Monday 23 November 2009

Andrew Sullivan takes the Trig Truther argument mainstream!

Andrew Sullivan
BIOGRAPHY


Anybody who thinks that Andrew Sullivan has "folded" is very mistaken. Exactly the opposite is the case. Andrew Sullivan today published a brilliant article in the UK Sunday Times, also published in the London Times Online, called "Beware the powerful fantasy world of Sarah Palin, Warrior Princess".

He writes in the UK paper what no US mainstream media outlet has dared to publish before:

"(…)
What can one say about one of the most compelling and bizarre works of “non-fiction” on the market, Going Rogue by Sarah Palin?

I have to say it stymies me somewhat. Treating it as some kind of factual narrative to check (as I began to), or comparing its version of events with her previous versions of the same events (as I have), and comparing all those versions with what we know is empirical reality, is a dizzying task. The lies and truths and half-truths and the facts and non-facts are all blurred together in a pious purée of such ghastly self-serving prose that, in the end, the book can really be read only as some kind of chapter in a cheap 19th-century edition of Lives of the Saints.

It is a religious book, full of myths and parables. And Sarah is fast becoming a religious icon of sorts for what is now the Republican base. On the first day of her tour, she dragged her infant with Down’s syndrome everywhere she went, even waving his hand to the crowds at one point as his little head swung back and forth. Here is the Madonna with child and a child that is an emblem of everything those who oppose abortion believe in.
(…)

So you simply read the book as if it is fiction and enjoy it. Or you read it as non-fiction and believe that Palin is a magical mythical figure who defies the laws of time and space and normal human nature.

Take one story that every mother will relate to: the drama of her delivery of her fifth child, Trig. She tells us that at eight months pregnant with a child she knew had Down’s syndrome and would need special care at birth, she got on a plane from Alaska to Dallas, Texas, to attend an energy conference. Most airlines won’t allow this but Alaska Airlines did. Palin then tells us that at 4am on her first night in Dallas, “a strange sensation low in my belly woke me and I sat up straight in bed”. In an interview she gave with the Anchorage Daily News just after Trig’s birth, she confirmed that she had amniotic fluid leaking at that point.

So she was a mother eight months pregnant with a special-needs child thousands of miles from home. She wakes up in the middle of the night with contractions and amniotic leakage and she tells her husband she doesn’t want to call her doctor because it would wake her up at 1am. And she is the sitting governor of a state and her doctor is a close personal friend. Not only that, but she gives the speech as planned in the afternoon, during which she makes a rather good joke. She then tells us what happens next: “Big laughs. More contractions.”

After the speech, does she then go to a local hospital to get checked out? Nah. She gets on two separate aeroplanes all the way back to Alaska, with a stopover in Seattle, because she is determined to have the child in her home town and she just knows that the contractions and amniotic leakage are not signs of imminent delivery. She has had four previous kids so she has experience. “I still had plenty of time ... It was a calm, relatively restful flight home,” she explains of the next 15 hours.

You might imagine that an airline would have some qualms about letting a woman in some sort of labour at eight months, and pregnant with a Down’s syndrome child, get on a long transcontinental flight. What if the baby were born in mid-flight? The plane would have to be diverted. What if something happened to the baby? The airline could be liable. Palin never told the flight attendants. Couldn’t they tell, one might innocently ask. In the Anchorage Daily News story about the birth, Alaska Airlines said: “The stage of her pregnancy was not apparent by observation. She did not show any signs of distress.” Palin makes Xena, the warrior princess, seem fragile.

It is this image of a frontierswoman, capable of almost anything, fiercely independent, fathomlessly brave, totally unflappable, driven and blessed by faith in God, resisting the evil cynicism and hatred of the eastern elites, ambushed by hostile interviewers, persecuted by her godless enemies and carrying on as an “iron lady” of Alaskan dimensions, that makes her such a powerful cultural and political icon. Her physical beauty doesn’t hurt either. (…)"



So far there are only a few comments, and almost all of them negative (left by males). Please comment there and show Andrew Sullivan your support.

+++

UPDATE:

It should be noted that today the London Sunday Times has not only printed Andrew Sullivan's article, but also a large excerpt from Sarah Palin's book "Going Rogue", focusing on the events leading up to the Trig's birth ("Sarah Palin: my life with a Down's syndrome child"). You can also leave comments on this article.


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170 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love that man!

Truly Madly Deeply said...

Andrew is taking up the gauntlet on behalf of all we Trig Truthers who have had enough of Palin's games.

Remember the wild ride story is her story....she cannot deny it and it is the sheer unbelievability of it that will slowly begin to sneak into people's consciousness.

It's important to go to the Times article, register and comment. That way other journalists will see that there is a demand to probe this issue.

regina said...

Both The Sunday Times and Times Online are owned by Rupert Murdoch...

Anonymous said...

They are only posting ridicule of the article.

Patrick said...

The comments on the article in the London Times are moderated. Please save your comment and inform us if the comment hasn't been allowed.

Anonymous said...

It is not just THE Wild Ride Story anymore,
when talking about the Wild Ride, it's really
necessary to reference which version you are
referring to, since there are very significant discrepencies (in particular, the original 'things
were already settling down by midday' versus
the book version 'i was having contractions while
giving the speech.)

Did anyone else notice the quote at the top of
the Times Online article ? In a box off to the right ?

One Minnette Marrin is quoted as saying :
"It's probably a mistake for people with learning disabilities to marry and have children."

Ouch.

Truly Madly Deeply said...

anon 2.03

That does not mean that readers should not attempt to post comments to the Times questioning Palin's birth story.

A lot of readers complain that nothing happens and that the Trig question is going no where. Well now is the time to help make it happen.

If you leave a comment at the Times, leave it here also. Then Patrick can check what is and is not getting through. He could also pass on the comments that do not make it through there to Andrew.

This is a good opportunity to spread the word. Please don't give up.

Anonymous said...

anon @ 2.08

Andrew Sullivan makes the point about the discrepencies in his article.

Comments should be succinct and clear - not complicated. Point out the fact that she is either lying or that she is incredibly incompetent and not fit to hold political office.

Send a link to Palingates babygate posts.

That should be enough.

Anonymous said...

Andrew Sullivan in 2012! A man among sheep!
AnotherAnon

wayofpeace said...

what a genius strategy by SULLY! print it in the UK...

wow. what's important is the writing itself: persuasive, passionate yet clear and factual prose.

add to that, a legitimate venue, and i'd be surprise if this is not picked up by a serious outlet here in the US. maybe KEITH, the NYT... WaPo.

Anonymous said...

If someone has registered, could you submit this comment? I am trying to address just one issue at a time. Because it's a review of the book, not just the babygate story, I think he's interested in all oddities of the book. Please fact check me and make a change if needed, but I think it is important to keep it as simple as possible. Baby steps ;-) Here is my question about the "miscarriage":

---------

When Palin describes her first miscarriage, she states that on a form, in a box reserved to describe the procedure she had undergone, the word "miscarriage" was written. Miscarriage is not a medical procedure. Palin stated, furthermore, that the word "miscarriage" had been written over a thinly whited-out word, "abortion," which is a medical procedure. Why was a non-procedure substituted for a procedure when the form was changed? Who made the change? Would a medical practice make a mistake like that?

Anonymous said...

Here is the comment I left:

Andrew, Thank you for having the courage to question Sarah Palin's birth story. It defies logic and reality on every imaginable level, and I really don't understand why there is no outrage. She claims to have suffered two previous miscarriages - no sane person would risk her own and her baby's life in this way (by risking a mid-air premature birth). And any legitimate doctor would tell her to get to the nearest hospital ASAP! Either she isn't pro-life (her own, as well as her baby's) or Trig's birth did not happen in the manner described.

Anonymous said...

Well, here's the comment I left. I'm not exactly a wordsmith but it does address the "huh? really?" I have about her story.


I have never understood why this "story" of hers hasn't been questioned more. He was her fifth child, who knew how long that labor would last. 15 hours? I'm not believing it. He was a Special Needs baby so although she was supposedly leaking amniotic fluid, she didn't bother going to situationally equipped hospitals in Dallas, Seattle or where she landed in Alaska. She chose to go to a small, local Wasilla hospital instead. Any mother truly concerned for the safety of her child would not have risked his or her health and safety in this way.


As for most of the previous comments...
If you take issue with the article, give facts or at least discussion disputing Mr. Sullivan's article. Attacking the author because you don't like what he wrote is juvenile, shows a lack of respect for the author, and shows you to be as close-minded as the subject of the article.


So let's so if they post it!

-sheba

Anonymous said...

I registered at the Times/UK site, and activated my account. When I tried to post, the comment box would not allow me to post! Has anyone else had this problem? Have they disabled the comment section?

Anonymous said...

And so it begins.

Please tweet the Sully story, post it to your FB page, and leave comments on it.

Link to it on HuffPo on any article you can. Be succinct and factual.

And let the sun shine in.

midnightcajun said...

I left a comment there several hours ago. All I said was that she took this huge risk despite claiming to have suffered two previous miscarriages. I ended it by saying, "Either she's an idiot, or she's just makin' stuff up."

Very mild. Yet it hasn't appeared. Obviously heavily censored so that only pro-Palin comments get through.

Valley KW said...

Patrick, have you received an email from me using a form mailer proxy? I was just trying to be cautious but I think I may have over done it- I sent a copy to myself and several hours on still haven't gotten it.

One thing I pointed out in my message which I feel should be pointed out here given Sullivan's brilliant move-

In her book, Sarah refers to "CBJ". Not once have I EVER heard or seen Sarah refer to her as CBJ- it was almost always "Kathy" except in formal settings when it was "Dr Johnson".

Why would Sarah use an abbreviation used almost exclusively by the "truthers" she professes so much disgust and pity for?

At the very least, it says that Sarah reads these blogs, and does so to such a degree that she did not even notice when she picked up our "slang".

Anonymous said...

She tells a good story, but can you imagine these same fingers, anywhere near the red phone?
The truth will come out if they keep digging far enough.

Valley KW said...

Correction- think it was Cathy with a C, not K...sorry.

CR46 said...

