Sarah Palin's attorney doesn't know the laws of the state

We're all very excited that the story about Sarah Palin's property taxes has reached the national media. It's great to see Jeanne Devon's efforts and dedication to the truth achieve wider exposure. Mudflats is a fantastic blog, always honest and well researched.

I selected the article from MSNBC. Let's focus on Van Flein's response:

Palin's attorney, Thomas Van Flein, said it is not the responsibility of property owners to report structures that go up on their land.

"It is the borough's job," he said in an e-mail. "The property taxes on this parcel are fully paid and have never been delinquent."

Nobody said the Palins were delinquent in paying the taxes based on the existing assessment of the value of the property. They were delinquent in not informing the borough about the building of the structures and accepted the valuation of $0.00 for years, knowing that they were worth considerably more than that.

Dave Dunivan, the assessor for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, said owners are required by state law to report any omissions or errors in their tax assessments.

At least one of the cabins was built in 2006, very likely during the summer. Sarah Palin took her oath to serve as governor of the state of Alaska in December 2006. She represented the state and one would presume part of her job would be to ensure that state laws are upheld.

Is her attorney really twisting state law in defending his client? Van Flein said the exact opposite of what state law requirements are in this case. The least one could expect from the highest state official is that she would obey the laws of that state.

One would also expect her lawyer to inform himself a bit better about the law before making erroneous statements.

AS 29.45.180(a) requires the taxpayer who receives an assessment notice to advise the assessor of errors or omissions in the assessment of property.

As we have all realized by now, laws apply to other people, not to Sarah Palin and her family...

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We have just received word that this story has now reached the international media as well. It's everywhere!

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Bristol Palin vs Levi Johnston - The art of producing evidence

We have found an interesting timeline of some events surrounding the custody battle between Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston. It was buried in the comments on one of Bree's posts. This post is based on that comment.

The motion for closure of the custody proceedings relating to Tripp Johnston was filed on November 4, 2009.

Bristol Palin's lawyer, Mr Thomas Van Flein, cited Levi's Johnston's Twitter account as a reason to keep the proceedings confidential.

That same night, Levi's tweets were read by William Shatner on Conan O'Brien's show, which really "proved" that Levi's fame and propensity to tweet about private matters would compromise the custody proceedings if they were made public. What a truly extraordinary coincidence...

Conan apologized after Rex Butler, Levi's attorney, pointed out that the Twitter account was a fake.



On November 6, Andrea Gusty, a reporter for KTUU, interviewed Levi and Rex Butler regarding the Twitter incident. Andrea Gusty is the same reporter who validated some photographs taken on April 13, 2008, showing a very pregnant Sarah Palin. Ms Gusty attempted to lead Levi into answering questions about the dirt he had on Sarah.



It seems to me that it's too much of a coincidence that Levi's "tweets" became a comedy item on a popular show exactly on the same day the custody motion, with all its confidentiality clauses, was filed by Bristol Palin. Two days later, a reporter sympathetic to the Palins tried to ambush Levi into talking about the dirt on Sarah Palin, which would reinforce his image as the "bad boy" who can't keep his mouth shut and capitalizes on the Palins fame in pursuit of cheap publicity for himself.

What an amazing coincidence that the "facts" about Levi's indiscretions fit the "evidence" presented in the custody motion!

When it comes to the Palins, do we believe in coincidences?

(H/T to deb in WI)
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Bristol Palin and the custody trial: Interested in confidentiality, or hypocrisy as usual?

Reading the far right-wing blogs sometimes has its merits. It's not always fun to read the moronic drivel of the right-wing fringe, but sometimes there are some nuggets hidden for you.

One of my regular reads is the blog of the right-wing nutcase Dan Riehl, who once unsuccessfully in a major effort tried to smear Gryphen from Immoral Minority, publishing for example private details of Gryphen as well as the contact details of his (former) employer.

Dan Riehl considers himself to be a "supporter of Sarah Palin". Interestingly, he recently had an argument with the folks from C4P because their fanatic pro-Palin approach was even too much for Dan Riehl.

So I read Dan Riehl's recent post with the inconspicuous title "Doc Drop: Bristol Palin's Motion For Child Support" which he posted on January 22, 2010 at 02.00 PM EST. The post reads:

Doc Drop: Bristol Palin's Motion For Child Support

The link below is a pdf copy of Bristol Palin's motion for support.

Download Conformed Motion for Interim Child Support

Screenshot:



So far, so good. TMZ and ET Online had also both reported about this latest development in the custody case on January 22 and had made these new documents available for download, therefore I didn't expect to read anything new.

