarding Sarah's ability to clearly express her political views and discuss them in an intelligent manner, I ask you to please look up the famous You Tube interview that Katie Couric did with the brilliant political scholar and writer last fall.

And then, please try to imagine that in the last year, Sarah has read, studied, informed herself and brushed up her journalism credentials so that she has improved on that dreadful performance.

Evidence that she had learned nothing in the period following the election can be found in watching a replay of Sarah's famous I Quit Speech, made to the sound of quacking (honking?) geese. So, please, in honor of our troops (and anyone else you can think of) in regards to Sarah's writing ability, would ya stop makin' things up?

The only evidence that I would accept regarding Sarah's actually having written those face book posts would be a real interview or press conference done with real journalists (not Fox, not ADN, not Oprah who will ask soft-ball questions)-- no the kind of gotcha journalism that has avoided ever since McCain picked her. There is only one way to describe Sarah Palin. She is the best example of Style over Substance.

Anonymous said...

Meg is sole organizer and manager. The attorney is their as "registered agent" because most states require a business to have what they call a "registered agent." A registered agent is the business' legal contact.

mlm said...

Re: a person and formal or informal twitter style

The tweets mentioned were from a United States Governors office. Are there examples of other U.S. Governors using the informal style?
I would like to see comparisons.

Anonymous said...

Breaking ... Bill Allen, Palin campaign contributor, gets 3 years and 750K fine.

Amy1 said...

Susan in MD 16:59 -- I like your rant. Because I agree. Thx.

I liked Levi's interview BECAUSE he said nothing. Satisfying our needs (the blogosphere's needs) is not one of his goals, nor should it be. He is staying in the limelight so when he needs to speak there will be an audience, and so his Playgirl schtick will sell, and he is giving SP fair warning that he is ready, willing, and able to damage her if he needs to, if she damages him or his family further. That's my view. A good plan, considering the cards he has been dealt.

Anonymous said...

Sarah Palin's tweets were very informal ... my hippie baby got a haircut ... tweets fly from my fingertips (channeling the Eagles' Witchy Woman (sparks fly from her fingertips)?).

Barb Dwyer said...

anon 20:00

I have 4 LLC businesses in Alaska and my attorney isn't listed anywhere as a registered agent.

Yellowgirl said...

Barb at 20:16-- The registered agent thing is legit. You can have your lawyer be registered agent, or you can be your own registered agent. It's basically an address that people can use to sue the company. (There are services people hire to do this when they do business in lots of states... see https://www.incspot.com/global/web/csc/registered-agent-services.html ). But there is nothing to say you can't be your own registered agent for your company.

And, an "organizer" is simply the incorporator.... doesn't mean the owner. Often, a lawyer will be the organizer. To determine who owns what, you'd need to see the stock distribution. To determine officers, you'd need to see the officers annual report disclosure form (I'm assuming AK has one; other states do).

mlm said...

Question Re: Levi interview, He said that he's got damaging info about her -- wouldn't say whether it was illegal or immoral -- while she was gov.

If he has illegal info he does not report, he would not legally be considered complicit? His lawyer would be able to keep illegal info on a governor unreported?

Barb Dwyer said...

This is the business she should have started.

Palin and Son General Contractors

House Building: No permits required

Boat Building: No fish permits required

Flightseeing: No license required

Hole Digging: We never stop

Mud Slinging: We like getting dirty

Fund Raising: Just make up a reason

Bus Driving: We can run over anything

Anonymous said...

Barb, it may be a "foreign" LLC under Alaskan law, which is one formed in another state. That is how a "registered agent" may be required.

Barb Dwyer said...

yellowgirl:

I'm sure it's legit, I just don't think it's required. She wants anyone that wants info to have to contact mighty mouse Van Flea. If I was her, I'd do it that way too though

Patrick said...

Thanks to our faithful readers, Palingates gets more and more attention!

Today,

Political Wire

and

Huffington Post

linked to our "Pie Spy" blogpost!

I hope that our new readers will find interesting material on Palingates, and I am optimistic that the most important of Sarah Palin's "gates", which is "babygate", will also get more attention in the near future!

Once the media starts to report seriously about "babygate", it will be "Game Over" for Sarah Palin.

Anonymous said...

Statute

AS 10.50.055. Registered Office and Registered Agent.

A limited liability company shall continuously maintain in this state a registered agent and a registered office. The registered office may be the same as the office of the company. The registered agent may be either an individual resident of this state whose business office is the same as the registered office, or a domestic or foreign corporation authorized to transact business in this state whose business office is the same as the registered office.

http://touchngo.com/lglcntr/akstats/Statutes/Title10/Chapter50/Section055.htm

Anonymous said...

Patrick, I saw palingates' links over at HuffPost. One in particular, that shape shifting post, it really shows some great stuff!! Eye-catching, no doubt!

Oh, and I also saw about the airplane hangar there, too!

Thanks for all the good work!

winkwinkWA said...