Thank You Andrew for bringing this out at the level you did!
I wonder if found out if there is no legal adoption, if Trig could be placed somewhere where his glasses, and hearing aides would be put on him, SP is blatantly neglecting that child and in a few more months Trigs capacity to advance from where he is will decline rapidly.

not that sarah said...

Here's what I left:

I'm glad someone in the media has the integrity to ask this question. First Sarah Palin refused to do any press conferences, thereby making history as a candidate in a "democracy" and then she told the most outrageous and irresponsible stories. One of them being her "Wild Ride" story re the "birth" of her son.

According to her hagiography, she's had two miscarriages before. Why would any doctor or woman, for that matter, risk her pregnancy after having two miscarriages, knowing she was carrying a special needs baby, by waiting 24 hours before getting to a hospital to be looked at by a physician?

If she's telling the truth, her judgment is so skewed by ambition that she should not be in public office and should be investigated for child endangerment. If her story is not true, then what is the truth and why did she lie?

Anonymous said...

anon 02:33 ... Your comment posted by Joseph Black .. into moderation.

NB: after registering, you have to get your email confirmation, click on the email link, then register to comment when you're taken back to the article.

Anonymous said...

anom 2:54... I did all that and signed in successfully. The comment form would not allow me to type anything, Strange. I'll retry

sjk from the belly of the plane said...

all in "due" time. s'arah timed the birth fraud, but she has no more control of the eventual inevitable unraveling of it.

not that sarah said...

The "Palinban"'s Christianity is on full display as they attack Sully for his sexual orientation.

I am embarrassed for the human race.

Please support Sully for having the courage and integrity to speak out.

Anonymous said...

Dear all,

I think that in our comments we should follow Andrew Sullivan's example by *always* situating the Wild Ride within a larger context of mandacity and fabrication. We must demonstrate *pattern* and *pathology*. And we must be as civil, persuasive, cogent, and empirically based as possible.

Anonymous said...

Weird,

Looks like heavy modding there...those nasty anti-gay comments are gone now.

p.s., make sure to recommend the intelligent comments

Anonymous said...

I notice that some support letters made it through moderation. My post was allowed where the book excerpt was published. Need more comments there, a lot of people glamorizing Palin as a role model for women! So far, my post at Sully's article hasn't shown up.

"You are so right Andrew. Mrs. Palin's story of the birh of her baby is one every mother can relate to. Most mothers would not have gone on a plane flight of any kind while in labor, much less one from Texas to Alaska. From her own admission, she was in her 8th month with a special needs baby. This decision was irrational. Not to mention the inconvenience and liability she placed on the airlines, if she did go into labor on the flight. This was irresponsible."

Anonymous said...

Some of our comments are posted. They have deleted the ones that were ad hominems against AS.

Anonymous said...

Also there is a 'recommend' button for the article, just below the author's name. Hit that one as well as the ones in 'comments'

wes_ben said...

I think the Times moderators are napping...God, they are slow!

LisanTX said...

I can't post either. I never received my email confirmation but they say I can't register again as they have my email address already. Very frustrating.

I think it's a good strategy to publish this article in the UK before the US.

Anonymous said...

Unless Andrew posted pictures of SP's flat belly only days before Trig's claimed birthdate, then Andrew has done absolutely nothing about revealing SP's lie. NOTHING! It's just more of his pablum about what a strange magical liar she is. Nowhere does he have the balls to say she's LYING. Just the blah, blah, blah about her cultural iconism. Grow some, Andrew. You know the pictures exist and where to get them.

Anonymous said...

It may be about 2:00 a.m. in UK. It's surprising that anyone is moderating at this hour.

Anonymous said...

I think hammering on the sheer idiocy of "wild ride" story does do some good. Getting people to consider how much such a trip(p) could endanger an infant is an important first step. It's understandable that some people are still at the stage where they are thinking "how could a sitting governor fake the physical changes of pregnancy?". Sullivan's article puts a dent in the facade.

Thank you, Andrew Sullivan.

sjk from the belly of the plane said...

whats a prayer warrior?

Anonymous said...

from wiki

Prayer Warrior is a term used by many evangelical Christians to refer to anyone who is committed to praying for others. The term is also used to refer to those praying for the success of political and military causes.

Prayer warriors may pray for individuals, or for entire states or regions. One recent development has been prayer undertaken by groups of people flying over the areas for which they wish to undertake intercession.[1]

conscious at last said...

BRAVO ANDREW-- AT LAST THE DANCE HAS BEGUN!

and for us-- "the pajama-clad ones"- in addition to vigorously supporting Mr. Sullivan, we need to think ahead a few steps. It is possible that with enough pressure, Ex-Gov. Twinky-Brains may try a tearful fiction-filled explanation of how she faked it to cover for her dear daughter or how she opened her heart to this sweet child that she adopted. I think we need to constantly make it clear that bringing this child into her life was a POLITICAL DECISION. All together now-- 'SP announced her pregnancy the DAY AFTER McCain was nominated. She told the press that she was 7 months pregnant-- most women show a baby bump well before that.' This was a COMPLETELY CALCULATED MOVE. It did not come from her heart-- it came from her lust for power and money.

Lyn Rockets (or any other creative soul reading this)-- can you write a song about this for us - please?

Anonymous said...

I wrote a comment a few minutes ago and it posted with no problems.

I commented on AS article regarding the powerful princess warrior.



wv:coutoo

ella said...

anon @3:31:

Andrew is doing this correctly. To go directly to "fake pregnancy" would be a huge mistake - it is simply TOO UNBLIEVABLE for anyone to grasp (except those of us who have been living with it for months).
I have ALWAYS believed that the way to expose SP is to just use HER OWN story, in her own words.
There is NO WAY to spin the recklessness and absurdity of HER OWN words - hence, the logical conclusion (Pregnancy/birth A LIE) will follow. Andrew (or anyone else) cannot possibly shout "fake pregnancy" from the rooftops - he would look like a "birther." It must be done in steps, the first step to expose the "wild ride" as an outrageous LIE. Bravo Andrew. I think the U.S. Press will pick up on the "wild ride" this coming week. Popcorn.

Silver Salmon said...

I don't have access to a copy of Going Rogue (no bookstores here).

I'm reading a review of it and I'm curious:

Did she confuse Tony Blair with Tony Orlando (said to be on page 344)?

And on page 188, she is said to refer to "Mexican" as a language.

Anonymous said...

Video of Palin/Graham for fact checking

Anonymous said...

anon 04:02 - but some prayer warriors pray what are known as "imprecatory prayers." Those are prayers that wish harm on someone, like Psalm 109 was used on Pres. Obama. I beleive that Sarah Palin's Rev. Muthee practices imprecatory prayer.

Valley KW said...

I just realized another point of brilliant strategy that is no doubt more than just coincidence on Sully's part:

As Regina said...who owns this publication but the great Muppet Murdoch himself?

I think Andrew knew that on his own blog, strongarming and censorship might go largely unnoticed. Things he might be pressured to under emphasize...we'd never realize on this side. But a UK publcation? Genius. If Murdoch & Minions try to scrub THAT? People will notice!

I think this is absolute genius on Andrew's part. If they try to censor, edit, or remove it now...they're admitting there is something to hide! I know I am just echoing the battle cries of many tonight, but THANK YOU, SULLY! We are indebted to your bravery as Alaskans, Americans, and members of the human race!

ella said...

Here is what I submitted:

"Thank you, Andrew, for a great article.
The U.S. media is following silly Sarah non-stop, and treating her as a viable political figure. This, despite the fact that her book, by nearly ALL accounts, is full of outright lies and delusions. Those of us who have heard (in her own words) the story of her pregnancy and birth (of her latest child) are gobsmacked that no one seems to question the gross recklessness of the "wild ride" (if true) or the utter deceit/hoax of her story if it is another LIE."

Anonymous said...

I registered and posted twice, once with a bunch of links to photos (they prob won't use that one), once using my fave quote of Audrey's: "She wasn't afraid of delivering on the plane for the same reason I am not afraid of delivering on a plane: I am not pregnant, and neither was she."

All the time I've been looking at the comments there, only 11 have been posted, so v slow moderation. I experienced little glitches and weirdnesses with the comments process, but eventually got through, plus the password is case-sensitive. But nothing is appearing yet.

Amy1 said...

Since it's a Rupert paper, my thought would be that Rupert allowing this topic to surface is just part of his personal info-gathering on the subject of whether SP can survive media attn on this subject? Will babygate/PalinHoax sink her, or not?

And, as we see so far, lots of negative press but she's still afloat.

jo said...

I sent Andrew an email about a week ago thanking him for keeping the story of $arah's fake pregnancy story alive for discussion. Some people when asked what they like about $P the only thing they mention is her pro-choice stance. Will they still love her when the truth comes out she faked the pregnancy and is not the birth mother. She lies about every little thing, it's easy for her to lie about Trig too. $arah said while complaining about the media that some said she should have aborted her baby. I have never heard or read that anywhere, not even on anti Palin sites. There she goes again makin stuff up. Her supporters love to say we hate her because she didn't have an abortion, what a crock of ..... She also says the media attacked her children. What is she talking about? The only thing said on blogs was that she wants absenteeism only taught and that didn't work for her or her daughter. Bristol said that isn't realistic, she must have been mad at her too. Comedians had a hey day with $arah and Bristol, they left the underage children alone, but that's not media, maybe she doesn't know the difference. Maybe she thinks The Daily Show is news. Come to think of it they are often more truthful.

Anonymous said...

Unless the MSM in America picks this up, its still going nowhere.

LisanTX said...

Andrew also posted a reference to the column in his blog:

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/11/wonderwoman.html#more

So now let's see what happens tomorrow when people read it.

Anonymous said...

It doesn't matter if her Cult still love her. She will be FINISHED in politics and that's all I care about. She'll never get any more supporters once this comes out.

Anonymous said...

I sent the following comment about an hour ago and it hasn't posted yet...

Andrew, I couldn't agree more about the disturbing nature of the circumstances surrounding baby Trig's birth. It has haunted me since I first read Sarah's account of it in the Anchorage Daily News last year. How any doctor (let alone a close personal friend) could advise her over the phone that it was safe to fly in those circumstances is beyond unbelievable. At the very least, any competent obstetrician would have told her to get herself checked out first at a local hospital, given that this was high-risk pregnancy. Instead, Sarah would have us believe that her doctor advised her it was ok to continue with her plans to give a speech and attend events at the convention, then take multiple long-distance flights back to Alaska, and then a 45 minute drive just so she could have her baby at the local hospital in her home town. Something is very wrong with this story.

