Tuesday 19 October 2010

Palingates Weekly Roundup - October 11 to October 17


By Blueberry Tart


Another day, another Sarah Palin lie. This time, she claimed that she and the family decided to be “practical,” so she said they loaded the kids into a motorhome and drove from Alaska to LA to attend Bristol’s DWTS performance. The only problem with the story (okay, not the ONLY one) is that Sarah was in AK on 9/24 and in LA on 9/26. And, since the trip she claims to have made is more than 3300 miles that would be about 65+ hours non-stop driving time, plus stops for food, gas, border crossings (oops, where DID we put Trig’s passport/bc?), breaks, changing drivers, Taco Bell pit stops, dodging moose, traffic, weather, etc. Minimum 3 days even with round-the-clock driving in a regular vehicle, let alone a motorhome over (many) mountainous, curvy miles. Didn’t happen. But, for those who believe anything that Palin says, Palingates also has an eyewitness report from a gentleman who sat across from Palin on a flight from Portland, OR to LAX on September 26th. (“Rats, another pesky eyewitness! Todd, I thought I told you to stare them down and shut them up!”) Added bonus: we now know that she enjoys 34 proof Baileys as a morning beverage – two before 9 a.m! Hmm, this may explain the slurring. Another bonus: See for yourself why C4P is in the lead as “worst blog of all time.”


Looks like Sarah was hitting the Baileys again, in preparation for her San Diego speech for “Combat Veterans for Truth.” Here she claims to speak for the “little guy” and that the Tea Party speaks for the little guy too. The ruling class is not listening…misinterprets the Constitution…enough is enough…the mama grizzlies are growlin’, risin’ up on our hind legs…exceptional nation…the little guys are rising up…pulling off great upsets… Her voice, combined with the photos showing her strange expressions, lend support to the idea that she is “coming unglued.” Maybe Joe McG’s book should be titled, “The demagogue next door.” H/T and sympathies to Chakalipankhi for suffering through transcribing it.


In this post, I looked more closely at the roles Mat-Su Regional Health Center and Dr. Cathy Baldwin-Johnson played in the Palin birth hoax. Long story short: if the myth were true, then both Mat-Su and CBJ practiced medicine beyond what they are certified to do. This is not credible. Their malpractice insurers would not allow them to carry out a high-profile birth with 7 high-risk factors. Since her story is that she had to be induced, birth was not imminent and transporting Palin to Anchorage was feasible. Bottom line: it didn’t happen. I understand why no one is sticking their neck out to tell the truth and risk Palin’s notorious vengeance, but the true story will be public knowledge at some point, and then Mat-Su, CBJ and any other medical personnel who were involved in the hoax will rightfully have their reputations tarnished. They deserve it. Patrick concludes the post with a report from Mat-Su on its policy for deliveries of premature and high-risk infants. Conclusion: Palin’s birth myth would have represented a breach of Mat-Su’s own policies, ergo, Palin did not give birth to Trig at Mat-Su (or anywhere else, for that matter).


WheresMyJammies shares her wonderful day at the White House, joining her daughter and other students and educators at a summit on community colleges. Her first-person account of the work being done by the Obama Administration and its partners to promote community college education brings a smile to all of us reading it. She took wonderful photos, too! As WMJ commented later: “It was just what we all wish for - an uplifting day filled with normal, calm, smart people caring about each other and working hard to obtain the best for each other. I just felt I had to write this to share with you.” Judging from the other comments, we all needed this respite from the crazy lady, to be uplifted by such a positive experience, showing what our leaders are trying to do to improve the lives of the American people. The comments are full of inspiring stories from Palingaters of wonderful experiences at community colleges.


Patrick spotlights the influence of David and Charles Koch, the multi-billionaire heads of Koch Industries. The Koch Brothers formed Americans For Prosperity to fund right-wing groups and oppose regulation of their energy and other industrial activities. The post highlights the excellent article by Jane Mayer, published in the New Yorker, as well as work by the Charles Lewis and the Center for Public Integrity to expose the Koch Brothers’ growing influence over American laws, policies, regulations and enforcement of same. Most recently, the brothers have put over $100 million (probably much more) into funding the Tea Party movement which, although it may appear to be “grassroots,” derives its funding and influence from the Koch Brothers. Of course, the prosperity they aim to “restore,” or ensure, is their own, not that of the American people. The post includes a trailer for the documentary (Astro)Turf Wars by Taki Oldham, which shows how the Tea Party is a front for the secretive manipulation by the Koch Brothers and their allies.

The post closes with Patrick’s short clip of Sarah Palin exploiting Pat Tillman’s death and snidely criticizing Michelle Obama.