Passinthru--Yes all the Palin kids and grankids are could be covered by the BIA-Native Health if they have a CIB (certificate of indian blood) card. You have to prove you have native blood in your linage, any amount. You do have to use there native health clinics, Andrew Issac in Fbks. and Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, Vally Hospital in Palmer and Vally Native Primary Care Center in Wasilla. There are Native health clinics all over Alaska.

Anonymous said...

Several things:

About Levi's interview. First of all, he isn't threat to the Palin's, whatever any of you may think. Mark my words. November 17 is J-Day for him. So don't cling your hopes on him. However, I won't put it past him to actually leak some bad press about Palin to interested third parties, such as Gryphen.

About Sarah Palin's writing capabalities. Every student in college goes through required English classes. Journalism students go through more. With a little time and the right tools, it is far from impropable that Sarah Palin writes all her editorials.

Now for the sake of the argument, let's say she did poorly in all her interviews and speeches (Not that I agree). However, one must concede that a persons can be a good writer and only a mediocre speaker. There are many people like that. Wouldn't you all agree?

Barb Dwyer said...

This should be good. Time for some popcorn

Anonymous said...

So, Barb, what's your favorite? Extra butter is mine!

Anonymous said...

As an English professor, I'll weigh in. Any woman well over 40 who writes like this in an official capacity has some obvious literacy issues.

http://cjrarchive.org/img/posts/PalinDaddyCJR.pdf"

This is an official document released from her gubernatorial campaign, not her diary from 1980. It's on Palin-Parnell letterhead.

Patrick said...

+++BREAKING NEWS+++

Sarah Palin responds to Levi Johnston!

New blogpost is up!

Anonymous said...

For Mr. Cornish...Unfortunately you may have never seen any of Palin's press conferences while she was Governor. Without fail, when she was asked questions, she would always say " Well, Pat Galvin was just working on that information, so....Pat, can you come up and answer that?" Next question....Oh, actually Marty Rutherford has new information on that, so.....Marty?" Next question...."Commission Tom Irwin has just finished some in depth research on that.....Tom?" She would back away from the podium and make her commissioners answer every single question. She just never knew the answer to anything. That is where she got the name GINO..."Governor in Name Only."

With you living in Michigan, I think, you would not know that so I am just trying to educate you. She is not who you think she is.

While she was Mayor or Wasilla she had to ask someone what a mill rate was. Pathetic.

winkwinkWA said...

jc-Please show us where SHE has written anything understandable BEFORE Facebook or delivered a speech that WRITTEN BY HER that wasn't word salad. She couldn't be brilliant one time and stupid the next time in speaking and written speeches, so what is it? I have seen and hear her speak, assuming she wrote it, at an event in Fairbanks at the opening of Morris Thompson Center Aug 12 2008 . She was an idiot, rambling all over the place!! Certainly not VP material. Show us some evidence of something written or spoken by her before her VP trip and speeches that were written for her...and quit making excuses for her, she is what she is!!

Anonymous said...

lol Jesse.....seems that Levi is a threat. Why else would she pick a fight with a nineteen year old? And you expect US to vote for her if she runs again?

Anonymous said...

She picks a fight with a 19 year old 'cause she is really a 19 year old in a cougars body.

Towels on when greeting your male associates while your husband could answer the door?

Whoo Hoooo, whose selling their physical attributes?

He should sue Meg for calling him the equivilant of a male prostitute.

Doc Rock said...

Google does come up with piespy:
http://www.jibble.org/piespy/

Quiet1 said...

I haven't taken the time to read all of the comments, and perhaps someone has already suggested this . . . but I think Pie Spy is SP backwards . . . and (yikes, this is scarey) the remaining letters are PIEY. Sarah Palen President in Eleven Years? Aaaak!

Quiet1 said...

Whoops. I actually mean eight years. Either way, still aaaak! :)

Unknown said...

I just looked closer at the Team Sarah picture. Hansel and Gretel running away before the fanatics' idol clutches at them and grabs them for props. Uses others to prop up her in-authentic life.
So opposite of the authentic Alaska image the McCain camp and RNC spoon fed the unsuspecting and desperate for a leader Republican Party.

Anonymous said...

If I had access to Sarah Palin's college essays, I could give a more definitive answer to the poster above. Otherwise, we really don't have much access to Sarah Palin's essay style writing outside of her facebook page.

Anonymous said...

Then are you having problem reading? Here you go. This is from 3 years ago, by Sarah Palin: http://cjrarchive.org/img/posts/PalinDaddyCJR.pdf

passinthru said...

Well, actually, there are computer programs that evaluate things like commonly used phrases and word frequency that could establish whether the same person wrote different items. That's very hard to disguise.

I think common sense does the job in this case, however.

Anonymous said...

I think there are two separate PieSky. Sarah stole the name. They are not the same business.

The Palin, Stapleton, Van Flein PieSky was started in April of 2009. The other one years before. They are not connected expect they share a name.

Sarah lies and must be fact checked about everything. She filled out a form saying PieSky was a marketing business and she is the owner.

What does it cost to start up a business in your lawyers office? Where did she get the seed money?