I don't know what the truth is about baby Trig, but I do know that the US media has had a virtual blackout on any valid questions about his birth, as well as the very strange circumstances surrounding Sarah's pregnancy, which was not even announced until her 7th month. And for those who think it is a private matter, that would be the case were it not for the fact that Palin was not a private citizen, but a public figure running for the second highest political office in the land. If a fraud was perpetrated on the American public (and the world), we have a right, and a need to know.

Anonymous said...

I'm hoping the BBC will cover it now. THAT would be perfect.

GinaM said...

Re-posting this from previous thread:

Is Levi sure he is the father of Tripp?? Remember Audrey said there was something strange about Bristol's pregnancy. Especially the size of her belly. I also remember the "other" Morgan's website...right before she got shut down with personal threats, she had posted close up pictures of Bristol during the convention. I wonder if Levi has done a DNA test?

KaJo said...

I haven't registered there yet myself, but has anyone else tried leaving a link in the Sullivan article's comments to here at Palingates, a link to Bree Palin, or even to Palin's Deceptions?

If it goes through moderation, it could mean OVERSEAS attention to the amount of research done at all 3 places -- which should be a good thing, right? Good for everybody but Palin and the Palinistas, that is....

Anonymous said...

It's a GREAT piece. Congrats to Andrew Sullivan. You can really spot the Palinbot comment there now amid the excellent ones proffered by others. (I'm sorry. Call me a snob, but in general the level of their written commentary is appalling.)

Anonymous said...

101 recommends

How very nice!

onething said...

This is the comment I left:

Sigh. So it's come to this, has it? We have to go outside our borders to have an honest discussion of events?
Sure, it's obvious no sane woman would get onto a long plane ride when she has been in early labor/signs of impending labor for hours. All my labors started with leaking amnio fluid. One 18 hours, one 2, one 6. No predicting. It's a story of reckless endangerment of life. No way do I believe her doctor told her to fly.

Anonymous said...

Bree has several people reporting that Trig is being shuttled around bare foot, no jacket, belly sticking out in cold 45 degree weather. As soon as the crowd has seen him, he is handed off to the nearest person. They even wonder why Sarah never shows Trig affection as she hands him off, kissing the top of his head, (she has a cold sore on her lip, has to be careful), a little hug and squeeze and "see ya later big guy." No affection, none, nothing, nada, niente, rien.

This echoes the same exact care, consideration and thoughtfulness that Sarah displayed before Trig was born, the subject of Sullivan's article. If she actually was pregnant, that was no way to treat a soon-to-be-born baby. Remembering that artfully posed Gusty picture, that woman would not have made it onto 4 different planes without a little bit of a hassle. The airlines don't want to be liable for any problems. They would have asked her some questions or asked for a doctor's permission. Surely one person on all of those flights would have stepped forward and recalled such an incident, especially since it involved the Governor of a state. Nobody, no one person.

I think that Andrew needs to see how trim Sarah looked weeks before "giving birth" to Trig. (Well, she did become his mother, we just don't know exactly how it happened). Andrew should compare Sarah's flat tummy pictures with the Gusty picture. Ask him how a woman in that picture got on a plane and no one noticed that she was pregnant.

For that matter, isn't Huffington Post asking for lies in Sarah's book? If she wrote it, now it's fair game. Maybe Sarah was right after all; you just have to look for the door to open a crack.....

Anonymous said...

What a strange coincidence.



Palin dines with Franklin and Billy Graham By Tim Funk Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009

Former governor of Alaska and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin arrives at the Asheville, N.C. airport on Sunday afternoon Nov. 22, 2009, for a visit with the Graham family. At left is Franklin Graham, who was there to meet her at the airport.

Sarah Palin, who will sign books today at Fort Bragg, made a stopover in Montreat on Sunday to have dinner with 91-year-old Billy Graham and his son, Franklin Graham, who issued the invitation.

"He just saw that she was going to be in the area and he said to come by," said Jeremy Blume, a spokesman for Franklin Graham.



Ã¥∂©∆¬Ã¦

VN said...

I have to agree with Anon 03:31 ("It's just more of his pablum about what a strange magical liar she is. Nowhere does he have the balls to say she's LYING") and Anon 05:00 ("Unless the MSM in America picks this up, its still going nowhere").

Sullivan's article in The Times is relatively worthless. What matters is mainstream publicity in the U.S. (e.g., photo comparisons of her "pregnancy" on CNN and MSNBC).

He just won't do what's necessary here: unequivocally state in The Atlantic (even if it's just "IMO") that Sarah Palin is not the biological mother of Trig Palin.

This is really more of the same stuff he's been posting for a year.

Anonymous said...

I don't find it worthless; I find it totally worthwhile. He takes apart Palin's book account; her explanation for Trig's birth in print for the world to see. She had over a year to concoct a better story and this is the best she could do.

I don't find Sullivan's use of "magical realism" to be pablum at all. This is the only framework that has allowed me to understand Palin's supporters. They believe in a fairy tale starring Sarah Palin. He's using "Warrior Princess." I think she's way past the "Princess" stage in terms of age. I would say she's an aging Queen.

Anyway, she is packaged as a fairy tale to the Fringe Right. "Wonder Woman" indeed.

Valley KW said...

Is anyone else a bit worried that Billy Graham might be a pawn in Sarah's game?

Franklin Graham is part of Sarah's coterie of misogynistic puppetmasters...I wonder if he is USING an old man with advanced parkinson's disease and cancer...who just HAPPENS to be the most celebrated evangelist of this age...AND his father?

Think about it...a very elderly man, a man whose progressive diseases make it to where he could not even stand at his beloved wife's funeral...who couldn't even stand assisted at a podium. Being trotted out and doubtlessly photographed.

What does that remind you of?

It reminds me of a physically and mentally fragile baby boy, a baby disconnected from the world around him because his "mother", in attempt to keep him pliable and easily controlled, refuses to put his hearing aid and glasses in. A baby that is trotted out to be photographed and quickly hidden away again.

God, it seems like Sarah INVENTS new lows to sink to.

onething said...

By the way, it's also important to point out not just special needs, but 5 weeks premature is significant! More than three may need a little special attention.
Also, I think people emphasize the danger to the baby but don't forget that it is by no means guaranteed that a mother will safely give birth in such a situation.

Lastly, I can't think of anything that would have garnered more universal praise than for her to have openly adopted a DS baby out of her pro-life convictions, whereas for a sitting governor to pretend to be pregnant when what she really wants to do is adopt - no. That is utterly crazy. No way she can pretend that.

Anonymous said...

Bravo Andrew Sullivan! Thank you for carrying this cause forward! We NEED you! No one in MSM will touch this story. Whay is that?

Anonymous said...

Last year the Associated Press reported:

"The doctor's announcement [about the Down's syndrome diagnosis] in December, when Palin was four months pregnant, presented her with a possible life- and career-changing development.

'I've never had problems with my other pregnancies, so I was shocked,' said Palin."


Now, Palin writes that she had a previous second trimester fetal death -- the "abortion/miscarriage" -- as well as a later "miscarriage."

So which is it?

I am grateful to Andrew Sullivan for calling attention to what I believe is a disgusting political scam.

From my years of experience in perinatal medicine, I find Palin's account of her "pregnancy" and "delivery" to be utterly preposterous.

And, as the biological mother of, and actual caregiver to, a severely disabled child, I find Palin's exploitation of a Down's syndrome child for political gain to be highly offensive.

Kyra said...

Anon 02:08
You're right, it is odd that of all the other columns, The Times advertised the Minnete Marrin article in the upper right hand box "It's probably a mistake for people with learning disabilities to marry and have children."

I do a lot of assessments, and work with people with disabilities. Learning disabilities (and there are dozens) include such things as dyslexia. One of my best friends from graduate school has dyslexia. So does Michael Phelps, Tommy Hilfiger, and Charles Schwab (yes, that one, of the brokerage). People with Down Syndrome are usually referred to as having a developmental disability. The columnist should know better, especially as she is discussing her own sister. Maybe they use different terminology, but I found it profoundly sad that the disabled are so discriminated against in England. You have to wonder at The Times.

Anonymous said...

ok...i now believe that sp did indeed have trig.

however, i believe that she did everything in her power to self abort

this included the excessive jogging and working out...right up to the wild ride

in fact, i believe that she is still trying to kill that baby...taking him on the book tour and exposing him to extreme temperatures.

there is no evidence that he is getting either physical or speech therapy

if she doesnt kill him, he will be institutionlized by the time he is a teen

btw, how did she pull track only getting a year of duty in iraq?

Truly Madly Deeply said...

anon @ 3.31 You say

"Unless Andrew posted pictures of SP's flat belly only days before Trig's claimed birthdate, then Andrew has done absolutely nothing about revealing SP's lie. NOTHING! It's just more of his pablum about what a strange magical liar she is. Nowhere does he have the balls to say she's LYING. Just the blah, blah, blah about her cultural iconism. Grow some, Andrew. You know the pictures exist and where to get them."

Sorry, but i think that your feelings regarding Andrew are misplaced.

He is doing his job, which is to spread this story as widely as he possibly can. It does take balls to do that as his journalistic name is on the line.

Now we have to supPort him.

Grow some balls yourself and phone your local media outlet/journalists and ask them why they haven't covered that aspect of Palin's story and quit criticising Andrew.

Archivist said...

Anon 3:31 ... here you are, posting on a blog as ANONYMOUS challenging Andrew Sullivan to grow some balls?

Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?

Andrew Sullivan has his name and his career on the line ...

You are one of MILLIONS of Anonymous bloggers ... get real!

I agree with Truly Madly Deeply ... let us know what you have done, ok?

Fifitrixiebelle said...

My comment for The Times

Andrew, thanks for laying out the oddities surrounding Sarah Palin's version of the day before Trig's birth.

As a woman who has given birth to three children I can confirm that her story does not make sense.

