We have had a busy week. Levi Johnston keeps talking, and Sarah Palin threw a massive "hissy fit", revealing once again her true, "rogue" nature: The mean, insecure and immature girl with the paper-thin skin. I have often asked myself the question: What would Sarah Palin do if Wladimir Putin or Hugo Chavez or Mahmud Ahmadinedschad "insulted" her - in the very unlikely event that she became President? I fear that she would be unable to make any kind of "adequate" response, and I really don't want to think too closely about what kind of statement "White House Press Secretary Meghan Stapleton" would then release. We might have already seen a very uncomfortable view about what might happen in such a case here. And remember, Sarah Palin knows exactly who the "good guys and the bad guys" are.
The Alaskan bloggers continue to be very active and in painstaking work try to make sense of Sarah Palin's financial affairs. "Celtic Diva" Linda Kellen Biegel wrote a very informative post about the mysterious "Pie Spy" business with interesting speculations about Sarah Palin's "Alaska Fund Trust".
The second article by Celtic Diva about Sarah's financial disclosure has been published by "AK Muckraker" Jeanne Devon today in Huffington Post, examining the details surrounding "Arctic Cat".
Tank Jones also keeps getting attention from the media, and the question why exactly Levi Johnston needs a bodyguard is still unanswered. In light of the last days which brought us "Levi vs Sarah and vice versa reloaded", I would also like to draw your attention to an interview which Tank Jones had with Alaska's conservative radio talk-show host Dagan Fagan. This interview took place on September 8, 2009, after the publication of the Vanity Fair article, and you can listen to it or download it here. In this interview, Tank Jones defended Levi's claims that Sarah Palin called Trig a "retard" and engages in a heated exchange with Dan Fagan.
I would like to say a big "Thank you" to one of our unnamed readers who placed a highly effective advert on Craigslist in Anchorage with a link to Palingates. This advert received lots of attention, and I would like to encourage everyone to follow this example.
In addition I would like to say a huge "Thank you" to Bree Palin who has a great blog and at the same time values cooperation with other bloggers and posts valuable information also in the comments on Palingates. She just provided us with the transcript of CNN's "Showbiz tonight" from October 29, 2009 which can be found here. Yesterday, several of our readers noted that Tanika Ray had something very interesting to say - here is the relevant part of the conversation:
"HAMMER: Tanika Ray, here is the most important question of all. If you had the opportunity to either be in the audience for that taping of the "Oprah Winfrey Show" with Sarah Palin or be on hand for the nude "Playgirl" shoot with Levi Johnston, where are you going to be, Tanika Ray?
RAY: I`m going to be slitting my wrist. That`s what I`m going to be doing. Let`s be really honest. One thing that Levi is not is a liar. He`s not smart enough to figure out how to lie.
The guy told me straight up that Sarah Palin is a liar. He has no reason to gain from saying that she`s lying about the things that she did during the race, like when she pretended like it was her son and not her daughter`s, when she had him there and pretended like they were a happy family.
HAMMER: So you`re buying it.
RAY: He said the whole time she was lying and knew that they couldn`t stand each other ...
HAMMER: I`ve got to end it there.
RAY: ... and that they could be together anymore. So Levi, not smart, but not a liar.
HAMMER: All right. Tanika Ray, Kim Serafin, appreciate it, guys."
I am intrigued as to whether there will be follow-up or what our readers think about these remarks.
Last but not least, the sweet "Spongebob Sarah" was drawn by a very active Trig Truther - another "Thank You" to the artist!
UPDATE: Now we have the second clip with Levi Johnston on ET - and he confirms his claims (which were originally reported by Gryphen in his "Splitsville" post) that the Palin's are headed straight for divorce and gives some more details. He also stands firm with his view that Sarah Palin is "two-faced" and that her version of events shouldn't be taken for granted, no matter what she might say on Oprah. Sounds like the Sarah "we have all come to know"!
More news of the week: Sarah Palin is consistent in some respects - it has now been officially confirmed that she is not speaking in Iowa. Who would have guessed it, and what will happen with all the money that has already been collected for her speaking fee? $ 59,000 had been raised so far, as Bill Collier from Team Sarah had written to his members, when he asked them to donate a further $ 41,000. So how much did Team Sarah collect after the appeal of Bill Collier, and what will happen to that money now? In classic fashion, the Palin camp now denies that they were ever asking for money for the appearance in Iowa - despite the detailed information that Bill Collier had already given to the Team Sarah members.
I think it's time for another hilarious Bill Collier rant!
