Joe Miller's files with Fairbanks North Star Borough released - The bizarre "computer scrubbing incident!" - UPDATE: Medical behavioral problems?

Joe Miller's "secret" file with Fairbanks North Star Borough has been released, and the main documents can be downloaded HERE. In addition, a directory of the documents released and withheld and a manifest of the e-mails has been published.

There is quite a lot in these 60 pages of emails, and some points have to be carefully "deciphered", especially the details regarding Joe Miller's medical issues.

However, the "computer incident" which lead to Joe Miller's resignation is included in great detail, and the behavior of Joe Miller is utterly bizarre and foolish. What a dolt! Come on, Alaska, this shouldn't be your next Senator!

Here is the description of this incident, from the documents:

We will update the post when we have further details about the content of the documents.

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UPDATE:

A highly "suspicious" letter points to serious health problems, maybe even substance abuse:

What field does Magellan specialise in?

From a press report:

Headquartered in Avon, Conn., Magellan Health Services, Inc., is a leading specialty health care management organization with expertise in managing behavioral health, radiology and specialty pharmaceuticals, as well as public sector pharmacy benefits programs. Magellan delivers innovative solutions to improve quality outcomes and optimize the cost of care for those we serve. Magellan’s customers include health plans, employers and government agencies, serving nearly 60 million people nationwide in our behavioral and radiology benefits lines, more than 40 payors in our specialty pharmaceutical benefits segment, and 25 states and the District of Columbia in our Medicaid Administration segment. For more information, visit www.MagellanHealth.com.

This press report also provides more details about some aspects of the work of Magellan:

Magellan Health Services, Inc., (Nasdaq: MGLN) an industry leader in behavioral health care management, announced that Daniel P. McCarthy, Ph.D., senior vice president and chief clinical officer of the company’s Commercial Behavioral Health unit, will be presenting at the World Research Group’s upcoming conference. The "Integrating Behavioral Healthcare & Chronic Care” conference, taking place Oct. 26-28 in Chicago, will bring together industry thought leaders to discuss the challenges faced by health plans, providers and employers in improving coordination and integration of behavioral and medical care for the chronically ill.

During his presentation, Dr. McCarthy, a licensed clinical psychologist, will explain the merits of using medication-assisted treatment approaches among individuals with substance use disorders to achieve and maintain recovery goals and avoid relapse, citing data collected through several pilot programs conducted by Magellan.

Based on the initial success of these pilot programs and supported by organizational data, Magellan recently launched a new national medication-assisted treatment intervention that incorporates the appropriate use of proven medications as part of the discharge treatment plan for individuals completing inpatient treatment for a primary Alcohol or Other Drugs (AOD) diagnosis.

While we don't know exactly what Joe Miller's problem were are maybe even still are, but it is apparent that serious "behavioral health" or "pharmaceutical" problems could very well be involved.

Joe Miller clearly has a lot to answer for. After all, he is running for the third most important office in the USA.

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Please also read the report in Alaska Dispatch:

Borough officials initially considered whether what Miller had done was a crime -- a felony as well as a misdemeanor -- but settled on disciplining him for violating ethics rules. Miller offered to resign. He was placed on administrative leave March 13 and then suspended for three days without pay at the end of the month. He was ordered to complete mandatory employee counseling and was placed on six months probation. Miller was told that any further infractions would result in his immediate termination.

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UPDATE 3:

Yes, there are more documents which cast SERIOUS doubt on the ability of Joe Miller to handle any kind of job with a greater responsibility!

First, here is the text of the Disciplinary punishment that Joe Miller received.

However, what is even more revealing are the notes that a colleague or superior made about the conversation with Joe Miller about the bizarre computer incident:

"Lapse of judgement"..."total screw up"...."I was an ass"...."I was beyond stupid"..."out of character"..."failure"..."flaw"..."extreme."

So Joe Miller apparently gets "out of character" when he is under stress. That is NOT the type of person you want to have as US Senator!

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This is Joe Miller's written statement about the incident, in which he admitted that he lied:

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UPDATE 4:

One of our readers thankfully made a summary of the sequence of events surrounding Joe Miller's resignation, which incredibly helpful.

I would also like to point out that within 35 of the released emails, redactions had to be made due to confidential medical information, according to the directory of documents released. This again is a clear indication that Joe Miller suffers from serious medical issues, which he ought to disclose to the public. The voters have a right to know.