If Ms Palin acted in the way that she said she did and if her doctor gave her permission for her to do so then they both acted negligently because it is a well known fact that a woman whose amniotic fluid is leaking should seek immediate medical attention. And by that I mean that she should have been physically examined not questioned over the telephone as Ms Palin claims she was.

Aside from that very important fact I find it incredulous that Ms Palin wrote that she was very concerned not to let down her host and that is why she stayed on to give her speech to very important Gas and Oil representatives. Her priority then was the speech not that of the welfare of her unborn child.

Ms Palin should be asked by the American media to explain her actions in more detail. That they have not done so before today is a disgrace and reveals how readily they pandor to politicians.

Unknown said...

Anon. 9:33: That is the only possible explanation of Trig's appearance in the Palin family that most of us who have added to the research of this hoax believe.

Anonymous said...

This is what I posted and it has just gone through.

Andrew, thank you for persevering with this wild tale.I have been following this story since September 2008 and I have come to the conclusion that she faked the pregnancy. I have also seen a number of very odd photographs of Mrs Palin when she was supposedly 7-8 months pregnant.In one instance she is wearing a pencil skirt and it is quite obvious her tummy is as flat as a board. Other photographs of her reveal very strange square pillow-like objects and strappings where her bump should have been. She also had a penchant during the last few months of the "pregnancy" for wearing long scarves that covered her bump.
How strange was it that she announced this pregnancy the day after McCain secured the Republican nomination! Too much about this just doesn't pass the smell test.
I don't believe a word of the wild ride story simply because I don't believe she was ever pregnant with Trig. Even if I were to give her the benefit of the doubt,having been pregnant three times and having leaked amniotic fluid on one occasion, I know that no woman would undertake the trip she claims to have taken.
Apart from all of that, her treatment of Trig has been deplorable. He is nothing more than a prop for her and it is more than obvious that she cares not one whit for his welfare.
She is a liar, mentally unhinged and a danger to America.

Anonymous said...

Anon 7:02 -
Excellent point! And yet another inconsistency, er LIE - you can't have it both ways.... either no problems with her pregnancies OR miscarriages in her past.

CR46 said...

bacci40
I agree that just like Willow and Piper are being "fast tracked" to become HS dropouts like their older sibs, that Sarah is fast tracking Trig to being institutionalized. The lack of development, the lack of care about his glasses and hearing aides is beyond neglect. The window for Trig to ever be independent ( and yes many DS people become independent) is closing fats, but the window for him to EVER advance is nearing too. How sad, people make statements that Todd seems to love him, so why isn't Todd making sure Trigs needs are met. NO EXCUSES this is plain and simple neglect. Right down to improperly dressing a baby with a hole in his heart on a cold day, well at least its proven that one Palin has a heart.
In defense of Track, 90% of deployments to Iraq are a year in length. My son has served 4 tours(thank goodness he's out of the army in another month!!) in Iraq with 6 months to a year between redeployments.

Anonymous said...

How true.


There is only one conclusion. Sarah doesn't view the death of her "unborn children" in a third of her pregnancies a "complication". It explains the risk of infection she took by waiting to seek medical attention when her amniotic fluid started to leak. Poor Trig.

I had doubts about whether she gave birth until recently. Frankly, what made up my mind was that Trig looks so much like her. It's not good that her story might have some truth to it, it makes her must worse a person than she seemed in the first place. It also means she must have starved herself so she wouldn't show. Her dates were probably wrong, so she had to convince Todd she was a month less progressed in the pregnancy than she was.

Does anyone know if Todd is a stupid man or just in massive denial?

Anonymous said...

Hi all- just to let you know I posted a comment on the Times site and it was accepted. Most of the comments I see are actually very anti-Palin. Here's what I posted:

Thank you Andrew for at long last putting this "out there". As someone who went through two high risk pregnancies properly attended by perinatal specialists, nothing about this story passes the smell test. No doctor in their right mind would have let her travel and no mother in her right mind would have taken the risk. Period. Let's not forget, in her fairy tale "Going Rogue" she also states that she had two previous miscarriages - making the story even more ridiculous.

That, plus the continued negligence to attend to the needs of Trig - Where are his glasses? His hearing aids? (I know this firsthand - my own infant daughter was identfied as being deaf at 20 months and the intense speech and language therapy was a critical intervention in her development.) When is he getting the vital early therapies so critically needed so that he can develop his full potential? (On the road? In a tour bus?) Why is he being exposed to massive crowds and stresses of constant travel when he is supposedly medically vulnerable?

That woman should be reported to Social Services instead of being slavered over by adoring fans. It's despicable.

Anonymous said...

Hi - me again, Anonymous @ 14:21...just to say that I am an American living in the UK and most people I have talked to about La Palin think she is a "loon".

Anonymous said...

A few points about the Billy Graham event. In her press availability, Sarah says, "if" I get to met Rev. Billy Graham tonight, as if there was still some doubt. In all probability, the elder Graham is in no condition to take visitors. Also, this is the only time she has taken questions, and the media didn't have much to ask. It isn't possible that they were screened, is it?

Anonymous said...

hello anon at 14.21

When the comments first started to appear at The Times there were at least half a dozen comments attacking Andrew Sullivan. Most of them expressed anti gay sentiments or were not pertinent to the issues of Andrew's article.

I'm glad to say that they were later removed. Since that time the comments have mostly focused on the points that Andrew raised but that does not mean that we should stop there. We have a small window of opportunity and it would be good if we could think up more of ways of using it.

If anyone has a twitter account could you please consider posting links to the article or if you have a blog leave a link to the article there.

Thanks again to everyone who has taken the time to comment etc. and to those who will do so.

Anonymous said...

I've created a tiny url link to Andrew's article in case anyone wants to use it on twitter or on other websites etc.

http://tiny.cc/RO7BL

Gyalist said...

In today's UK Guardian, their US correspondent Gary Younge has an interesting article on Sarah Palin and the politics that she espouses.

Those who follow Sarah Palin are sowing the seeds of their own destruction

This story could gain significant traction outside the US if we post comments on the blog and link them back to Palingates.

Anonymous said...

"I always found the term "liar" a little crude or insufficient for her, hence the use of the term "odd lies" to characterize a very particular form of delusional thinking. Having now read the book, I have to say I feel, yes, sadness. The same sadness I felt in a huge wave at the beginning of September 2008. For the innocent people dragged into this whole farce. And the damage yet to come."

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/11/palin-not-a-liar-a-bullshitter.html#more

It would be nice if someone would just break the story and stop with the crap. Other than that, the article is good.

Anonymous said...

I sent some words of encouragement to Andrew. I hope this story hits MSM.
Patrick, Regina, Kathleen, Gyphen, all of you are amazing. Thanks for the work you do.

NYCgirl

Anonymous said...

There are 190 people who have "recommended" Sully's article. Don't forget to click "recommend" at the top of the article. I don't know how it helps, but I suppose it does.

Anonymous said...

I left two comments on the Sullivan article. One tamer than the other. (In a different name than here.) I've spent a lot of time in England; have lots of UK friends. I know that far better journalism has appeared there about all our political stories, from the JFK Assassination to the Bush Administration. Their journalists are still journalists. So, thank you AS, for carrying on this sad but important (the the US) tradition.
So far my comments haven't appeared, but I'll keep trying. But I did see many of you there.

Anonymous said...

OT but a thought: reading a comment somewhere else, I had an epiphany. All along I couldn't see how Bristol getting pregnant was big enough to make Sarah commit the Trig fraud. It just didn't make sense. Pregnant girls are a dime a dozen in non-denominational, fundamentalist churches. BUT if Sarah had had an abortion-- which totally explains her multiple versions of her pregnancies, Trig's birth, the wild ride etc-- then having a Downs child wipes the slate clean. It's like a smoke screen from the real truth. We focus on her faux pregnancy, and meanwhile the story is her abortion. It would certainly explain Bristol's "Mother Duck" comment on myspace. (translation: My mom's had a hairbrained scheme to adopt and I'll have to take care of the kid.") And it explains the irony of Bristol's later pregnancy.

And leave it to Sarah. She couldn't leave it well enough alone. She had to bring up the word ABORTION in her bio. Isn't that what brings grifters/confolk down? Too much information?

Anyway, I'm a cause/effect chick. And I think finally, I understand what's behind her lies. Small comfort.

(Nice catch, ValleyCW, regarding Sarah's use of the phrase CBJ. Does she really use that in the book? CBJ?)

pearlygirl said...

Thank you Andrew. The best way to fight Palin is keep putting her "wild ride" story to the light. Let's not even worry about the whole Trig Truther thing, we'll give her the benefit of the doubt--we don't want to be all tinfoil hat crazy. (however I have and still do wear mine proudly)

If Trig is really hers then the reckless endangerment that she showed regarding the circumstances of her labor and delivery is hard to dispute. Nor can the fact that Piper (and Willow at times)has been continually pulled out of school despite having said that it was hard to catch up during the after election Matt Lower interview in Wasilla. Trig is obviously not getting the intensive early intervention that he needs to have any kind of viable life of his own, and despite having a variety of special needs is continually exposed to the elements without proper warm clothing when every other person on camera at these events is wearing a jacket or at least a sweater. These cannot be justified and that's the real nail(s) in the coffin.

Anonymous said...

I totally disagree that this is a "tinfoil hat" issue. If you are know anything about female reproduction, fertility issues or science, you know her "5th" birth and pregnancy story at the age of 44 makes absolutely no sense--not from photographic evidence, not from her flying schedule in her third trimester, nor from her own accounts to the press and now in her book.

She had a year to come up with a better story. Instead, she has admitted in GOING ROGUE that she was pregnant at least 2 other times.

Her own book contradicts her official "doctor's letter" released the night before the 2008 election.

This is just basic fact-checking, not tinfoil stuff.

Daniel Archangel said...

I agree wih Anon @ 03:31 with respect to her analysis, while I agree that Andrew Sullivan is just doing his job as an MSM journalist.

I'm not anonymous and I have written that Andrew Sullivan "folded", a comment Patrick echoed for dispute in his post, in that he doesn't come out and state the obvious conclusion from the confirmable facts: she faked the pregnancy.