Here is further proof for the fact that "Team Sarah" collected money for Sarah Palin's speech in Iowa. So what is "Team Sarah" going to do with this money now? The page is still online:
Further Update (H/T EyeOnYou): Levi Johnston has spoken to the Guardian (UK) and has given even more details. He also indiciated that it might be unavoidable that he will go to court to gain offical custody of Tripp. Remember, not only are the Palins now apparently denying Levi access to his baby again, but in doing so they are denying the child access to his father.
Another important Update: I just had a phone conversation with Tanika Ray and asked her for clarification of her remarks. We spoke for several minutes and she explained to me that in her comment "like when she pretended like it was her son and not her daughter`s" she was NOT talking about Trig and did not want to suggest that Trig wasn't Sarah Palin's baby. I have told her that she can send me an email to patrick12344@yahoo.com with further clarification if she feels the need to.
But Tanika Ray did confirm that she had spoken to Levi (she said that she had"interviewed" him). Tanika also said that she in general is not too interested in Sarah Palin issues.
275 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 275 of 275Did anyone else listen to the entire Guardian audio? Levi mentions Palin's depression after the election, and it sounded quite severe...Her mental health issue(s) are part of what he described: she would do anything, and stayed by herself. The family became frustrated with her. Levi and Bristol had to clean the Palin house.
Sorry, I'm 2:08, typo correction - I meant Palin would NOT do anything...
Yes, from Levi's description she did sound quite depressed. Probably was until she thought up her money-grifting scheme of PieSpy.
Also too it was interesting when the interviewer asked Levi what her response was to black people and he said that she was not the racist type.
That surprised me. I think that if you'll call your own (grand)child a retard, you probably have no problem being racist as well.
Kristen
New Guardian story up about Levi.
"It also dragged Johnston kicking and screaming behind her."
I am wondering whether Levi's civil rights were violated. If Palin used her authority as governor to end his hunting trip, it could be so, and she could be in trouble with the feds.
Mad About The Boy
The depression did sound severe.
I don't see how they can allow things to go to court.
Wouldn't she prefer the court of public opinion with all her friends in the media?
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
I just had a phone conversation with Tanika Ray and ask her for clarification of her remarks. We spoke for several minutes and she explained to me that in her comment "like when she pretended like it was her son and not her daughter`s" she was NOT talking about Trig and did not want to suggest that Trig wasn't Sarah Palin's baby. I have told her that she can send me an email to patrick12344@yahoo.com with further clarification if she feels the need to.
Patrick.....I just saw your latest update. I am a bit confused as to why you would not want to suggest to her that Trig was not Sarah Palin's baby. Wasn't that a perfect opportunity to give that information to someone who is on mainstream TV?
Just curious and asking, not a judgement.......
Check Patrick's latest update with information from Tanika Ray!
OOPS, sorry!! I just re-read your post here. I thought you (Patrick) did not want to suggest anything to her. Sorry about that!!!
"As the election campaign progressed, Johnston says he started noticing a growing split between the Sarah Palin he knew, his future mother-in-law, and the one she presented to the American voters. "Some of the things she said! It was funny; you could catch her out lots of times. Like when she couldn't answer on TV what paper she read. She don't read a newspaper! I never saw her read a newspaper. A lot of things she said, I knew she was lying."
"In front of the crowds, she was Palin the huntin' and shootin' Alaskan. Yet Johnston – who really is a huntin' and shootin' Alaskan, there's the mud on his trousers to prove it – remembers her asking him to show her how to shoot a gun she kept hidden under her bed, and he only saw her fish once for the benefit of the cameras. "I'd say she's definitely stretching it big time, 'cause for three years I never even seen her touch a gun, or go fishing."
"Everything I've ever said is the truth. People can think what they want – that's cool. I'm not asking for everyone to like me. I don't care. I'm just doing my thing, that's what I care about."
Tanika was talking a mile a minute when she said: ".... "like when she pretended like it was her son and not her daughter`s"
I am convinced she MEANT to say:
".....like when she WANTED TO PRETEND like it was her son and not her daughter's" - just repeating the (now) well-known assertion that SP wanted to hide Bristol's pregnancy and adopt TriGG.
I know I stated this much earlier in this thread, but it makes perfect sense now.
lisabeth
It's unfortunately not as easy as you might think. I called Tanika out of the blue, I was very happy that she was willing to engage in a conversation with me and I talked to her about her statement. I didn't have the opportunity to explain babygate detail in this short conversation. I told her to take look at our blog. She also explained to me that she is not really too interested in these Sarah Palin issues.
Patrick, I hope you saw my second post-I misunderstood what you wrote. I think it is unbelievable that you were even able to reach her and talk to her!! It is amazing actually. It makes me wonder if you could reach other people easily-like those in the MSM.
I know things are moving along but it is still all frustrating. I really would like for this to all come out and for Sarah to disappear into wherever OUT of politics period.