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Sequence of events for the leave issue that resulted in Joe Miller’s resignation:

People:

Joe = Joe Miller - Assistant Borough Attorney
Rene = Rene Broker – Borough Attorney – Joe’s immediate supervisor
Jill = Jill Dolan – Assistant Borough Attorney (Jill was the HR liaison for the legal department at the borough)
Diane Thomas – Personnel / Payroll Manager


Tuesday, August 25, 2009:

- (p. 5) Joe advises Rene that he is seeing the VA doc in Anchorage on Thursday (Aug 27) for an unknown (redacted) medical procedure scheduled for Monday (Aug 31). He advises that he won’t know how long a recovery period is required until after he sees the doc on Thursday.
- (p. 5) Rene says okay, sounds like this is something there is no choice about. When you get into the office, fill out the leave form and put your return date as unknown. Sounds like it would be classified as FMLA leave, get HR to send you the form.
- (p. 5) Joe says he got the form and it needs a doctor’s certificate. He will see the doc on Thursday. There are other attorneys in the office to cover and he will complete the work he’s doing now tomorrow, so how about he puts in a leave form for Thursday (Aug 27) through Friday next week (Sep 4). He will fax the doctor’s statement on Thursday. If okay by Rene, he will put in leave request form to Jill on Aug 26.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009:

- (p. 4) Rene agrees so long as it complies with whatever the FMLA personnel rules are.
- (p. 4) Joe emails Diane to ask if he can complete regular leave request and then fax in the doctor’s note with FMLA leave form on Thursday. He carefully notes that the regular leave request is in compliance with the legal department rules that there be no more than 2 attorneys absent at a time.
- (p. 4) Diane responds that this will be no problem – 15 days to get the form in. She provides a confidential fax number for him to use.
- (p. 4) Joe says okay then he will get the form to her after he gets back from Anchorage.
- (p. 47) Jill asks Joe if the leave request (Aug 27 to Sep 4) he just gave her is pending FMLA approval by personnel.
- (p. 47) Joe says it is a regular leave slip that will convert to FMLA leave depending on the doctor’s responses. It is consistent with what Diane has emailed.
- (p. 47) Jill says, okay, she just wanted to confirm that the whole time Joe requested was for the redacted medical procedure and not personal leave. She will sign it as FMLA pending personnel approval.

Friday, August 28, 2009:

- (p. 53) Joe emails Rene to advise the VA doc schedules him back to work on Sep. 22. As he is taking personal leave for 2.5 weeks starting on Sep. 23, what does Rene want to do? (Presumably he means should he come in on Sep. 22 as it is only one day). He also advises that he has faxed the FMLA form to Diane.
- (p. 53) Rene responds saying with so much leave in September, October and November, Joe won’t be able to help with the annexation and it really needs attention. So, Rene is cancelling Joe’s 2.5 weeks personal leave starting on Sep. 23.
- (p. 53) Joe responds saying when the annexation hearing was rescheduled to during his November leave (Afognak bear hunt with son) Rene told him she would handle it if Joe didn’t voluntarily return early for it. Joe wants to know how the FMLA leave changes that. He also advises that he doesn’t want to cancel out on his other two sons’ elk hunts (which were scheduled during the 2.5 weeks Rene says she is cancelling).
- (p. 35 - 36) Joe wrote a long resignation letter to Rene. His resignation will be effective Sep. 23.
- (p. 3) Rene responds via email accepting the resignation effective Sep. 23.

Monday, August 31, 2009:

- (p. 17) Jill emails computer services to notify them that Joe has resigned on August 28th. His resignation date isn’t until Sep 23 but he is on leave until then and she and Rene have discussed that they want to suspend his computer access as he isn’t doing any borough business while on leave. Jill notes that they disabled Joe’s key card access on Friday and are getting the code changed for the door to the department.
- (p. 16 and 15) a series of emails to/from computer services about disabling Joe’s email account and the disposition of files in his personal directories on the server. (note that there is a continuation on Sep. 9 regarding what appears to be missing computer files)
- (p. 41-42) Diane emails Rene to say she just heard from Joe's doc that the redacted medical procedure has been cancelled.
- (p. 41) Rene says she assumes Joe will show up for work on Tuesday.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009:

- (p. 41) Jill emails that she only signed Joe’s leave slip saying it was FMLA leave pending personnel approval. So, his absence on Monday was without approved leave. She hopes Joe plans to be there today and through to Sep. 23.
- (p. 41) Rene and Jill question if it was all a ruse to not have to come in to work because the doctor said Joe was the one who cancelled the procedure. Jill asks Diane to call Joe and find out what is going on.
- (p. 2) Joe emails Jill to say his resignation is now effective today. He says Jill has changed his leave from personal to FMLA leave. Diane has told him that if he is on FMLA leave, he has to report for work today. He is trying to reschedule redacted medical procedure with a different doc (Wade) and has appointment on Thursday. He refuses to come in before then.
- (p. 40) Rene and Jill say they read it as he quit without notice.
- (p. 2) Rene responds to Joe, accepting his resignation and advising that the lack of notice affects his rehire status at the borough.
- (p. 2) Joe disagrees that it should affect his rehire status. He says he originally asked for personal leave and that it was changed (to FMLA) without his request or approval.
- (p. 1) Rene recaps her understanding: Joe represented that he needed immediate leave for redacted medical procedure. Thus there was no choice but to grant it. Joe cannot expect to keep the leave that was granted on that basis when the circumstances that gave rise to it have changed significantly. Joe did not show for work today and when he was requested to do so, he resigned effective immediately. Rene asks Joe to let her know what is missing from her facts and advises that if he does explain why he disagrees, she will reconsider rehire decision.
- (p. 1) Joe responds to Rene. His argument is that he original asked for personal leave (not FMLA). He thinks he would have been granted it as there was nothing going on in the office at that time and it complied with the not more than 2 attorneys away at a time policy. If they had treated his leave slip as regular leave, there would have been no issue with him not coming in today. The borough should not have initiated and insisted upon the FMLA process. Besides, from a practical standpoint, Rene already accepted his Aug 28 resignation that would not have seen him coming back to work (because he had leave until the Sep 23 resignation date) so he sees the rehire decision as a retaliatory act.
- (p. 46) Jill and Rene discuss that it is unwise to continue conversation with Joe and they should just document events for his file.

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UPDATE 5:

Please also read the new updates on Alaska Dispatch with a very good summary of the case:

In the short span of time the employees were trying to get to the bottom of what had happened, Miller lied no less than four times:

--He told them he'd had to use another computer because he couldn't access the website he needed to get to on his.
--He claimed he had to clear the cache or the website might block his access.
--He initially denied being on more than one computer
--And he claimed he was visiting a professor's website at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

In a written account of events offered by one of Miller's co-workers -- identifed in an earlier redcords release as "employee 3" but now known to be Jill Dolan, Miller's acting supervisor at the time -- Dolan states that the office staff felt none of what Miller was saying made any sense and that he was acting bizarre.

(...) About a year and a half after Miller was in trouble for politicking, employees would again report behavior they felt was bizarre and deceitful. It would be the end of the line for Miller, who ended up resigning without notice after disagreements with his boss and others in the office.

"My blood is boiling at his continued misrepresentations," wrote Dolan to Broker in an e-mail Sept. 1, 2009, the same day the borough accepted Miller's resignation.

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MENTAL HEALTH BREAK:

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JUDGING BY THIS NEW CAMPAIGN ADVERT, JOE MILLER'S MENTAL HEALTH IS ALSO BREAKING:

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PLEASE RE-TWEET:

http://twitter.com/#!/palingates/status/28851226591

http://twitter.com/#!/palingates/status/28853268862

http://twitter.com/#!/palingates/status/28853594430

http://twitter.com/#!/palingates/status/28854708320

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Sarah Palin and friends - The world on Sunday: Pink underwear, Joe Miller's "no journalists" policy, personality cult, and much more

I hope you all had a nice Sunday so far, and I would like to mention several items today.

Let's start with "Real Sheriff" Joe Arpaio, who met Sarah Palin in Arizona on Friday.

Given his apparent disdain for basic human rights, one can see where the attraction to "celebrity redneck" Sarah Palin lies, and vice versa. It doesn't take long to find some shocking facts about the "real Sheriff", for example:

U.S. District Court Judge Neil V. Wake ruled in 2008, and again in 2010, that the Maricopa County jails violated the constitutional rights of inmates in medical and other care related issues. This ruling was a result of a lawsuit brought by the ACLU, which alleged that "Arpaio routinely abused pre-trial detainees at Maricopa County Jail by feeding them moldy bread, rotten fruit and other contaminated food, housing them in cells so hot as to endanger their health, denying them care for serious medical and mental health needs and keeping them packed as tightly as sardines in holding cells for days at a time during intake."

In a ruling issued in October, 2010, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Arpaio to follow U.S. District Court Judge Neil Wake's 2008 ruling, which required Arpaio to end severe overcrowding and ensure all detainees receive necessary medical and mental health care, be given uninterrupted access to all medications prescribed by correctional medical staff, be given access to exercise and to sinks, toilets, toilet paper and soap and be served food that meets or exceeds the U.S. Department of Agriculture's dietary guidelines. (...)

In February 2010 Judge John Leonardo of Pima County Superior Court found that Arpaio "misused the power of his office to target members of the (Board of Supervisors) for criminal investigation."

In 2008 a federal grand jury began an inquiry of Arpaio for abuse of power, in connection with an FBI investigation. Arpaio is being investigated for politically motivated and "bogus" prosecutions, which a former US Attorney called "utterly unacceptable". Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon has called Arpaio's "long list" of questionable prosecutions "a reign of terror".

"A reign of terror?" Sounds like a pretty good description of a potential Palin Presidency.