If you like what you are reading and haven’t already voted for Palingates for “best political blog,” please do so here: Blogger Choice Awards


COMMENTS OF THE WEEK

Leota2 quoting a friend: “Why is that crazy woman lying to those people about some baby? She's got the body language of a vegan explaining why they got caught with a rib roast in their mouth."
Dsmyre: What kind of idiot keeps emphasizing how secretive and deceitful they have been? You don't build voter trust by describing how you're a world-class liar.

Later: If Sarah took a 3-day roadtrip she would have been Tweeting all the way there and back.

Ella: She reminds me of a little girl with chocolate all over her face, swearing that she did NOT eat the cake that is missing. If she says it over and over again, parents will believe it is true.
Trouble is, NO ONE with an IQ over 50 believes it - what a GOOF! Send her to her room.

Nycgirl: I just can't get the vision out of my head, Toad driving the RV down palm tree lined boulevards with S'carah in her rocking chair on the roof. Willow sitting next to her playing the banjo. Piper learning how to whittle. Ah, good times.

Redwood Palinizer: …She is creating this unbelievable narrative of her life and filling it so chock full of whoppers just to keep herself in the news…

McNett: Some days I wake up and wonder what has happened to sanity in this country. Palin has unleashed something horrid in the land. The bevy of despicable, racist, homophobic, unqualified, outlandish, and dangerous candidates out there is unprecedented…I can't wait for the October marches to restore sanity…

Mxm: There is always some reason behind her lies. The Karen Handel in debt story broke on Thurs, Oct 7th. Handel's campaign spent nearly $100K to bring the Palins to Atl for her endorsement gig. Fri, Oct 8th, Palin does the aw shucks, we took the RV to Beverly Hills, we didn't know any better. Obvious why she told that big old whopper.

Ivyfree: …once again, she's committed an obvious, a stupid lie, that serves no purpose except in her own twisted mind.

Kyra: …pathological liars get a rush…or some other gratification from lying. To continue telling the story without changes would remove the gain, plus, what a coup to pull something over on people! Sometimes there is a gain (ie making herself look better, better mom, etc.) but the root goal is the lie, not the gain - the gain is secondary. Confusing, but the difference between pathological and compulsive liars.

Guest: …two drinks before breakfast is a definite sign.

Barb correctly noted that Trig would require a ticket for his own seat, since he is over 2: “Children are no longer considered infants on the day of their 2nd birthday. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires all children who have reached their 2nd birthday to occupy a seat on an aircraft by purchasing a ticket.”

BlueDogAK: What gives me real pleasure is that I suspect Bristol is completely over the DWTS experience. It's too hard; everyone in the world comments on your weight, looks, and general worthiness; that belly is on national display; and wow, how much work does a girl have to do to earn some moolah, anyway? [Several folks noted the irony of C4P votes keeping her on the show.]

Wanda: Bristol dances like a feather...attached to a turkey

Linda Arizona: …This is one of the best defining characteristics of a sociopath. They tell an unnecessary lie, or do something really unusual, and the observer remarks incredulously, "But, who would do such a thing?!"

Anona: Reading the bot comments in the update is chilling. If Sarah says 2+2=5, then that becomes their reality, and anyone who disagrees is their enemy. This is worship of an infallible God, not support for a politician.

Disqusux found this: Dan C: The judges are liberals and do not want to see her get far. It is obvious to me now.

Mrsgunka: …She reminds me of coyote in the Road Runner.... everything she does seems to backfire and you know she's heading for that cliff! And we all sit here waiting for her to go over the edge.

Wayofpeace had a good post on identifying a pathological liar (late Mon/early Tue)

465janedoeseeker: IMO, this woman has made a mockery of womanhood, of childbirth, of parental role modeling, of Biblical values, of former Republican values, of public service, of acceptable public behavior by adults, and of civil discourse, to name only a few.

AKRNC: …The word coming from those behind the scenes is that she is "uncontrollable, irrational, far too polarizing, just to name a few" but the most interesting thing I heard which wasn't too surprising is that she has pissed off far too many people who are NECESSARY for her to have their support if she wants to obtain the nomination.

FormerRepublican: Whoa, this speech is crazy. She is talking a mile a minute, cranking out all her catch phrases and buzz words, but with very little coherency. It's like a Chatty Cathy doll gone haywire.

Annettek: So what's all this about Granny getting boo'd at a Repud do? Are you all on this?

Mrsgunka and many other Gaters welcomed Louie back: Oh, Louie! So good to have you back! See what happened when you weren't here to help her!!!??? Lord knows, we have tried to keep her on the straight and narrow, but we just don't have your soothing touch.

Soapydog and austintxx debated whether Palin is a troll or a trollop…or maybe both.