I just can't believe she is going to put out a book full of BS, but it sounds like she is.
So did Ms Ray say she wasn't interested in Sarah at all, or just not interested in this type of personal business. And who is she anyhow? I am going to go look her up. Sorry for the misunderstanding!
It's possible that Sarah was pregnant and Levi was the father. In the latest Guardian article -- interesting insight into Levi -- Levi said that he knew what she did for 3 years.
I said she will win custody of the child. I didn't say that it will absolutely happen. At this point, it is still my opinion.
The thing is, I've been thinking about why Levi has been doing his media blitz right now. It's only a few weeks before Palin releases her book. I'm betting it contains information irreparably harming his credibility, hence his rush to do as much damage as possible. Did he try to threaten or blackmail the Palin's? I think it could be quite possible.
Unfortunately for him, those attacks he made will have no effect. He knows the game is up, and is trying to cash in on Sarah Palin's name while he can. Who do you think people will believe, Sarah Palin and her family, or Levi? I'm talking about normal everyday people, the ones who really don't pay much attention to Sarah Palin or politics.
lisabeth
Yes, I saw your second post after I had written my response.
I have no problem to call well-known personalities out of the blue - I have done it a few times in the course of this investigation. ;-)
The Guardian has a reporter in Anchorage. We've had two stories from them today. Their interest seems to be Levi. In the latest, they mentioned that he's getting a Gawker award in New York next month.
I don't do facebook so can someone tell me what is going on with her page? I read here earlier that is was scrubbed and a new site had been created with people upset. Can someone give an update? Thanks!
Levi Is Internation Celebrity
Go Levi!!
I love it that Tanika Ray has little to no interest in Sarah Palin. That's the reality in "Real America." No one is all that interested in her except as a Reality Show. Jerry Springer will call her next!
I wonder: In junior college, do they teach the difference between "custody" and "visitation"?
KaJo- maybe that publishing house will have a mysterious fire with lots of flood damage. nothings to far out there for $arah..
Is Bristol in community college?
The people are going to love Levi. He's one of them:
"Sarah is really good at throwing on that face and smile and being friendly. I always thought she liked me, but later on I discovered that I don't think she did."
"These guys came up to me and said they were going to cut my hair. I had a mullet at the time and they cut it off. It was a joke in the first place, a hockey guy joke. I'm glad they cut it off – if I had gone on national TV with that thing! Wow, it was ugly!"
"I'd say she's definitely stretching it big time, 'cause for three years I never even seen her touch a gun, or go fishing."
I was just over to check out the Palin FB outage. Her FB is now back up, with the "just fans" tab back, and people were discussing the outage (and some blaming Democrats).
But what I really enjoyed was this comment:
====
Cinnamon
I am concerned that there is/are organizations out there putting A LOT of money into anti-Palin ads on Facebook.... I continually see a picture of a winking Sarah Palin attached to negative ads on my facebook side-bar....I have selected that I find the ad "offensive", but new ads appear each day. Yesterday, ...I was reading a political article online, not on facebook, and an ad appeared on the side with the SAME winking photo and an anti-Palin slogan.... I just hope that we can get enough donations to start positive Palin ads on Facebook, and target Democrat tags, to balance the negative ads tbeing sent to Republican tags.....
========
These people really are just NOT thinking this whole "Palin 2012" thing through, are they? I'm thinking if Cinnamon can't handle a "winking Sarah" facebook ad with an "anti-Palin slogan", I can't even imagine how much she would dislike all the many different ads that could be run against Sarah and all her many ethical problems.
Of course that would be if Sarah were ever to get to 2012 as a candidate. Cinnamon has probably been too busy worrying about Sarah's FB being down to catch any of the recent Sarah-related news. I'm thinking there will be quite a bit about Sarah in the news soon that will make Cinnamon long for the days of "only" winking Sarah ads with anti-Palin slogans....
Haha, Is it too late for a rewrite?
Sarah Palin: An American Lie.
Well done, Patrick! Very interesting that she said that she had interviewed Levi . . .
Maybe the reporter from THE GUARDIAN will write a babygate book!!!!
Sarah had better be careful if she does trash Levi in her book; publishers can decide to pull a book at the last minute. An example from a recent Pub Lunch: "After a close legal review of the final manuscript of Blowing the Whistle by Tim Donaghy, and our independent evaluation of some of the author's sources and statements, Triumph Books and Random House have decided not to go forward with the book's publication. Our decision is wholly our own and was made without consultation with any outside parties or individuals."
"Truth or lies, the back-and-forth has caused major interest in Web searches: One-day Yahoo! lookups for "Levi Johnston" soared a whopping 1,992%."
She belongs tabloids, now.