In any case, Sheriff Joe hopefully made Sarah happy with giving her a pair of his "world famous" pink underwear, which he introduced a long time ago for PR-reasons:

A very appropriate present for Sarah, whose main appeal for many male voters still seems to be that she apparently is "hot."

It's a real shame that Sarah Palin didn't tell Joe the story of Diana Palin, Todd's half-sister, who committed several burglaries in 2009 while being a drug addict. I am sure that Sheriff Joe would have offered his sympathies. ;-)

Diana Palin, April 2009

Diana Palin, November 2008, with Trig

Speaking about crazy right-wingers: Our reader AzureGhost alerted me to a comment on another blog made by Norm Olson (read more about Norm Olson here), commander of the "Alaska Citizens Militia." He calls Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller "my friend":

Norm Olson claims that Alaska Dispatch editor Tony Hopfinger behaved "disrespectfully" by asking questions and therefore deserved to be arrested. Fascist thinking through and through.

Here is a tweet regarding this comment by Norm Olson by our reader AzureGhost, who asks are very good question:

In addition, aview999 found this little nugget - "Dropzone Bill" now put a note in the window of his shop in Anchorage:

Thanks for making clear that Dropzone Bill and his friends have no issues with "killing people."

"Dropzone Bill" William F. Fulton meanwhile has a new lawyer: Wayne Anthony Ross ("WAR"), Sarah Palin's failed choice for Alaska's attorney general (I still remember that day, listening live on the radio to the vote in AK legislature - it was wonderful!). "WAR" was also the co-chair of Sarah Palin's gubernational campaign for Governor in 2006.

Wayne Anthony Ross ("WAR") with Sarah Palin

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Joe Miller's lawyer Thomas Van Flein meanwhile causes some confusion in Alaska.

In addition, ADN-reporter Julia O'Malley got another taste of "Joe Miller's democracy", trying to report from another campaign even:

When I walked in the door, it seemed like the average campaign event. People wore buttons. Kids played with balloons. Everybody ate hot dogs. Right away I could feel a blond woman watching me. I wound into the crowd with my notebook, ignoring her. I saw Miller. His back was to me. There was a crowd around him. About then the blond woman appeared in my path.

She asked if I was with the news media.

Yes, I nodded.

Media weren't invited to this event, she said.

But it said on Twitter anyone could come, I said. It was a "meet and greet," I said.

That was a mistake, she said.

How could that be? What about all the people who weren't reporters who read Twitter and came over?

The event got changed at the last minute, she said. It was only for volunteers. It was private, she said. She ushered me to the door. If I had questions, she said, I could call the campaign's press person.

I didn't want to talk to the campaign's press person, I said. I wanted to talk to voters.

The voters thought the event was private and that news media wouldn't be there, she said.

I needed to leave, she said.

And with that, I found myself out on the pavement. I called back into the open door, trying to get her name. She turned her back on me. The door shut.

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Back to Sarah Palin:

Sarah's fans continue to fall over themselves in adoration for their idol. Right-wing talk show host Tammy Bruce interviewed Rebecca Mansour from C4P/SarahPAC on her radio show, and these two have the biggest girl crush on Sarah Palin ever witnessed (ok, others come close as well, like Adrienne Ross). It's a comical experience to listen to them, knowing that Sarah Palin is nothing like this wonderful person they describe. Sarah is only "wonderful" if you give her your adoration. If you refuse to do that, you turn immediately into her mortal enemy, because due to her personality disorder, she is unable to accept any dissent.

This interview makes it again plain obvious that the Palinbots are nothing but a pure personality cult, and all criticism towards the great leader Sarah Palin has to be ridiculed immediately, because it just cannot be true.

Accordingly, Rebecca Mansour ("RAM-hammer" in old C4P days) is Sarah Palin's "enforcer" on her facebook page and faithfully deletes all the comments which are even slightly critical of Sarah Palin.

Tammy Bruce and Rebecca Mansour don't seem to realize that they were talking about Sarah Palin as if she was already on the campaign trail for 2012. This should remove the last doubts that Palin is going to run for President, but as I have mentioned before, we already know from several reliable sources for quite a while now that Sarah Palin is going to run. So America is to experience much more screech, hate and madness in the near future.

On a side-note, Rebecca Mansour claims that superwoman Sarah Palin works "20 hours a day." Who cares for her children then? Why do I even ask...

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Other articles which were published during the previous days:

"Think Progress" is continuing to follow-up on their big scoop with the revelation of the secret meetings of Koch industries with members of the business elite and the media.

Now, they take a closer look at some of the "journalists" who attended the meetings.

"Alternet" has a very interesting article about "Conservatives' Big Hypocrisy: Turning Women Candidates (Who Are Anti-Sex and Anti-Woman) into Sex Symbols." The thrilla from Wasilla plays of course an important role here.