We know the Wild Ride story is more consistent with a faked pregnancy than a real one.
We know SP "hiding" her pregnancy is more consistent with a faked pregnancy than a real one.
We know the photos of her are more consistent with a faked pregnancy than a real one.
We know the uncertain whereabouts of her daughters are more consistent with a faked pregnancy than a real one.
We know the post-partum pictures and facts are more consistent with a faked pregnancy than a real one.

Show us one confirmable fact that is more consistent with a real one than a faked one? I haven't seen it yet.

This is why I think Andrew Sullivan has "folded". He's written that it is "most likely" that SP gave birth to Trig. There's nothing in what Patrick posted that changes that. He's simply accepting that she is Trig's mother, but lied about being in labor during the Wild Ride.

The problem for that analysis, of course, is that SP went straight to the hospital in the middle of the night, and Trig showed up the next day.

Sorry Andrew, you've got it wrong.

Dan

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing Andrew's article. This political hoax needs to come to an end, for Trig's sake.

Bree has posted a photo (looks like they are holding hands praying) of BG and SP.

Floyd M. Orr said...

Once more, folks:

1. The Christian Mafia is behind the whole stinking madness of SP.

2. There are several points at which she could have had an abortion, an affair, or whatever, going all the way back to her missing semester in her illustrious college career.

3. The fake pregnancy scam began the day after McCain was selected.

4. The McCain Campaign scrubbed all the pertinent data from computers and websites in Alaska.

5. Bristol & Levi are a sideshow distraction. The secret is not who the parents are. The secret is that she adopted a DS prop with which to bamboozle the Christian masses.

6. The MSM has known the truth practically since the beginning, and they are lying to the public via their omission of coverage of Babygate on purpose.

Leadfoot said...

I suggest a letter writing/email/phone campaign to Gloria Allred. She is unmatched at calling attention to unfit celebrity parents. If we could get her behind us, we could get a ton of publicity about Sarah's unfit parenting (kids out of school, Trig without glasses/hearing aids, not properly dressing a child who has a hole in his heart, exposing that child to countless germs, using that child as a political prop at all hours of the day/night...)

Those stories might just open the door to the larger issue...(She doesn't care about Trig because she only adopted him to advance her career and did not birth him).

You can email Gloria via the form on this link. Her phone and fax number are also there. PLEASE take a minute today to contact her. Send links to the videos of poor little freezing Trig without socks or a coat!

http://www.gloriaallred.com/CM/Custom/Contact.asp

MK said...

Dan

What are your suggestions for getting this story out into the MSM?

Do you have any? MK

Anonymous said...

As we complain about MSM, I have to note that they have stayed away from other stories, too. Alex is right; there are articles in the UK press that our press wouldn't touch.

Example is Greg Palast who wrote extensively in the Guardian about the Bush family's Saudi connections, and Grandpa Bush's war profiteering during World War II, not to mention some very dubious international connections.

No paper or magazine would touch Greg's stuff in the US, at a time when it would influence our elections. (They still won't). There was a real conspiracy of silence, if you believe in conspiracies.

We keep forgetting that the traditional media are owned by big corporations where the bottom line is profit, not information. I still have faith in the electronic media as a way to get a story out there, and eventually to be picked up by more traditional sources.

Example: George Allen of Virginia called an American of Indian heritage (not native American) "macaca" meaning to insult him. The video from You Tube was on the internet for three days before MSM started playing it. Allen, once a presidential hopeful, is now toast.

Photo and video are powerful statements. People don't have to read; they just have to look. Examples: pictures of flat-stomach-Sarah weeks before delivery. That Gusty picture with the caption: How did this woman get on an airplane and no one noticed that she was pregnant?

Anonymous said...

I do believe that Trig is related to her, or to Todd, as he just looks too much like her other kids. He looks the most like Levi Johnston, but that may be off base. At one point, people speculated that he is Sherri Johnston's and Track's. That would explain the family resemblance. That would explain the timing of Track's enlistment into the military. And that would explain the bit about Mercede's calling him her little brother. That would also explain the need to shut Sherri up and throw her in jail with an overly harsh sentence. My goodness but this would be an evil story if it's the real one. But anything is possible at this point, right? I think all these people have the goods on each other, and there is this giant game of chicken going on up there in Alaska. That's why no one is talking. Levi's father is one example.

Anonymous said...

Dan @16:48

I think that most men have a problem with this issue, and are afraid to come out and say for fear of being ridiculed. And women are reluctant to question another woman's pregnancy as well.

The photo of Palin standing next to Parnell on the steps dated March 14, 2008, proves this woman did not give birth 5 weeks later. That particular angle shot shows nothing under that scarf. That is the nail in the coffin photo and it also proves that wild ride story was a deliberate lie.

I have two friends who originally believed her story, until I showed them that photo. I asked them if it was possible for her to have a baby 5 weeks later, and their response was "NO."

Valley KW said...

From the HP today...that last line made me smile over my coffee.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin promises to limit her enthusiasm during her visit to North Carolina's Fort Bragg.

The former Republican vice presidential candidate planned to sign copies of her new memoir at a post store Monday. Army officials say Palin will not make a speech, pose for photos, or personalize notes in the books she signs.

The Army worried Palin's appearance would prompt political grandstanding against President Barack Obama. That fear initially led post commanders to keep news organizations from covering Palin's appearance, though the restrictions were later dropped.

Fort Bragg spokesman Tom McCollum tells WTVD-TV that sales of Palin's book at the post store have been weak so far.



Although it makes me sad that any of our valuable and brave troops would WANT a photo with Sarah...I am appalled at her refusal to take photos with the troops or "personalize" the books she signs. My sincere hope is that Sarah will employ her M.O. of choice and quit, skip this stop altogether. The idea of Sarah refusing a photo or personalized autographs for any of the poor servicepeople deluded enough to want one...is just sickening.
I also feel that something we've not yet heard may be a factor here...after all, when have we known Sarah to MISS a Patriot Barbie photo op?


ALEX: if the passages from Going Rogue are displayed here on Palingates are accurate (and I am sure they are) then yes- Sarah actually calls her "close friend" Cathy by the abbreviation christened to her by the tinfoil attired basement dwellers.

In other words, CLASSIC Sarah.

Anonymous said...

To criticize AS for what his article is not is absurd. You had your chance, Dan, with your book. So go write another one.


Bringing SP down will happen only with persistence and chipping away. (Look how long it took to attract a reader here like ValleyCW.) AS's article is reasoned and based on fact. He's got the clout, Dan, to get published in the Times. He got the story to a wider audience.

SP's book tour has made her seem unstoppable. The tour will end. She's not unstoppable. And yes, all the Brits I know think SP is a "loon." Just like my NYC friends. Her looniness allows her a lot of leeway. AS's article makes that clear. Beware the loon.

Leadfoot said...

Floyd M. Orr -
To your list, I would add:


-- Sarah's chuch (dominionist, rapture, end-of-days, prayer warrior church!!) regularly organizes adoptions.

-- This same church - Sarah's church in Wasilla - suffered an arson fire last winter. Not to the sactuary or the alter -- to the RECORDS ROOM. Why? To erase records that would prove she adopted a DS prop with which to bamboozle the Christian masses.

Anonymous said...

There was an excerpt about Trig's birth in a UK paper, yesterday? In that excerpt she states that her doctor is called "CBJ."

Anonymous said...

It is not enough of the staged story about her wild ride but if you follow her trip to the hospital, supposidly giving birth, supposidly doing work while in the hospital (staff dropping paperwork off)and then discharged so that in fact she could be back at the office a couple days later is also very difficult to believe. Obviously she received T1 in the hospital, not birthed-received, with the help of CBJ and the story continued. It is hard for me to believe that nobody has come forward to prove that Palin's version is correct or not. I'm not talking about official hospital announcements or a press release, all you would need is a front desk person or cleaning person mention that the govenor was in the hopital having a baby. There hasn't been any word from anybody - I find that very strange. If this baby was "a gift from God" wouldn't you think the information from the hospital would be front page news, a wonderful thing and not kept as a secret? Wouldn't a simple statement from the hospital put to rest the rumors? Why the silence? When it is proven that she lied about her preg I would think that the doctor CBJ and the hospital would be in deep do-do.

Anonymous said...

The book I am waiting for is Geoffrey Dunn's coming out next spring. Hope he writes about the records room arson at Sarah's church.

Anonymous said...

I think the hospital and doctor have their hands tied because of HIPAA privacy laws.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous @17:31

The hospital and doctor may have their hands tied because of HIPAA privacy laws. But that would be for the privacy of the biological mother, not SPalin!

Anonymous said...

Just looked more closely at pictures of Track, from the convention. That little Trig looks just like him. I think Track could be the father, and Sarah the grandmother. Now, if this is the case you would think she would have been willing to appeal to her Christian followers, saying that she stepped in and helped her son, that she took in a child rather than a mother having an abortion, etc. But, if there was more to the story, such as drug use and who knows what else, she very well may have made a calculated decision to fake this pregnancy instead, to avoid any bad press about her family (and her mothering skills). Now she's in so deep she dare not veer off her story. But I do think she is starting to show at least some bond with this little guy - while having others be the hands-on caregivers, of course. You'd think as his grandmother she could at least muster that up, even if he was a huge problem for her political aspirations. Now she's just exploiting him, all the while convincing herself that she has rescued him and is doing right by him, as his grandmother.

Anonymous said...

HIPA cannot apply if Sarah was not pregnant. Therefore Dr.CBJ could not have delivered Trig from Sarah. BUT, if Dr.CBJ did deliver Trig from someone else (her specialty is abused children), oh, let's just say someone like Bristol, then Dr.CBJ still can't talk about the entire episode. Especially if she was involved in Trig's prenatal care and handing him over to the new parents. I think that she is being muzzled, the same way that Sherry Johnston is being kept quiet. And, I agree with the person who keeps bringing up the fires in Wasilla. Too much of a coincidence all of this silence and intimidation. Sarah may not be governor, but she still has muscle.

Valley KW said...

Anon at 17:26

Yes, I imagine it was the same excerpt posted here to Palingates.

Cathy Baldwin Johnson was never referred to as "CBJ" (at least not that I ever heard) but has always been called "Cathy" by Sarah...the only exceptions were in formal or semi formal situations...at which times Sarah refers to her as "doctor Johnson".