Palin vs. Johnston: Snark Fest
I just read the Tanika Ray update. If she wasn't talking about Trig or suggesting he wasn't Sarah Palin's baby, then who was she talking about and what was she suggesting?
Could she be... oh, I don't know... BACK pedaling?
IWorshipCats
Haha, Levi didn't get suckered into checking-out the gun she kept, in a box, under her bed:
"I'd say she's definitely stretching it big time, 'cause for three years I never even seen her touch a gun, or go fishing."
JC in most states a single mother is not granted primary rights. But with rights come obligations. If one parent is preventing the other parent from visitation no family court judge will look very highly on that. PS most states do NOT recognize grandparent rights at all.
Go Levi! Fight for your son!
JC in most states a single mother is not granted primary rights. But with rights come obligations. If one parent is preventing the other parent from visitation no family court judge will look very highly on that. PS most states do NOT recognize grandparent rights at all.
Go Levi! Fight for your son!
There have been cases -- Oprah dealt with one -- where "non-fiction", "memoirs" have been taken back for being non-factual.
I'm pretty impressed that Patrick contacted Tanika directly on our behalf. He clearly is concerned to offer us the truth when he can.
Way to go Patrick! The bigger picture obviously matters to you. MK
Hannah: Bristol and Levi have a one in four or 25% chance of having a blue eyed child with each conception. Mendelian genetics. It can happen - its happened in my own family three times, three kids, with two brown eyed parents. As long as each parent has one recessive blue eyed gene, 25% chance of a blue eyed kids.
An eye for an eye. A book for a book.
Psst: The Book of Levi
Great job of keeping up with this, Patrick. It may get to the point where the news comes so fast that no one can keep up.
newser story: As Wasilla Turns
Not much news but a 3 pic slide show (enlargable pics) of Bristol, Tripp & Levi. Nice title: As Wasilla Turns, after the soap opera, As The World Turns.
Custody and visitation are serious legal issues. Some information:
http://tinyurl.com/dgodrt
http://tinyurl.com/cdf6mm
http://tinyurl.com/y8g7ubr
These deal specifically with Alaska.
And thank you, Guardian UK!!!
"in her comment 'like when she pretended like it was her son and not her daughter`s'
she was NOT talking about Trig and did not want to suggest that Trig wasn't Sarah Palin's baby."
Well Bristol didn't give birth to Track. And Sarah didn't give birth to TriPP. Ms. Ray's denial makes no sense. She did mean TriG.
Anon 03:08
No, it was not my impression that Tanika was backpedaling. In my conversation with her it became clear that she is not really familiar with the details of the Trig/Tripp story, but I asked her directly if she was talking about Trig in her comment (which I had read out loud before I asked), and she convincingly denied that. I also asked her directly whether she thinks that Trig is not Sarah's baby, which she also denied. There was no ambiguity. My feeling was that she was "cut-off" prematurely in the appearance on "Showbiz Tonight" and possibly would have explained in more detail what she meant if she would have had the chance.
Unfortunately, I forgot to ask her if and/or when her interview with Levi is going to appear somewhere. Therefore, I don't know if this interview will be published or if she will just treat it as a "background conversation".
.
"Some of the things she said! It was funny; you could catch her out lots of times. Like when she couldn't answer on TV what paper she read. She don't read a newspaper! I never saw her read a newspaper. A lot of things she said, I knew she was lying."
Levi communicates really well.
Where he's quoted in the latest Guardian article, you can see that he's able to switch between standard English and snowbilly English without difficulty.
I hope Shannyn can get him on her show for some talks, so people can get to know him better.
MK 03:16
Yes, that's exactly it - only the truth matters. Like other people here, I am very emotionally involved in this investigation and have invested a lot of time and efforts in this investigation during the last 12 months.
But the only way to solve this puzzle is to uncover the facts of the case, and that's what I and others are trying to do.
In this convoluted case, we always have to be very careful to jump to conclusions. Of course we have to develop working theories - but they should not just be products of our imagination, but should be connected with the facts as much as possible. That is my opinion.
I am absolutely convinced that the truth will be revealed in the end. Let there be no mistake: We are in the advanced stage of this investigation, we know 100% by know that we are correct about the fact that Sarah has not given birth to Trig, and it's only a matter of time until the story will finally break.
Judge Suddock wrote in the Wooten custody case:
"It is the mother's responsibility to set boundaries for her relatives and insure [sic] they respect them, and the disparagement by either parent, or their surrogates is emotional child abuse. If the court finds it is necessary due to disparagement in the Mat-Su Valley, for the children's best interests, it will not hesitate to order custody to the father and a move into Anchorage."
shamelessly cribbed from Aussie Blue Sky's comment at IM
Sorry, I meant:
....very careful not to jump to conclusions...