"Alternet" also reports about the latest Wikileaks-revelations: "Wikileaks' Iraq War Logs: Secret Files Show How US Ignored Torture"

Another very good recent article on "Alternet": "Fascist America: Is This Election the Next Turn? It's not fascism yet; but if the Tea Party manages to get its hands on the levers of power, it will be."

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I would like to conclude this little "Sunday-roundup" with presenting another documentary which some of you might not have watched yet.

"The Fog of War" won the Oscar for the best documentary in 2003, and deservedly so - it's without any doubt one of the best documentary ever made. It's a huge achievement, and a riveting viewing experience.

This documentary about "the life and times" of former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara is also incredibly relevant when we look at a figure like Sarah Palin, who likes to divide the world in good and evil, and seems incapable of any form of self-reflection. Take into account also Palin's inability to deal with criticism and to feel empathy with others, and we come to realize that the world as we know it wouldn't exist any more if there had been a "President Palin" in charge in 1962 during the Cuba missile crisis (McNamara's lesson No 1: "Empathize with your enemy").

Never has anybody given a more shocking description than Robert McNamara in this documentary of incredibly how close the world was to nuclear war in 1962.

It's also worth buying the DVD with extra features.

Watch the documentary on google video in larger format:

(Click on "CC" in the video menu to turn the captions on and off.)

Enjoy, and have a nice evening!

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Please re-tweet:

http://twitter.com/#!/palingates/status/28641667534

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Sarah Palin signs American flag at campaign event - PLUS: Meeting with Glenn Beck and his bodyguards at Disneyland

After so much "Joe Miller insanity", I would like to focus today on some other events which happened recently.

On October 18, 2010, Sarah Palin signed an American flag at a campaign event in Reno, as Salon reported, using footage of the UK Guardian. At first, Salon wasn't 100% certain if she really signed the flag, but on closer inspection, it's clear that she did indeed. I made a short clip:

Screenshots:

Sarah Palin seems to have never heard about the Flag Code:

Flag Code. Subsection 8, part (g): "The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature."

But even if she had, I think she couldn't care less. Remember this picture:

Flag Code. Subsection 8, part (b): The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise.

Well, it doesn't appear that Queen Esther has to follow a flag code. But if Barack or Michelle Obama would do a similar thing, it would be on the news 24/7, and the wingnuts would scream for impeachment, expulsion and execution.

Sarah Palin seems to be above all rules as usual.

Regina created a montage with Sarah Palin's most memorable "flag moments":

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Speaking about wingnuts - Glenn Beck at Disneyland:

A few days ago, our friend Sondra Tompkins and her husband went with their two kids to Disneyland. Sondra Tompkins is an incredibly real American, an Air Force veteran who has an autistic son, and who had the courage to file an ethics complaint against Sarah Palin in 2009 and who recently spoke out on Palingates against Sarah Palin's faked pregnancy.

Sondra with her kids at Disneyland:

However, even at Disneyland, you sometimes cannot have a relaxing day-out without encountering some very crazy people.

For example Goofy without the costume:

Yes, that's Glenn Beck.

He wasn't alone, but had several bodyguards with him:

Sondra Tompkins wrote a report for Palingates about her encounter with Glenn Beck at Disneyland:

"I spent months training for a marathon I had planned to run on Oct. 17th. Two weeks prior I broke a toe and came down with a bad case of strep...the marathon was over, and I hadn't even run it. I was devastated, but I picked myself up and managed somehow to muster up a winning spirit and declared "I'm going to Disneyland!" So off we went...

I admit I'm not one for celebrity watching. I've been to Disney a few times and if I've seen a celebrity I wouldn't have known it. Of course I much prefer to enjoy the wonderment and excitement of my two boys as they marvel at all that Disney has to offer.

But lately I seem to have this luck...I guess you could call it luck...of running into "celebrities" I don't particularly care for. As I was walking out of a gift shop next to Splash Mountain I heard this vaguely familiar voice. Loud, like he wanted to be heard. Annoying. Obnoxious. Hmmm....sounds an awful lot like Glenn Beck, though I've never watched his program I've seen snippets, mostly when Jon Stewart has poked fun at him.

Could it really be him? (I look around and see no signs of a family but he's surrounded by grown men with Secret Service-like ear pieces.) Oh, ok, I get it now. It really is Glenn Beck and I'm RIGHT behind him. I'm close enough to see, at dusk, his wet shirt. He was on Splash Mountain the same time we were. Suddenly I feel ill...and dirty.