Muldoon: Some years ago, I attended a seminar on law enforcement interrogation techniques, and was surprised to learn that when a suspect is concocting a story, s/he will often freely provide too much detail (not, as one would think, too little) in an attempt to give their fabrication a greater ring of truth. With this in mind, I revisited the initial accounts of Sarah's Wild Ride, trying to figure out why Chuck Heath and the Palins felt it necessary to mention ruptured membranes and contractions at all, seeing's it was an entirely private matter and nobody's business at that point.

Guest: So Bristol...why is it that while filming in Afognak, the Discovery crew had to use a stunt double to do the closeup hand shots....your mom did not know how to operate the rod and reel. What say you?

LouieCypher: Hey Sarah, sorry to write again, but me being away an all we need some quality time...Now your friends over at palingates relayed me some very disturbing news about a little drinkypoo issue, Baily's in the AM geez I hope "pixie dust" wasn't involved (wink wink). Maybe it's time for an intervention and a 12 step program… your speeches are getting so tired they're wearing PJ's just saying we can work on that another day.Bottoms up –Louie [Yay—Louie’s back! Read the whole post if you can]

Lilly-lily: Toad and Sarah hugging? There is no love, only collusion.

Ivyfree thinks Sarah’s new claim that Trig was born in Anchorage may be because Mat-Su is under scrutiny: If she HAD given birth at Mat-Su, in violation of their policies and procedures, then they're facing repercussions from those agencies that inspect and regulate hospitals. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations…Maybe they started asking questions. When JCAHO comes, the whole hospital system goes on red alert. They've gone to "regulatory readiness" which means that they no longer announce when they're coming…”Code Inspection," they announce, and all administrators clear their schedule for the day and anybody with a free moment frantically tidies and organizes.

Sunnyjane and others noted how the CBJ letter is deliberately ambiguous.

SueLu814: …I wonder how the Tillman family would feel about her politicizing their son, after they were so mistreated by the military under the Bush Administration. Sarah has not an ounce of shame or dignity. She truly is vile.

465janedoeseeker (on WMJ’s guest post): This is a great post. It describes…the vast gulf that separates people of good will …and the people of division and negativity…

CR46 had an inspiring comment: To those that don't know me, I would like to add to the importance of education by telling you about my tribe. I am a proud member of the Fond Du Lac Tribe of Ojibwe. Not so long ago my tribe was one of the poorest in Minnesota. When we were able to open a casino… there were decisions that needed to be made on where to invest our profits. We invested in ourselves--we built and opened a 4 yr college. People said it couldn't be done, people literally laughed at the board picked to look into this. Laughing didn't stop us, we built it. Our college has been open for almost 2 decades and we have seen a remarkable difference for our tribal members and for others in the community. Education is free to tribal members, but the college is open to all ( and slightly cheaper than the state college 25 miles away). We have seen what this has done for our small tribe, it has literally lifted our poorest members out of poverty. We have an educated youth, we have an educated group of non-traditional students( older ones)… do we want a strong middle class? do we want a bright future? do we want our children to succeed in life? do we want to end poverty? I think we all can agree that the answer is yes and that education is the key!!
Little Rabbit, Proud member of the Fond Du Lac tribe of Ojibwe

GrannyJ had a great comment Saturday afternoon, on her experience as an educator in Quebec.

Silver_desert: Thanks for sharing such a wonderful experience, WheresMyJammies. And congratulations to both you and your lovely daughter who are the ones that the media should be putting the spotlight on, not the mother and daughter team from Alaska who get so much press for no positive accomplishments at all.

Marvinmm nailed Sarah’s boilerplate speech: Thank you for the warm welcome .... do you love your freedom? .... go all mega-patriotic about the troops ... ask people in audience who have served to stand up so we can salute you .... reference local sports team .... tell Bristol story DWTS including "I can't dance, and I'm not a star, OK I'll go on DWTS" ... tell Piper story of telling Bristol to write dance moves on her hand ... make a jab at…democratic politicians/candidates ....

Lilybart: The teabaggers are not raging against the "elites" they are being bankrolled by them!


LINKS OF THE WEEK

Ella: Here is a pro-life site that rates Palin VERY negatively. It is well researched, and shoots down her pro-life credentials. She is NOT fooling everyone in the anti-abortion movement.

Jack Slater linked to Pat Tillman documentary

Cheeriogirl linked to very funny WaPo on Bristol

Sunnyjane linked to bluevirginia: Corporate Tea: Who's Who: This is not a tea party - it's a corporate riot

PAC that tries to elect right-wing veterans


Thomas Jefferson’s support for public education


Condi Rice defending Obama Administration

LouieCypher linked to a petition asking businesses to shut off Faux News

Psalm73 linked to an excellent survey on narcissistic mothers and had an excellent find on subsidies for special needs adoptions in AK

Many readers pointed out the unflattering photo of Palin on the cover of Bloombergs Businessweek.