Unrelated to today's news, but more rocks to turn over, from the mayoral years:
A Fontiersman editorial wrote, “Palin promised to change the status quo, but at every turn we find hints of cronyism and political maneuvering. We see a woman who has long-since surrendered her ideals to a political machine.” [Frontiersman editorial, 2/7/97]
A Frontiersman editorial wrote, “Mayor Palin fails to have a firm grasp of something very simple: the truth.” [Frontiersman editorial, 2/7/97]
A Frontiersman editorial wrote, “Palin seems to have assumed her election was instead a coronation. Welcome to Kingdom Palin, the land of no accountability.” [Frontiersman editorial, 2/7/97]
(these notes were found in an anon commentor's post at IM, 5:20 PM, Oct. 30, '09)
b - Tanika told Patrick that she was not suggesting that Palin wasn't Trig's mother. It's clear that she was talking about Palin's offer, which has been widely publicised and discussed, to adopt Bristol and Levi's kid.
Which kid that is none of us know for sure yet. Not even you!
Patrick, regarding so many comments talking about possible insurance fraud for Trig's birth/medical care, I recall (I think) something to the effect of Trig's birth/medical care being paid in cash ... so no insurance fraud would have occurred.
Have I completely gone bonkers or was there something relating to this many months ago?
"This is Sarah."
"Hello, Sarah. It's Jerry Springer calling."
I bet Levi knows now what is in her book about him and he is hurt and angry.
And he is torn between his mother's safety in prison, his promises or even contracts about a kid/kids and his feelings that he may not have expected to have. He said on a facebook post that he didn't want kids but once there is one or two here, feelings change and parental feelings are genetically strong.
Also why the retard remark hurts him so much; it's his kid.
ok someone funny is kidding around with the wv:
seriously, "mistrigg"??
Following up on the comment made by anon 4:06, regarding a judge telling Sarah and Todd not to say mean spirited things about their former brother-in-law in front of his kids.
Sarah has already said the mean spirited things about Levi in her forth coming book. And, to add to the evidence of her ill will, there are the many nasty comments issued by her official spokesperson, Meg, on Sarah's behalf.
At least the comments about Wooten's kids were not broadcast in the media. All that Rex Butler has to do is present her remarks, spoken and printed to the judge and ask what is in the best interest of the child, Tripp.
After all, Levi has been talking about going to court since Sarah is blocking him from seeing his child. With her Sarah's nasty attitude well documented, I think that this give Levi a winning hand.
And, Kajo, your thought that HC would pull the book is very interesting. The person who appears to be harmed by the book is Sarah, not Levi. If Rex gets an advance copy and finds untrue statements about Levi in there, could he shut them down? What a wonderful choice- let the book go forth as the evidence that Levi should have custody to save Tripp from a harmful atmosphere, or destroy the book and some of the evidence. (They will still have Meg's public statements which are really nasty).
whoops, so excited about the wv I forgot to post my point -- which was, take a look at what 538 has to say about the political "savvy" of $P's Iowa gig, and bonus second article about the polling on Hoffman in NY-23
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/
It is really bizarre that the governor would have Meg (spokeswoman), both state employees, use state resources to publicly slam Levi for a family problem. It does fit with a pattern of abuse that she displayed in the Wooten case. She doesn't separate her personal affairs from the state's affairs, so I think there are more palingates out there.
I am thinking she may hve also abused her authority (and violated federal law) by forcing Levi to attend the convention (she may have deprived him of his civil rights under color of law if she used her authority as gov. to force him, and could be jailed for it if so).
Let me see who I believe: Levi said he never saw Sarah read a newspaper. And, the proof of his statement, Sarah could not name a newspaper that she read.
Sarah told Steve Schmidt during the campaign that people were asking about Todd's membership in the Alaska Independent Party. She told Schmidt to get out in front of the story and say that it wasn't true.
In response, Schmidt investigated and found that Todd had been a member for 7 years. And, he didn't buy Sarah's story that Todd accidently checked the wrong box when he registered to vote. In fact, he refused endorse Sarah's "story" saying that they would be found to be liars in a minute.
Who do I believe? We all saw Sarah melt down after the election, act in an strange manner, unable to show up at speaking engagements that she had committed to appear at. Will she or won't she was (and still is) a good way to characterize her strange behavior. And, Levi described in his Guardian interview how depressed Sarah was-- he and Bristol took care of the kids and cleaned the house. (What was Levi doing in there anyway, waiting for Tripp to be born????)