I quickly hunt down my husband and ask him, "Is that Glenn Beck?" His reply, "Looks like that pinhead to me, but I'm not sure." Right then I turn around and snap a photo with my phone. His posse's checking me out...ooooh, I'm shaking in my shoes now. Wait a minute....no family, and GB is surrounded by 3 or 4 security guys. That's VERY strange. Personal security at Disneyland? What, is he worried about some rogue toddler biting him in the leg? Who the heck needs security at Disney, the "Happiest Place on Earth"? Maybe only unhappy people? Or angry people who make lots of money spreading lies and hatred?

By now I've snapped a couple shots of GB, though the picture quality isn't the best since I turned off the flash not wanting to draw attention to myself. Too late....by now I was getting "intimidating looks" from his detail. I just couldn't help myself anymore and I started laughing. Right then, as they headed off in a different direction I blurted out loudly "Hey, Glenn, gotta have security 'cuz NO ONE likes you!!!" They all turned to look at me. I'm smiling ear to ear. I hope I made their night.

I would have preferred to enjoy my Disney trip without a dose of GB, but in hindsight I wish I would have said more, like "Let me see you cry, Glenn, since you're so good at crying on cue. Cry, baby, cry!!" Something like that. But you know how it is, you think of the really good stuff later. And quite frankly, I didn't want my kids witnessing their mom yelling at a complete stranger.

Or maybe next time I'll just cover their ears..."

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Sondra certainly won't mind if I also include two of her comments on facebook about this incident:

Sondra wasn't the only person who spotted Glenn Beck at Disneyland and reported it on the internet. I found this conversation on myspace:

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At the end I would like to come back briefly to Joe Miller, because the Ed Show had an excellent piece with Eric Boehlert from Media Matters about the arrest of Tony Hopfinger. Boehlert said that the "Tea Party is putting their war against the press into practice." I hope that the mainstream gets the message and doesn't bow to Joe Miller, Queen Esther and her thugs in the future, because there will certainly be similar incidents. In addition, journalists should not stop to ask questions and demand answers from candidates.

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PLEASE RE-TWEET:

http://twitter.com/#!/palingates/status/28043997267

http://twitter.com/#!/palingates/status/28044173008

http://twitter.com/#!/palingates/status/28044485772

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PLUS - Queen Esther spotted something:

Oh oh...somebody made Sarah Palin angry!

She tweeted two hours ago:

Who is "Johnny"? And since when are Rush, Levin and Beck "big guns?" In Sarah Palin's fantasy world, apparently.

"Johnny" is Jonathan Martin from Politico, who had the audacity to publish a critical report about Sarah Palin. Doesn't he know yet that it's God's rule that Sarah Palin is off-limits?

Jonathan Martin writes:

The election is two weeks away, but the campaign trail reviews of Sarah Palin already are in, and they aren’t pretty.

According to multiple Republican campaign sources, the former Alaska governor wreaks havoc on campaign logistics and planning. She offers little notice about her availability, refuses to do certain events, is obsessive about press coverage and sometimes backs out with as little lead time as she gave in the first place.

In short, her seat-of-the-pants operation can be a nightmare to deal with, which, in part, explains why Palin doesn’t often do individual events for GOP hopefuls.

It’s not that Palin issues outlandish, rock star-like demands such as certain-colored M&M’s in the greenroom. At the events Palin does attend, officials say, she’s no diva; Kind and courteous is the more frequent description.

But the high-maintenance aspects of dealing with the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee have angered and frustrated some conservative candidates and aides who once thought highly of Palin and, for more skeptical Republicans, simply confirmed their view that she’s self-centered and unhelpful to the cause.

Oh, no, you didn't, Johnny! ;-)

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My tweet:

http://twitter.com/#!/palingates/status/28046961400

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UPDATE:

OMG - I think she is losing it. She has twittered 16x today so far, including some re-tweets, and now this:

She is absolutely insane. The people who want her to be the next President are equally insane.

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Revealed: Joe Miller hired security company whose owner is local commander and supplier of extreme Alaska militia, led by AIP-member Norm Olson

Investigating Joe Miller turns out to be a lot of fun. The skeletons in his closet ALMOST match those of Sarah Palin. However, Sarah is still the Queen of the closet and will probably never be beaten.

I would like to thank our readers Cheeriogirl and BanditBasheert for discovering another scandal which shows again how utterly unsuitable Joe Miller is for any kind of higher office.

Just two days ago, the security company "Dropzone Security Services", owned by William F. Fulton, came into the national headlines after their members detained AK journalist Tony Hopfinger at a town hall campaign event for Joe Miller. "Dropzone Security Services" were hired as private security for Joe Miller, and they failed to catch the hearts and minds of the nation after embarrassing footage of the "arrest" of Tony Hopfinger surfaced. They came across as unprofessional "goons", and the overzealous actions of William F. Fulton and his team did more harm then "good":

William F. Fulton aka "Dropzone Bill": Overzealous and not very bright

There is more. "Dropzone Security Services" is not just a company run by people who are not very clever, but the company is also right at the heart of the "Alaska Citizens Militia" - a group commanded by Norm Olson, who once rose to "fame" as the founder of the Michigan militia. Part of Norm Olson's history are also contacts to Oklahoma bombers Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, who trained with the Michigian Militia in the past (see here, here and here).