Regina started a foodie blog! (Note by Regina: Thanks for the mention!)

ProChoicegrandma Sarah’s Mama Grizzlies or Scare the Vote

Myrtille linked to Sullivan on the motor-home lie

CaliGirl22 linked to IM on Joe Miller

frekls and ella linked to Maureen Dowd on Republican mean girls

Austintxx linked to article on campaign funding by Koch Bros


TWEETS OF THE WEEK

ProChoiceGrandma:

@SarahPalinUSA still makin’ things up, getting caught in her lies! Dammit, where is MSM?? http://tinyurl.com/2anqjur#teaparty #p2

Time to turn up the heat on @SarahPalinUSA's Mat-Su hospital and Dr. CBJ for violating policy? @spj_tweets http://tinyurl.com/254usfl

@SarahPalinUSA, you can quit the whiskey now, louiecyper is back on @Palingates 2 give U good counseling.http://tinyurl.com/254usfl

Rolliningraves: @sarahpalinusa - QUIT MAKING THINGS UP! http://palingates.blogspot.com/2010/10/sarah-palin-caught-red-handed-road-trip.html

Kasha Knish: @SarahPalinUS -1 proven fact - $arah enjoys her BAILEY'S while flying & NOT driving during imaginary family road trip!http://bit.ly/bB2mnD

Dsmyre: Bristol Palin pole dance on live TV DWTS! Hypocrisy & cash over abstinence & modesty! @SarahPalinUSA http://tinyurl.com/2g2yqwq

Igetit2: OMG! If I did the Twitter thing I would just send "Palin Family values in action, demonstrated by Bristol." with the link to the gif.

Sunnyjane has found her medium:

@sarahpalinusa: Tell us again where Trig was born: Palmer? Anchorage? Ya gotta keep your lies straight! Satan is doing a happy dance!

@sarahpalinusa: How long did it take you and Todd to drive from Wasilla to LA? People actually pay to hear you lie to them. Way to go!

@sarahpalinusa: HIPAA may not prevent Mat-Su from confirming that you did NOT give birth to Trig there on April 18, 2008. SORRY! LOSER!

Dusty17 w/H/T to Cr46 w/ H/T to ice_nine and igetit2: RT @CR46gates: @sarahpalinusa Grizzlies extinct in California since 1992\\However 1 rabid momma grizzly imposter sighted this week.

AzureGhost: Alaskan Independence Party supporter @SarahPalinUSA questions First Lady's patriotism http://t.co/9DkVYjpvia @cnn #patriots #hypocrites #p2

BellPeppery: @SarahPalinUSA I'd believe in unicorns and pixie dust before I'd believe your fantastical birth story.http://tiny.cc/pwfq3r3ys1

Krbmjb05: @sarahpalinusa & Hitler: It is not truth that matters, but victory. #tcot
@sarahpalinusa & Hitler: How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think. #tcot

@sarahpalinusa & Hitler: By use of propaganda, one can make people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise #tcot

@sarahpalin follows Hitler's famous mantra - The great masses of the people will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one

Kellygrrrl: @SarahPalinUSA is the #1 reason I am less proud to be an American. #FLOTUS MO is in the Top 5 reasons I am so very proud of my country

We’ll end with a laugh, courtesy of missharleyquinn:



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PLUS:

I would like to add to this wonderful round-up this new clip from CNN, in which Palin gives a rare, short interview and demands that the GOP should follow the Tea Party ideology, otherwise they would be "through", according to Palin.

(h/t kellygrrrl)



Raw Story writes:

"Sarah Palin on Monday offered a warning shot to Republicans who don't cater to Tea Party wishes, telling them they'd be "through."

"I think the machine within the GOP will realize the 'we the people' within message is rising and is resonating throughout with independents, with moderates, with hard core conservatives because it's so full of common sense," Palin told CNN.

"And time tested truths that could put the economy back on track that heaven forbid the GOP machine strays from this message if so, the GOP is through," the party's former vice presidential nominee added."

Many thanks to Blueberry Tart for writing the round-up and to Regina for putting it together!

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BONUS-PICTURE:

Sarah Palin signs a puppy!

Sarah Palin signs puppies

[A Tea Party supporter tosses conservative firebrand Sarah Palin a puppy named Sophie for an autograph
at a rally yesterday in Reno, Nevada. Image via AP]


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BY THE WAY:

Kathleen just reminded me that Sarah Palin once signed a baby. So...I guess a puppy is not that unusual after all...if you are Sarah Palin.

Look at the happy baby:

Palin signs baby

.

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