As for Sarah, she said "Thanks but no thanks," and that turned out not to be true. She may have put the plane on eBay, but it never sold and it was eventually sold at a loss. As for cleaning up corruption, we're still keeping on eye on SaraPAC, AFT and the newly formed companies and charities and her suspicious money trail.
And, one thing that we know for sure, Sarah did not quit to work to progress Alaska. She quit for the money, the book, $100,000.speeches and money.
My wv=deaddele. Who has the dead deal? Sarah???? We can only hope.
Bye-bye. See ya in the tabloids, Sarah.
I used to think you might get paid to endorse a line of WalMart jammies, but not anymore. No! What you got is a starring role in 'As Alaska Turns'. And you know what's best? You don't get paid for it!
Articles from the Daily Sitka Sentinal about Palin's early days as mayor.
October 28, 1996
Daily Sitka Sentinel
Wasilla's New Mayor Asks Officials to Quit
WASILLA (AP) — The newly elected mayor of Wasilla has asked all of the city's top managers to resign in order'to test their loyalty to her administration.
Mayor Sarah Palin sent the resignation requests Thursday to Police Chief Irl Stambaugh, public works director Jack Felton, finance director Duane Dvorak and Mary Ellen Emrnons, the head of libraries. A fifth director - John Cooper, who oversaw the city museum - resigned earlier this month after Palin eliminated his position.
Palin also asked each director to provide an updated resume and a letter, stating his or her intentions. As of Friday, one director, whom Palin would not identify, had responded.
Palin said she made the request for resignations to find out who supports her as mayor.
"Wasilla is moving forward in a positive direction," she said. "This is the time for the department heads to let me know if they plan to move forward or if it's time for a change."
Palin, who ran on a platform of cutting government, has faced a rocky transition to power since beating longtime Mayor John Stein in early October.
Stein had held the position since 1987, and several department heads publicly supported him during the campaign.
She's also been criticized by the local semi weekly newspaper for a new policy requiring department heads to get the mayor's approval before talking to reporters. An editorial in The Frontiersman labeled it a "gag order."
Palin said it is a temporary rule to smooth the way until department heads have a better sense of the administration's policies.
Stein said he was not surprised she had asked for the resignations, but some of, the department heads told him they were. They thought they had already made it clear that they would work with her, he said. Emmons, the library director, reached at home, said she couldn't speak without the mayor's approval. None of the remaining department heads could be reached for comment Friday.
-----
February 3, 1997
Daily Sitka Sentinel
Wasilla Librarian Keeps Job
WASILLA. "(AP) — City librarian Mary Ellen Emmons will retain her post but Police Chief Irl Stambaugh was asked to resign following decisions announced Friday by Mayor Sarah Palin.
The decision came one day after Palin informed Stambaugh and Emmons that their jobs would end as of Feb. 13.
Palin said in letters she wanted a change because she believed the two did not fully support her administration.
Palin, newly elected last fall, said Friday she hoped to combine the city's library and museum offices. Emmons has agreed to the change, Palin said.
Both Stambaugh and Emmons publicly supported Palin's opponent, longtime mayor John Stein, during the 1996 campaign.
Stambaugh, who was hired by Stein, is a former Anchorage police
captain who started the Wasilla department four years ago. Palin refused Friday to detail her complaint against the police chief, saying only that "You know in your heart when someone is supportive of you.''
The three met briefly Friday at Wasilla City Hall Friday and Palin called them twice at Stambaugh's home before making a decision.
The actions caused a stir in Wasilla, a town of about 4,600 north of Anchorage.
City Councilman Nick Carney, an outspoken critic of Palin, said the sudden personnel shift indicates mismanagement that Carney said could prompt a recall attempt.
February 11, 1997
Daily Sitka Sentinel
Group: Will Hold Off On Recall of Wasilla Mayor
WASILLA (AP) — A recall of Mayor Sarah Palin is off the table, at least for now, according to a group calling itself Concerned Citizens for Wasilla.
The group of about 60 residents was formed Friday in response to
Palin's controversial firing of Police Chief Irl Stambaugh. Members say they're concerned about the direction taken by Palin since her election last fall, and discussed a recall. But members of the group decided instead they first want to hear Palin's explanations in person.
The group developed a list of 25 questions and will ask Palin to meet with them sometime before Feb. 21.
"In all fairness, we need to allow the mayor in her own words answer the questions we have for her," said Kathyrn Rounds, the group's acting chairwoman.
Palin was non-committal Monday, but seemed resistant to the idea. In an interview, she described her critics as the same "few disgruntled citizens" who have been against her since she was elected. She has criticized Stambaugh for not supporting her administration.
"I don't remember any past mayors ... having to face a firing squad," she said.
Palin, a former City Council member, has been under fire since she took office in October after defeating longtime Mayor John Stein. Questions immediately arose about whether the city staff, some of whom had publicly supported Stein, would stand behind her or whether she would oust her critics.