The Southern Poverty Law Center reports:

From the very beginning, Norman E. Olson was a radical among radicals. After starting the Michigan Militia in April 1994 as one of the first major militia groups, Olson helped make his home state one of the leading spots for Patriot activity.

He drew widespread attention after reporting Oklahoma City conspirator Terry Nichols had attended one of the meetings of the Michigan Militia, which he claimed counted 12,000 members.

But Olson, a Baptist preacher who spends time in his Alanson gun store wearing a camouflage military outfit, alienated his colleagues after Oklahoma by offering reporters an incredible theory: The Japanese government had bombed the federal building there as a return favor for the sarin gas subway attack that he said the U.S. government carried out in Tokyo.

Unceremoniously booted out by his comrades-in-arms, Olson started another group, the Northern Michigan Regional Militia, while attacking his former friends as "too moderate." In the run-up to the millennial date change, Olson predicted government collapse and worse as a result of the "y2k" computer bug — a collapse he welcomed.

"We're itching for a standoff someplace," he told The Washington Post in late 1999. "Any movement needs a good and noble rallying point, an Alamo or a 'Remember the Maine,' and this could be it."

Norm Olson,

commander of "Alaska Citizens Militia"

Norm Olson's was in the end thrown out of the Michigan Militia for being too extreme and for being too enthusiastic about conspiracy theories. From Wikipedia:

"(Olson) also claimed that the (Oklahoma) bombing was carried out by the government of Japan in retaliation for a sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, which Olson claimed was perpetrated by the United States. The conspiracy theory was deemed so extreme by fellow militiamen that he was expelled from the Michigan Militia after losing four elections for commander."

A few years ago, Norm Olson and Michigan Militia co-founder Ray Southwell "resurfaced" in Alaska - from a report in 2009:

"A key figure of the 1990s antigovernment “Patriot” movement who largely dropped from public view in 2002 has resurfaced in Alaska, where he’s recruiting for his newly formed Alaska Militia.

Norm Olson, who founded the Michigan Militia in 1994, held an organizational meeting last Thursday at a community center in Nikiski, a small town in the Kenai Peninsula region about 170 road miles from Anchorage.

Olson’s message: “Something very evil this way comes.”

“We’re looking at catastrophe just a couple months away — economic collapse, food shortages around the world, prices in stores are gonna go skyrocketing with this inflation,” Olson told the roughly 20 attendees, according to The Redoubt Reporter, a Kenai Peninsula newspaper.

“I’m convinced that times are coming when we are going to have to repel federal aggression, tyrannical oppressive federal aggression. They’re going to want to quell any kind of uprising, because it’s bad for politics,” Olson was quoted as saying.

Presiding over the meeting alongside Olson was Michigan Militia co-founder Ray Southwell. In the 1990s Olson and Southwell together made the Michigan Militia one of the first major antigovernment Patriot groups in the country and helped transform their former home state into a hotbed of Patriot activity."

See also the AP report in the Juneau Empire here and the report from MSNBC.

The Redoubt Reporter published on September 9, 2010 an extensive article about the fact that both Norm Colson and Ray Southwell are members of the notorious Alaska Independence Party (AIP). For a short while, Norm Olson was also to be destined to become the AIP's candidate for Lt. Governor, but the decision was quickly reversed. In a campaign email, Norm Olson was as outspoken as ever:

“… I want your vote, yes! But beyond that, I want your pledge and your sovereign vow to support me as I stand against the Federal Government’s long reach into the private lives of REAL ALASKANS. Our ‘Lexington Green’ is coming soon. You must make your decision to take your stand as INDEPENDENT SOVEREIGN ALASKANS or continue to suck on the tit of the federal sow! What’s it going to be?

“I’m not playing political games here, folks. I’m saying that together with Don Wright, the AIP candidate for Governor, that I will work to mobilize the ENTIRE ALASKA MILITIA, MADE UP OF ALL ALASKANS, to stand against the rape and pillage of the federal government of this God-Given blessed gift called Alaska.”

Ray Southwell and Norm Olson

After establishing the general background, it's time to meet "Dropzone Bill!"

"Dropzone Bill" is the "nickname" of none other than William F. Fulton, the owner of "Dropzone Security Services", who came across as an unprofessional "goon" during the "arrest" of Tony Hopfinger.