Sarah has obviously spent so much time on these blogs that she adapted the abbreviation used exclusively by Trig Truthers! This also points to the incredibly slipshod editing job- why would they push the book out SO fast that even glaringly obvious gaffes are not noticed?

I have to agree with the posters here who are of the opinion that Murdoch/HC are trying to get "in front of" something big and line the coffers while the gettin' is good.

Floyd M. Orr said...

I just stumbled upon this copy of a comment I sent to CNN-online earlier this year. Maybe readers here will remember the context at the time and will find this interesting. Of course I never received a reply.

Comment on CNN 4/12/09

First of all, she campaigned for the second highest office last year. She is campaigning for the highest office now. Secondly, you are absolutely right, Ms. Norville, many follow-up questions are needed. Why aren't you asking them to the governor? Are you afraid she will bad-mouth you to your peers, as she has done to Katie Couric? Most of all, Ms. Argetsinger, you know exactly why this feud is such a huge issue, but you don't want to alert your viewers to it. There are many intelligent voters all across the USA who do not want this deceitful, despicable, unethical, and totally unscrupulous politician anywhere near her ultimate goal, The White House. A boatload of questionable ethics issues closely surrounds the births of Trig and Tripp Palin, and many citizens are intelligent enough to see this big skeleton hiding in the Palin closet. When are you going to do your jobs as investigative journalists and report the real facts of this case to the American people? Thank you.

http://floydmorr.blogspot.com/2009/01/why-shes-dangerous.html

http://palingates.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

I have never understood what's going on with her cheap, tawdry look. Professionnal women in government and business never adopt Sarah's look. Take a look at the women succeeding in government and business and you just don't see it ... they wouldn't be caught dead looking like Sarah Palin. It's a look that screams one-trick-too-many, in my opinion.

Anonymous said...

When was it announced that Trig had Down Syndrome? When he was born? Or before? If this baby is Sherri Johnston's, would she have had the amnio so they would know ahead? Or was he born earlier, and so Sarah knew enough ahead that she could make that part public, as if she were carrying him and had had the test herself. I know some people question Trig's actual age. She makes such a big deal about that amnio. And, as we all know, she makes such a big deal about wrestling with her faith and making this conscious decision to have a special-needs child. It's like she thinks she should be given a medal for this, when so many loving and courageous families make this decision every day without even thinking about it. If she is just using his disability for political gain, then she should be forever disqualified from holding any public office again.

midnightcajun said...

'I've never had problems with my other pregnancies, so I was shocked,' said Palin."

Good catch, Anon at 7:22!

So you either had no problems with your other pregnancies, or you had two miscarriages; which is it, Sarah dear? I guess abortions aren't exactly "problems", at least not until you try to run for POTUS on a pro-life magic carpet.

Anonymous said...

In the Barbara Walters interview, she says her other children did not know that Trig had Down Syndrome before he was born. I think that is probably relevant to this story.

Anonymous said...

In a very subtle way, Barbara Walters brought up the trig-is-a-prop issue. When the question was asked, $P immediately said that she didn't choose to have Trig for political reasons (it shows her interpretation of BW's question, anyway).

(I know that many don't believe she was pregnant, but the way to succeed in this is to first point out the odd and contradictory things she says and omits first, then people will be more receptive concerning the sarah-faked-it story). It is afterall a story about her credibility and judgement.

Leadfoot said...

Here is a tweet with exactly the right # of characters if anyone wants to borrow it:

http://tiny.cc/RO7BL Andrew Sullivan -the only journo with the balls to expose the real truth about @SarahPalin. This is just the beginning!

basheert said...

I also registered and posted a comment - it's in moderation now. Will let you know if it gets posted.

Interesting ... the UK media must investigate things because the US media is busy being slavering lapdogs all over her.

I think eventually the truth will breath...at least I hope so.

Anonymous said...

If Trig was born even a month before she claimed he was - to a different mother, obviously - there is some reason that she had to get home to Alaska and claim to have delivered him herself on that particular day. I suspect someone was blackmailing her, or at least pressuring her, that they would come forward with the truth about the whole thing. Maybe even medical personnel involved with the real delivery of Trig... Otherwise, why would she make up this crazy travel-while-in-labor story, after the fact? Something came up suddenly that made her panic and go home when she did.

Anonymous said...

As far as the hospital and HIPPA rules, there would be a definite understanding with the doctor and staff involved but people like to talk and at the time when she received T1 she was only the governor, but later that year when she is picked for vp and so much is made of having a ds child, wouldn't you think that someone might comment that they were there when she was faking a birth? Even if they didn't know that Palin was faking, it would seem to me that even a supporter would come forward and say yes I was there without giving out any more information. The moment would be something to be proud of not hiding behind HIPPA.

Leadfoot said...

Anon 18:09 -
There is absolutely no evidence that she panicked and rushed home that night. You are assuming her version of events is true.

Much more likely is this:
You are the governor of a state - immediately recognizable to most people. You need to "give birth" or produce a baby with as little fanfare as possible. How do you do that? You go out of town (so nobody at home is looking for you in Matsu Valley) when you aren't expected to have the baby yet (5 weeks early). Then you fly back into town late at night, under the cover of darkness, and go to the hospital (or wherever) to claim the baby you are adopting. When the sun comes up - you claim you rushed home and gave birth while everyone was sleeping. Everything is fine - nothing to see here - move along!

See? She CREATED the Wild Ride as a cover story. She couldn't very well just go check into the hospital on an ordinary afternoon. The place would have been crawling with media! (Oh, and the hospital wouldn't have actually checked in a NOT PREGNANT woman!)

Try to think more like Sarah. Be devious! :)

Anonymous said...

For those who continue to speculate that Sherry could be Trig's mother, this speculation has been discussed before on this blog. SHERRY HAD A HYSTERECTOMY!!!
---------------------------
"Speaking publicly for the first time since her December 18 arrest on charges of dealing OxyContin, Sherry Johnston says she got hooked on the prescription drug after a hysterectomy eight years ago, which led to seven more surgeries.

"I was in pain, and I'm still in pain," she tells People.

Johnston, 42, pleaded not guilty at her arraignment in Palmer, Alaska.

"I have been trying for years to deal with the pain," the mother of Bristol Palin's baby daddy Levi Johnston says. "I still have a medical pump inside me. I would rather not comment any more but it's not everything that they're saying."

Sherry Johnston said she has been under a doctor's care and that she was prescribed OxyContin as a painkiller. Still, the hysterectomy and the subsequent
complications forced her to give up her career as a hairstylist."

Anonymous said...

... going all the way back to Regina's information and comments by ValleyKW @ 04.21 & 06.47:

Rupert Murdoch=Global Puppetmaster.

There will be more interesting developments in the future.
Alex, I agree, this has to be done in such a way that what is revealed needs to be drawn from SP's own words.
It will happen, it must happen!

Anonymous said...

Knowing she was biologically related to Trig would have given Sarah the confidence in the first place to even contemplate lying about being his mother. And if he was born earlier than she claims, maybe she was able to actually see if he bore enough of a family resemblance (to her own children when they were infants, particularly). She took a look at him and decided she could get away with it, no problem. She may even have waited the month or so to see better what he was going to look like, since all newborns are a little squishy and wrinkled. The Palins could easily have staged those photo ops and that press event at the hospital about one month after he was born, perhaps when Trig was officially discharged. If he had needed neo-natal care as a DS baby, possibly premature, they had enough time to get their stories straight. Trig definitely looks like a member of that family, you can't convince me otherwise. This wasn't some random adoption. Are there no statements on record by other hospital staff? If not, those folks are sure scared of the Palins. Bottom line, I believe that Piper and Willow are probably Trig's aunts, not his sisters. And they honestly do love him, which can only be a good thing for that little fellow.

sandra said...

I agree with Alex that the motivation for the pseudo pregnancy was not to cover for an unmarried pregnant daughter, but for a therapeutic abortion. In this case, it was not her own but her daughter's. Because the daughter was a minor, the mother would be responsible for the decision.

Anonymous said...

No need for capital letters. Relax. Ok then. But he still could be Track's son. Or Levi's.

basheert said...

anon@18:14:
"hiding behind HIPAA"?

It covers "EMPLOYEES" and is not selective. The first violation is >$25K and can be much more. Physicians are bound by patient confidentiality, HIPAA covers the rest.

I've said it before and I will say it again, hospital personnel is a dead end. It's not going to come from there. No matter how much we wish - and hope someone will blab, I don't believe that will happen.

HIPAA has people locked up tight. It will come from someone who knows what happened, a friend, an ex friend, someone with a grudge or just one of the many who detest her and her stupid lies and fantasy thinking.

But NOT from medical personnel. It's a waste of time to even try that approach.

Anonymous said...

... and another thought:
Has anyone addressed whether the heart defect and flying are really compatible or whether the changes in altitude/cabin air pressure are putting additional strain upon an already compromised system?
The images of this baby in inadequate clothing are troubling but expected after all this time of obvious carelessness... (fill in a stronger word of your choice.

Anonymous said...

I assume there is documented proof that Sherri Johnston actually had a hysterectomy, in addition to her just saying it. Of course there is no way to confirm this except to go on her word, however. I have sympathy for that woman, btw. She seems terrified of the Palins. As for the HIPA laws, people break rules and laws all the time, if they are motivated enough. I completely respect the need for these laws, I have worked in a medical setting. But, that being said, nothing is truly stopping someone who has honestly had enough of all of this from taking the very risky steps of getting documentation of some kind - even a crumb of a lead, if it still exists - into snail mail, or something, to one of these blog authors. Anonymously, of course. Yes, it would be absolutely heroic, law-breaking notwithstanding.

Anonymous said...

It isn't difficult for "grandparents" to go to a hospital, hang out, then be photographed holding a baby. It's just as easy for the rest of the gang to show-up at the hospital, and, if you're governor, to get a TV station to cover the "story."

I agree that we must doubt everything that Palin and hers say and do; otherwise, we run the risk of constructing a false, alternative story based on one of her lies. I doubt that Bristol was pregnant at the convention. It's like being a police detective: doubt, look for inconsistencies in the suspect's statements and hammer them on those, wash, rinse & repeat.

Anonymous said...

Anyone else intrigued by Andrew Sullivan's last 3 Quotes For The Day?