Department heads serve at the pleasure of the mayor under Wasilla's city code. The police chief, however, contends he had a contract with the city and that he could be removed only for cause. Palin counters that the contract isn't valid since it was negotiated with the previous administration.
Four months of turmoil have followed in which almost every move by Palin has been questioned, from firing the museum director to hiring a deputy administrator at a cost of $50,000 a year to a short-lived proposal to move the city's historic buildings from downtown. Critics argue the decisions are politically motivated. Palin says people voted for a change and she's only trying to streamline government.
Stambaugh said he plans to sue. His attorney, Bill Jermain, said Palin violated a federal civil rights law that prohibits retaliation for political activity.
Late Monday, the City Council met in executive session to discuss any potential liability for the city as a result of Stambaugh's firing.
August 6, 1997
Daily Sitka Sentinel
Wasilla Museum's Staff Resigns to Protest Cuts
WASILLA (AP) — Opal Toomey, Esther West and Ann Meyers don't
seem like politically active types. There are no bumper stickers on their cars, no pins on their lapels.
But the three gray-haired matrons of Wasilla's city museum decided to take a stand last week. Faced with a $32,000 budget cut and the prospect of choosing who would lose her job, the three 15-year-plus employees decided instead to quit en masse.
They sent a letter to the mayor and City Council announcing they plan to retire at the end of the month, leaving the museum without a staff. They also sent a message: They'd rather quit than continue working for a city that doesn't want to preserve its history.
"We hate to leave," said Meyers, who at 65 is the youngest of the three. "We've been together a long time. But this is enough."
If the city were broke, it would be different, she said. "If they were even' close to being broke."
Instead, the city is flush thanks to a 2 percent sales tax passed in 1994 that has left it with $4 million in reserves. There is no reason the museum's budget should be cut, Meyers said.'
But the mayor and several City Council members who supported the cut say the budget surplus is beside the point.
They were elected on a platform to minimize government and concentrate on infrastructure — paving roads and extending sewer lines. They appreciate the museum and the work the women do to manage it and several buildings that make up a historic
townsite in downtown Wasilla. But the operation needs to be more efficient, Mayor Sarah Palin said.
The museum, which had an annual budget of more than $200,000, was costing roughly $25 per visitor, she said.
The women are among a growing number of city workers who have departed in recent months, said John Cooper, who was the museum's director until Palin fired him last fall.
In addition to Cooper, Wasilla Police Chief Irl Stambaugh left last winter after Palin fired him, and planning director Duane Dvorak and Public Works director John Felton turned in their resignations this summer.
Much of the latest flap over the museum is a misunderstanding, Palin said.
All the council wanted was to cut back the museum's hours in winter from seven days a week to five. The women made the decision to resign, Palm said.
West, Toomey and Meyers disagree. They say they were told that one of them would have to leave in September.
Regardless of what was intended, museum supporters say, losing the women will be a blow to the city.
The three have run the two-story building just off the Parks Highway since the early 1980s. And while it is no National Gallery of Art, its collection of mining materials, homestead memorabilia and early Wasilla history has its charm, said Fran Seager-Boss, Mat-Su Borough anthropologist.
"It's people and characters of the area you wouldn't find anywhere else," she said. "Everything else is strip mall."
Thanks, Silver, Sarah is just like George W. Bush, clearly a Uniter, not a Divider.
AKM is going to take one for the team and spend her $8.95 at Walmart, purchase Going Rogue and give us the Cliff Notes version. No need us all spending one red cent to read the fairy tale book. S.H.
Anonymous 23:35 said...
"... However, if Levi signed adoption papers with parental ID's to remain sealed, then he would have to go to court, in my opinion to show that they were signed under duress or that there was coercion. I continue to believe that while the elder Palin's were in Texas, Levi and Bristol tried to remove Trig from the hospital. And the staff contacted them in Dallas with a heads-up."
Whoa, there. That is a new and different theory from anything I have seen here or on PD etc. Interesting. I still don't get it how Levi is left to his own devices, where is his dad? If he did sign a adoption or confidentiality agreement, he should go to court. Look how young he is/was. Did he have adequate legal representation? Was he pressured to sign something and had second doubts or his mom was arrested/set-up?
Imagine if Trig (T1) is his and he has seen all during the campaign and now later-how Trig is treated within that family (mostly SP). The way she holds him says it all. That would hurt if you were the biological father.
He has been acknowledged as having sex with Bristol and Tripp is said to be his. There is enough public speculation that Bristol is mother of Trig and so doesn't that set up a lawyer to ask for DNA to be done by court on both kids. Anchorage court should review all and stay away from any Palin-Parnell appointee judges.