He uses this nickname for his postings on the google-message board of the "Alaska Citizens Militia", which conveniently is public, for everyone to see.

From the postings, several facts can be established: Fulton's "Dropzone" military surplus shop in Anchorage which he owns together with his (currently unlicensed) security company, is a regular meeting point for the members of the militia and appears also to be their main supplier, according to the messages on the website. In addition, Fulton aka "Dropzone Bill" is a local commander of the militia.

These are the people who Joe Miller employed as security. Needless to say that they are very fond of him, as is also apparent from the message board.

Let's take a closer look at some of the postings:

Norm Olson is still hoping for his revolution and a "patriotic response to tyranny and oppression" - September 29, 2010:

No cozy handshakes, but the blood of tyrants - you get the picture:

William F. Fulton aka "Dropzone Bill" is quite active on the message board...

...and seems to expect the big final fight as well...but that's probably why they have started this militia in the first place:

"All groups prepare in different ways and depending on what happens some will be better off than others those that rant as prepared will not just come and hand us there guns and then die they will find a way to survive, make no mistake as society brakes down the standard human being will revert quicker than you'll believe back to an animal some already have look at the inner city.
when theres nothing to loose then that person becomes more dangerous than you've ever imagined
DropzoneBill"

The premises of Dropzone in Anchorage...

Picture: Progressive Alaska

...are a regular meeting point for the militia:

Dropzone also appears to be the main supplier for the militia - "Dropzone Bill" has several posts about offers from his shop on the message board. But the main confirmation comes from Norm Olson himself - William F. Fulton is the "Supply Sergeant for many units":

On September 7, 2010, we have a "curiosity" on the message board, as "Dropzone Bill" enters into an argument with former AIP chairman Mark Chryson (who is still an AIP official). It seems that Mark Chryson is too moderate for William F. Fulton:

Mark Chryson himself rose to fame in 2008 after it was revealed by Max Blumenthal and David Neiwert in Salon that Chryson was instrumental in starting Sarah Palin's political career in 1996, when he was AIP chairman.

Norm Olson himself has also some encouraging words for "Dropzone Bill":

"We will fight in the political arena, and if that fails,

we will lock and load."

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Let's summarize:

Joe Miller chose a security firm for his campaign event which is not only unlicensed, but also right at the heart of an extreme militia group, with the owner of the security firm being a local commander of the militia and also the main supplier. This Alaskan militia is headed by the notorious Norm Olson, who played a major role in the radical militia movement in the 1990's in Michigan, a movement which is at least partly to blame for the Oklahoma bombing.

Joe, do you think the citizens of Alaska will vote for you?

I doubt it very much.

William F. Fulton aka "Dropzone Bill" already knew right after the Joe Miller's event with the "arrest" of Tony Hopfinger last Sunday that he had messed up:

Joe, your friend has a point there.

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NOTE:

I have uploaded some copies of the Alaska Citizens Militia google message board HERE, in case they delete it.

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UPDATE:

BanditBasheert alerted me to an incredibly important item at the google message board of the Alaska Citizens Militia. In this thread, the members discuss Joe Miller, his personlity, his policies and his chances of success. Norm Olson's buddy Ray Southwell writes about a meeting with Joe Miller:

"Over the last several months I have been politically active in my run for State House. I first met Joe Miller at a small meeting at Fred Struman’s building in Soldotna. (where the militia has met) He was asked tough questions. I told him, I wished he had run for an elected state position. We need leaders here to stand against the feds.

I asked him how he was going to change Washington D.C. He believes there is going to be a large change in Senators in November. He also believes change will occur with the new group of Senators.

I have been in three parades this summer. In two of those parades, Joe miller was in position just in front of my wife and I. Faith and I have met and spoken to his father and wife. His father is a retired farmer from the lower 48. No arrogance, just like the rest of us. His wife is the mother of their 8 children 4 boys and 4 girls. Our wife’s seemed comfortable talking to each other."

Therefore it's proven that Joe Miller is palling around with the extreme militia for a long time already. The hiring of "Dropzone Bill" as head of his security team was no "accident." Also very enlightening the remark: "He also believes change will occur with the new group of Senators." Thankfully, it seems more and more unlikely that Miller will be a part of this group.

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Please re-tweet:

http://twitter.com/#!/palingates/status/27901229949

http://twitter.com/#!/palingates/status/27901515934

http://twitter.com/#!/palingates/status/27901695840

http://twitter.com/#!/palingates/status/27901871145

http://twitter.com/#!/palingates/status/27903459503

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Websites which linked to this post:

Andrew Sullivan, The Daily Dish

Charles Johnson, Little Green Footballs

Raw Story

Yahoo News

The Political Carnival

Memeorandum

Talking Points Memo

Alaska Dispatch

Progressive Alaska

Firedoglake - The Seminal

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