I think they relate to the Palin story he is trying to get out.

The latest one is:
"To see what is in front of our nose needs a constant struggle," - George Orwell.

Anonymous said...

Am I thrilled that Mrs. Palin representing the United States is again the international laughingstock? No.
At a minimum, it's embarrasing. As much as it may be necessary to reveal her ridiculousness, it does not make me proud.

"...Billy Graham might be a pawn in Sarah's game?" Heck no! Sarah is the pawn in Graham's game. That's how this all started for Sarah in the first place. She represents the strategy and money of a well-placed group of NeoConservative Christian organizations. Read up on that, folks, because that's the real agenda.

Prayer warriors are much more than just people praying for others.
"Prayer warriors are people who are known for regularly interceding on behalf of others before God. To intercede means to come between, so prayer warriors are, in effect, coming between God and the trouble in another person's life.
Prayer warriors are like defense attorneys, appealing to the Higher Court on behalf of their defendants."

They firmly believe that special people have the ability to act on your behalf with God. They also believe that each of us independently cannot access God without them.

Should journalists make statements that they "know for a FACT", unequivocably, that Mrs. Palin was not pregnant with that child? Not unless they really DO know that for a fact, and have documentable proof.

I respect and admire the investigative commitment of certain bloggers. I can appreciate that they may each have compelling information that for whatever reason cannot be disclosed, that convinces them individually that Mrs. Palin was not pregnant.
Until such a time that this stuff can be made public, it's speculation.

RNP in CA said...

One more comment re: the Wild Ride. The only thing that made it wild was Chuck Heath's statement to a reporter that Sarah's water had broken before she left Texas. If he hadn't said that, there's no reason for her to claim to have gone into labor before she got home to Alaska. She lied to her parents and didn't expect her dad to blab to the press. That's what started this whole thing. Otherwise, if she had come home from the energy conference and announced Trig's birth the next morning, no one would have ever been the wiser about this story.

Anonymous said...

No, I don't think their is any documentation to show that Sherry had a hysterectomy. Just her word.

I do think that our main concern should not be who is Trig's mother but that Scarah Palin is not.

Anonymous said...

@Rationalist 23 November 2009 19:16

S'error DID need to give a reason for bugging out of the energy conference _early_. Remember she was to attend some fancy shindig that night. It would have required an evening gown and noticeable baby bump. Palin did not have the requisite bump!

S'error also had another reason to lie. Although rational people see the wild ride as an unforgiveable endangerment of a medically vunerable infant, S'error (and her ilk) think it is the embodiment of the TOUGH frontier woman persona.

Anonymous said...

Yep, so much of what she does seems impulsive, as if she is reacting to behind-the-scenes circumstances. But she tries to make all of us think that her behavior and choices are the most natural and reasonable in the world. I think the truth, in the background of her real life, is that she and her family and her associates are in the middle of chaos much of the time. And it's chaos that's out of her control, like relatives getting pregnant, etc. She tries her darndest to keep on top of everything, though, doesn't she?

RNP in CA said...

Anon at 19:16 -

Right - I agree that she had plenty of reasons to lie. But she didn't publicly lie about the amniotic fluid until she was forced to.

Remember, in her press conference on April 22nd, she said she was experiencing little more than Braxton-Hicks contractions. Then a reporter said her father had told them Palin's water had broken, so Palin had to go along with it. That's what made the ride home wild.

I'll never understand why she didn't just say, "oh, my dad must have been confused about that. My water didn't break." She would have saved herself a year of Trig Truthing if she'd done that.

Anonymous said...

Rationalist @19:30 says......

"I'll never understand why she didn't just say, "oh, my dad must have been confused about that. My water didn't break." She would have saved herself a year of Trig Truthing if she'd done that."

Rationalist you are spot on. It's because she is a liar and liars can't keep their stories straight.

ella said...

What is up with those prayer warriors? Do they not have any faith in God's plan?
I admit I have not been to a "Christian" church in years, but I was always taught that THIS was the ONLY acceptable prayer:

"God, I pray that YOUR will, NOT MY will, be done. Amen."

BTW, Scarah IS involved in this group of prayer warriors:
“There was a twenty-four year old woman that God began to speak to about entering into politics. She became a part of our prayer group out in Wasilla. Years later, became the mayor of Wasilla. And last year was elected Governor of the state of Alaska. Yes! Hallelujah! At her inauguration she dedicated the state to Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!”

"The good news spread through New Apostolic Reformation networks:
“Sarah Palin er bønnegriger og pinsevenn!” wrote Pastor Jan-Aage Torp excitedly in a September 6, 2008 post on his blog: “Palin is a Prayer Warrior and Pentecostal”.

"On June 13, 2008 Mary Glazier told attendees at the “Opening the Gate of Heaven on Earth” conference, who represented many of the New Apostolic Reformation’s top leaders, that she had been present at the inception of Sarah Palin’s political career and that Palin was in her personal prayer group."

http://allisonkilkenny.wordpress.com/2008/10/09/palin-in-my-prayer-group-says-spiritual-warfare-leader/

Sorry for being O/T - but this is the most frightening thing that exists re Sarah Heath Palin.

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 5:07 here -- just to let you know, the comment I wrote to Andrew S. (and posted here earlier) never got posted by the Times. I resubmitted it a couple of hours ago - and again, nothing.

I got the confirmation message after posting both times, so I don't think it was a tech problem. What I wrote was really not much different than things expressed in many of the other comments, so this doesn't make any sense. I also think it's strange that there are only 26 comments so far on this article, and it's already Monday evening in London. I would think that almost that many people from PG have said they submitted something.

Anyone else think there's something odd about this? I'm curious if Patrick has a count of how many people on here said they submitted comments.

Anonymous said...

Fyi, the Sullivan article was also in The Australian, Australia's biggest-selling newspaper(though not the most reputable)and also Murdoch-owned.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/saint-sarah-republican-saviour/story-e6frg6zo-1225801815862

Anonymous said...

This is fraud. Somehow there needs to be dispositions. Until it is speculation.

Anonymous said...

ella,
It is the most frightening.

They also protect her from criminal prosecution.

Anonymous said...

@basheert - I mean hiding behind HIPAA in the context that the truth of the hospital stay is being silenced because of the rules so the truth loses. In the meantime Palin is out there spreading her lies and those that know the truth are kept silent. I in no way mean any disrespect to those that have to follow the rules and I do have alot of respect for the medical profession but I am friends with some people that work at the local hospital and sometimes things are said when we are just sitting around, enjoying a drink. Talk just happens and then it is forgotten. If it wasn't for Palin's high profile 99% of the talk would just be forgotten but through her lies Palin has brought the focus of T1's arrival very front and center. Beyond the family, why hasn't someone from her office at the time said that they delivered the work papers to her in the hospital? It is not just the medical people that delt with her at that time. Like in so many of Palin's situations - various "gates", lots of people always seem to be around her and involved but no one comes forward, whether it is to support her or not.

Anonymous said...

HIPPA does not protect criminals.
Once there is something to open up the hoax and it is seen as fraud it will be a game changer.

Anonymous said...

She is close to Carl Gatto, he may have gone to hospital? It was an eye glass Bill she was to have signed. How ironic for Trig.

Anonymous said...

Rationalist and anon:

We've seen her interviews, she's not that quick-witted on her feet -- she couldn't think fast enough to simply say her dad misunderstood so she just continued to spin and spin and spin.

Anonymous said...

Leadfoot: interesting point, well made. It was the best plan.

ella said...

anon@20:02 - my comment took over 3 hours (to appear) last evening. I suspect that yours will appear (and more comments will be released at same time). Like most sites that monitor the comments, they do not sit there and monitor each one as they come in.

Anonymous said...

doesn't anyone know someone at ADN or the local TV station that scrubbed all the photos and video?

People had to do this manually. Someone or a few people know about this.

Anonymous said...

Oh midnight cajun, you are so cute. Miss Wasilla doesn't lie. She had no problems with the pregnancies, obviously she wasn't talking about the pregnancies that didn't end up working out.

sheesh

(good catch!)

Anonymous said...

I think Trig looks like Levi, but that was in the only full on face shot I saw, and I immediately saw Levi in my mind. I was NOT trying to figure out if he looks like anyone, but that is what came to me.

and except for coloring it can be difficult to see who he looks like with his DS features because they are pronounced.

Anonymous said...

"...doesn't anyone know someone at ADN or the local TV station that scrubbed all the photos and video?"

Not likely anyone would volunteer or answer without disposition or legal inquiry. How to take it to that level?

Patrick said...

New post up!

Anonymous said...

I of course don't have the book in front of me (and I have no intention of buying it), but just from excerpts I've seen here I'm not clear about something: When does she she talk about THINKING about having an abortion--was that when she had just DISCOVERED that she was pregnant (I think it was in New Orleans), or was it AFTER she found out (through amnio) that she would be having a DS baby? Because if she had no idea she was having a DS baby, and she is supposedly so rabidly PRO-LIFE, whatever reason could she have for even considering aborting it? Makes no sense.

Anonymous said...

This is off topic, but it seems to me that McCain campaign reps broke the law by seizing/scrubbing the Johnstons' computer files--and even, as I recall, going so far as to remove photos from their refrigerator door. If this was not illegal, it was at least an invasion of privacy. Does anyone know whether the Johnstons/Rex Butler have taken action such as filing a complaint or a lawsuit? (Possibly I've missed previous threads on Palingates pertaining to this matter.)

Amy1 said...

ella: you are not OT at all; in fact, you are right on.

So many great posts this morning. Several are about someone with HIPAA-protected info perhaps going public: someone like Dar (the former NICU nurse, undoubtedly well-connected with that community), who died in her house-fire, which was said to have started from a cigarette, in a state where no-burn cigarettes are the law, and in any case it is not clear Dar even smoked. Hmmmmm?

The irony of the arson of the church records room: it doesn't matter whether Trig was adopted! As someone already said, above, what matters is the SP was not pregnant with him.

Haven't we all wondered what set of events initiated the hoax idea in SP's wacky brain? That, too, doesn't matter. Interesting, for sure. It will evenually come out, for sure. But all that matters is that SP was not pregnant with Trig, easily confirmable by the photos and by any future DNA test. Undoubtedly, some decent reporter will put together the DNA samples of SP and Trig and do an informal test for $100 and publish it. Or at least I hope there is that much initiative left among our reporters du jour.