So, Barb D., hope you are silently reading and please come back.
To the person who said they are fed up with silent Alaska/Wasilla. I agree. The Palin clan is not big on brains and they left clues everywhere to the solution of this hoax. All the Babygate bloggers and us assistants are left to pick up the puzzle pieces.
Happy "Little Shop of Horrors" Day. I was hoping that this mystery would have been over in a year, say around Labor Day, but here it is the Hoaxing Season and still as many theories, bits of evidence, teasers.
This is definitely fodder for TMZ and Showbiz Tonight. There was speculation as to who is most provocative celebrity this week-Jon G., Levi or MJ. Folks can call in about Levi. Go to cnn.com/showbiztonight to give comments and leave sound bite defending Levi. 1-888-SBT-BUZZ
One talking head said Levi owes his fame to SP and basically should not bite the hand that feeds him. Call with your opinions and set the record straight.
How come Nancy Grace show covers Richard Heene -now boring- Balloon mess and a far bigger hoax is staring her right in the face with Palin's fake pregnancy? So much for her exploring legal nuances,investigative,sniffing out a good topic for tv show abilities.
Yah, I want to see the clip showing Levi on a sofa with attorney Rex, a quick witted comedianne like Wanda Skyes and watching Oprah interview Sarah.
Don't swallow any big lies this Halloween, ya all.
Say Levi "singed" something ...and isn't allowed to let the little Palin scam outta the bag
I'm sure there is a "candid just fooling around as a family" type photo .. or 2 .. or 3.. of Sarah dear in her "late stages of prego" looking everything but..
without the scarves! and man jackets
maybe loafing in her walmart pj's ?
He could always slip those out there.. technically he wouldn't be breaching any sort of signed agreement (if there was one)
wv: poosing :D
Sarah "posing" while some other family member slave is making her dinner.. having a good laugh.. and being flat as a board
"Also too it was interesting when the interviewer asked Levi what her response was to black people and he said that she was not the racist type."
Levi has grown up a lot but on his MySpace page before the RNC and Tank he very liberally used the words Gay, Faggot and Nigga.
Where Levi has grown up if you have to be pretty bad to be considered a "Racist Type".
BTW, Bristol's MySpace was littered with the same term(s.
I've not had time to read all the comments, but think that Ms. Ray is doing a bit of backpedaling at this point. She had said: "He has no reason to gain from saying that she`s lying about the things that she did during the race, like when she pretended like it was her son and not her daughter`s, when she had him there and pretended like they were a happy family."
If Ms. Ray was talking about TriPP/T2 and not TriG/T1, how is it that $P could have "pretended like it was her son during the race" ... when TriPP/T2 was still in utero?
Hi ha, I went to The Iowa fundraising page and tried to donate 1 cent (which is about what I think Sarah's contribution to anything is worth, rounded up) but it says the minimum donation is $5. The only way I would donate $5 for Sarah to go to Iowa would be if she had to STFU and stay there for the rest of her life.
Now that theory is interesting. If indeed someone (the parents or mother) tried to remove Trig.
I just don't understand why a pregnant women who had leaked fluid, after a long air plane ride would get into a car on a snowy dark nite,(with hundreds of cars stranded) to go to a backwater hospital that refuses to deliver twins, while a fully staffed hospital with gynecologists and all sorts of facilities for preemies and difficult births is bypassed.
After all they made it back to 'Alaska so the kid wouldn't be delivered in Texas (their explaination).
Anon @ 02:50 had asked if BP is in community college ... doing a little digging around, I do find that she is currently registered as a student at the Mat-Su campus of UA (Associate of Applied Science degree; small business administration major).
WV is 'winer' ... as in when you're not a (VP) winner, you're a whiner ... or weiner ... or ...
Also, it is possible Sarah thought she had more time to show she was pregnant if the baby came when the baby was supposedly due. Gusti would have been the starting bid belly.
Something made her jump the gun, and drive back to Mat Su Hospital during a flukey April snow storm.
Patrick, thanks for responding But I am still curious. How did Tanika Ray convincingly explain what she did mean by this statement:
"He has no reason to gain from saying that she`s lying about the things that she did during the race, like when she pretended like it was her son and not her daughter`s"
If in the above statement, "she" does not refer to Sarah, "it" does not refer to Trig, and "daughter's" does not refer to Bristol, who/what was Ray referring to?
Because I just can't come up with any other meaning for it!
IWorshipCats
If Sarah and Todd were fighting and at odds when Levi was around, exactly how did Ms. Sarah get pregnant?
She was referring to the adoption idea that Levi mentioned . It's clear in the context of the discussion that she meant the adoption.
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