Anonymous said...

It can't be that hard to get DNA if you are on a SP team and close to Trig. What happened to journalists who aren't afraid of infiltrating? Once a hoax is established it is a new game.

mel said...

Can't HIPPA be breached if there's clear evidence of fraud? It seems to me that someone on the medical side with eye-witness or other evidence of SP's deception could talk to a lawyer or the state medical board. First describe the situation, not the people involved. Seek advice. If there's enough cause for suspicion, the case for investigating files could be made legally...?

Anonymous said...

Scarah can give DNA from something she touches.

Yes, you can indict a ham sandwich. A dedicated attorney versed in medicine would find a way to do what is necessary.

Our prisons are filled for life with people who were prosecuted on witnesses and little else.

It takes someone knowledgeable to really care about the fraud committed.

They see the crime, how to collect witnesses and evidence?

CBJ is also someone who could be indicted. The Pat at ADN.

Perhaps start with AMA, medical boards. Public safety. Child abuse.

Anonymous said...

Never will anyone sue Sarah. She is untouchable.

Whiners.

Anonymous said...

I find it incredibly suspicious that her 5 week preemie Down's Syndrome hole in the heart baby was allowed to go straight home. And that he weighed 6 pounds 7 oz or whatever it was. Down's Syndrome babies have a lower than average birth weight, so coupled with being 5 weeks preemie he is quite big.
Anyway a friend of mine had a 8 weeks preemie baby who is otherwise perfectly healthy, and weighs over 4 pounds, and he still has to stay in NICU for 8 weeks until he is full term size. He is on oxygen and has to wear tin foil on his little head(no he is not a crazy conspiracist!). He also has UV sessions where he wears these little special goggles. I don't see how Sarah managed to take a healthy looking Trig home the same day with all these problems. Wouldn't her governor's health insurance cover a longer stay? Don't healthy 40 week babies still get 3 days in hospital? Anyway I found a message board of mother's talking about their(non-Down's non-hole in the heart) preemie babies and NICU:
http://www.shareyourstory.org/webx/.ef4dbfe

Mothers of preemie babies, speak up! Was anyone allowed to leave the hospital the same day??

Another interesting preemie article:
http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/medical_care/preemie_home.html#

Interesting that preemie babies can't go home until they can feed on their own without needing tube feeding. Feeding is a known issue for Down's syndrome babies! Are we expected to believe 5 week preemie Trig just latched on immediately, wow Sarah really is Wonder Mom!
http://breastfeeding.about.com/od/babyhealthissues/a/downsyndrome.htm

A blog by a mother of a new baby with Down's Syndrome. Her baby spent 4 months in NICU. Not sure if she was premature or not. Maybe someone should email the blog about Sarah's amazing experience with a Down's baby, flying 8 months pregnant with amniotic fluid leaking, giving birth to a 5 week preemie with Down's and heart problems and going home the same day!

http://downsyndromenewmama.blogspot.com/search/label/NICU

comeonpeople said...

Basheert and Mel;
There are situations in which HIPPA can be bypassed. I posted them a few times on a few blogs. I think this situation would qualify for a HIPPA bypass for one or more of the allowances.

A covered entity is permitted, but not required, to
use and disclose protected health information, without an individual’s authorization,
for the following purposes or situations: (1) To the Individual (unless required for
access or accounting of disclosures); (2) Treatment, Payment, and Health Care
Operations; (3) Opportunity to Agree or Object; (4) Incident to an otherwise
permitted use and disclosure; (5) Public Interest and Benefit Activities; and
Covered entities may rely on professional ethics and best judgments in
deciding which of these permissive uses and disclosures to make.
5) Public Interest and Benefit Activities. The Privacy Rule permits use and
disclosure of protected health information, without an individual’s authorization or
permission, for 12 national priority purposes. These disclosures are permitted,
although not required, by the Rule in recognition of the important uses made of health
information outside of the health care context. Specific conditions or limitations
apply to each public interest purpose, striking the balance between the individual
privacy interest and the public interest need for this information.
Required by Law. Covered entities may use and disclose protected health
information without individual authorization as required by law health
information to: (1) public health authorities authorized by law to collect or
receive such information for preventing or controlling disease, injury, or
disability and to public health or other government authorities authorized to
receive reports of child abuse and neglect;
Serious Threat to Health or Safety. Covered entities may disclose protected
health information that they believe is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious
and imminent threat to a person or the public, when such disclosure is made
to someone they believe can prevent or lessen the threat (including the target
of the threat). Covered entities may also disclose to law enforcement if the
information is needed to identify or apprehend an escapee or violent
criminal.40
Essential Government Functions. An authorization is not required to use or
disclose protected health information for certain essential government
functions. Such functions include: assuring proper execution of a military
mission, conducting intelligence and national security activities that are
authorized by law, providing protective services to the President, making
medical suitability determinations for U.S. State Department employees,
protecting the health and safety of inmates or employees in a correctional
institution, and determining eligibility for or conducting enrollment in certain
government benefit programs.

covered entity may use or disclose, without an individual’s authorization,
the psychotherapy notes, for its own training, and to defend itself in legal
proceedings brought by the individual, for HHS to investigate or determine
the covered entity’s compliance with the Privacy Rules, to avert a serious and
imminent threat to public health or safety, to a health oversight agency for
lawful oversight of the originator of the psychotherapy notes, for the lawful
activities of a coroner or medical examiner or as required by law.

Sarah's situation would fit in a few of these instances I'd think.
If Trig or any part of his healthcare was/is paid for by a government program, it could be investigated.
It can be argued she is a threat to the country and the president with the hate she incites. That's a national security threat that some clever lawyer could do something with . Her psych records should be disclosed as a national security concern.
I think with enough time, money and interest a good lawyer could make A hipaa bypass of her reocrds happen.

Anonymous said...

I just looked at the Times blog and the comments are excellent. Very clear, well-stated and persuasive. Good job to all! And thanks to everyone for continuing to put the pieces together -- the quote "I've never had problems with my other pregnancies, so I was shocked" certainly does not mesh very well with the new, sad tale of two miscarriages, as anyone in their right mind would be able to see. But all of Sarah's strange behavior starts to make a lot more sense if we are talking about one or more abortions. Yes, a lot more sense. Psychological projection is so fascinating, albeit so pathological.

Anonymous said...

02:27

She has no business on a military base where her entourage insults the Commander in Chief. She is asking for profiling and it is all trouble and she will increase threats again.

Anonymous said...

OK, lets cover the HIPAA stuff again..... For those of you that want the medical people to "just spill it", I'd like to see you risk significant fines and jail time to do that. Its every patient's right as a citizen (even Sarah) and you should consider yourself lucky that your sensitive medical information has these protections.

Ironically, the stimulus bill signed earlier this year includes STRONGER protections and fines/jail time for INDIVIDUALS that ultimately help SP.

Protected health information can only be disclosed with the patient's authorization (unless part of typical billing & operations or if a criminal/public health/security concern that mandates disclosure TO AUTHORITIES (not publically).

Let's face it, as much as SP as Prez would be a national disaster I don't think that flies as reason for disclosure of the medical information. That's our wishful thinking.

However, having said all that --the remarks here about disclosure for a FRAUD investigation (read criminal) could work. For example, if she did not deliver Trig or legally adopt him and then claiming him on her health insurance......

Jula

Anonymous said...

If a person ran for office on their military service but they were not in the military (lack of vetting, forged record & cover up caused glitch)that would be fraud. It would not necessarily mean no fraud investigation because everyone believes the hype. One good witness or a handful could get things started. A non medical or a medical person can report a crime. It is not about telling what you know to reporters or blogs. You can announce something is in the works without violating HIPPA or anything else. Media or blog can help and have the exclusive to story. Witnesses need protection and support. Some want the public to know there is an investigation b/c it is less likely they would be harmed if it is known.

An attorney spoke out today about Brad Hanson. Levi has put himself at the forefront. There can be more. If Dr. Johnson is brought up to investigators she will do time for the Palins or make a deal?

If there is shady adoption or church hospital involvement it could get very complex.

Keep the focus going and more will come out.

Anonymous said...

ella --

I realize that comments are not monitored and released one by one, but it's been over 24 hrs since I sent my first one, and around 12 hrs for the second one. Other posts have later time stamps than mine, and again, STILL ONLY 26 COMMENTS for this article?? If that's really the case, then we are just talking to ourselves here. (It's Tues morn and this was a Sunday column.)

And why are there not more posts from Sarah's supporters? It almost looks like someone at the paper would like to give the impression that only a handful of "nutjobs" out there (us) are even interested in discussing this topic. I wonder if Andrew S. is privy to all the comments submitted to the paper. I find the whole thing very odd.

Archivist said...

I was just watching video on Gryphen's site of an interview that Palin; Trig is on her lap bouncing around, then at one point she puts him on the seat next to her ...

WHY IS THAT CHILD NOT IN A CAR SEAT??? Even if the rules are different on buses, she should WANT him securely in a proper car seat!!!!

More Neglect??

AND .. this isn't the first time; she was cautionned once in Alaska about riding around with him on her lap in a car.

Nobody else mentionned this, but it's a really big deal!!!

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/8/84542/02720

Anonymous said...

anon @ 8.10

Thanks for your observation

I'll ask P to write later to Andrew Sullivan about the comments at The Times. It is curious that no more comments have appeared despite the fact that people are still writing.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Kathleen. I thought of emailing AS myself, but this way maybe we'll hear back.

I posted about this earlier (Anon 5:07 and 20:02) and I can't see why my comments would not have passed moderation over there, since what I wrote has basically been said by others.

I'm also curious about how many comments Patrick gathered just from PG. I'll bet it's a good share of the 26 that were published.

Amy1 said...

Archivist: It's okay that they are not wearing seatbelts and Trig is not in a carseat because THE BUS IS NOT MOVING. We think it is moving only because we see the scenery moving past the window, in a fake simulation.

OR

The bus is moving and yes she shows reckless behavior via no seat belts or car seat.

It's just another version of the wild ride OR the hoax. The compulsion to repeat, as the shrinks say.