However, in the comments of this post, there was a surprise:

In the first comment, Dan Riehl was attacked for posting this information. A commenter wrote:

This is pathetic. What is the point? Bristol Palin is a private citizen, not a political figure.
Disgusting, Dan. Absolutely disgusting.
Posted by: Thomas Friday, January 22, 2010 at 02:10 PM

...to which Dan Riehl, who doesn't like it to be attacked, responded a few minutes later:

You people have no clue. You think I drove to Alaska for that? Hmm? Geesh. Idiots.
And btw, it isn't a private document, it's public. And it demonstrates that the $ request is in accordance with existing law. It's a formula, not some number made up out of whole cloth. If you think this is being posted to hurt Bristol, you are a fool.
Some of you see the name Palin and lose your heads.
Posted by: Dan Riehl Friday, January 22, 2010 at 02:18 PM

However, the commenter didn't let go and answered:

I didn't say it was a private document, you moron. I said Bristol is a private citizen. She's not a political figure.
Posted by: Thomas Friday, January 22, 2010 at 04:09 PM

Dan Riehl clearly doesn't like being called a "moron", and in his anger he then let something slip which is very revealing indeed - and someting he probably should have kept for himself:

And I'm saying someone wanted it posted, so you're an idiot for criticizing me.
Posted by: Dan Riehl Friday, January 22, 2010 at 04:24 PM

Screenshot:



So, Dan - "someone wanted it posted"? Was this maybe the "someone" who recently in a frantic effort tried to keep the custody proceedings confidential? And who now might give documents to the press when it suits him in order to make good publicity for Bristol Palin?

Let me rephrase this question:

Did you receive your information from this guy, who fights for Sarah Palin...



...or from this guy, who is kept busy fighting against Sarah Palin, and about whose client Levi Johnston you recently said: "Time for Levi to pay up and find out what being a parent really means, as opposed to just cashing in while abandoning your kid? Hey, he can always sell the pick up truck"?


I have seen more difficult questions before.

Because it must have been one of the two, as the time stamp on your posted documents proves - the motion was filed only on the previous day, on January 21, 2010. You posted the documents already on the next day, and as you said, you didn't even have to fly to Alaska to get them!

In addition, Dan, I couldn't see the particular time stamp which was included on YOUR documents...



...on any of the other documents that were posted online (on TMZ or ET Online).

Which means you most likely received those documents "exclusively", am I correct?

Just asking questions, Dan, just asking questions! After all, Dan, you love this game yourself, don't you?
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Bristol v Levi - the plot thickens... - UPDATE! LEVI JOHNSTON DEFENDS HIMSELF!

Bristol Palin has filed a motion for interim child support in which she asks for 20% of Levi's earnings for 2009, that, on information and belief, were estimated to be in excess of $105,000. She is asking for $1,750 per month, retroactive to December 27, 2009. As Levi had already contributed $4,400, Bristol would be content to receive $18,350.



According to Alaskan law:

"The custodial parent may request child support from the date the parents separated (even if that was long ago).

The order will tell you when you started owing child support, and when payments are due. "

Did Bristol and Levi split up before or on the very day Tripp was born?

She seems to be guessing how much Levi earned:

Our retroactive virgin wants a piece of Levi's cake, but she doesn't want the world to know how big her own cake is.

Please note that Van Flein says that Levi wants ALL OF HIS information pertaining to this case to be public. No, he wanted ALL of the information regarding the case to be public in order to protect himself from Granny Palin's dirty tricks...

We wonder whether Rex and Levi will get the message that the Palin camp wants Bristol's financial information to be confidential. Van Flein repeated it enough times in his letter...

Levi does not appear to have responded to any of it. Is he happy with the proposed amount and the confidentiality stipulation? Or is he preparing a "big strike" for a future permanent order, demanding Bristol's earnings to be disclosed?

Page 8 of the pdf of the court documents shows an order granting motion for interim child support. Please note that it's NOT signed by the judge.

TMZ, the people who published photos of Sarah Palin in Hawaii (they took the nice photos, not the celulite ones), are now having fun mocking Levi, with a succession of unflattering articles. We can only guess how much they took to sell their souls to the Palins.

We should show Levi some support by visiting TMZ and leaving some comments to set the record straight. After all, Bristol earned (on information and belief) considerably more than Levi in 2009. ALL her photoshoots included Tripp, she made her money pimping Tripp all over the place. We don't remember seeing Tripp in the pistachio ad or in the shower with Levi for his "porn" debut.

Mother and daughter are bringing up their bundles of joy in strikingly similar fashion. Poor Trig was paraded at all hours, in any weather, to sell books. Tripp fared a bit better so far, he just had to be cute in the sink and eat some birthday cake as the poster child for abstinence. But give Bristol some time to catch up with Granny Palin, she's a novice. After all, granny had a head start, she has pimped her children for a long time, by now she's a real pro!

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UPDATE (by Patrick):

There is explosive news - the battle is heating up! Rex Butler now basically accuses Bristol Palin of lying.

It seems to me that Sarah Palin tries to play dirty again - just like in the case against Trooper Wooten!

TMZ reports:

Attorney Rex Butler tells TMZ, Levi has told Bristol on several occasions he wanted her to come to his house to pick up checks for Tripp's support. Butler says Levi also told her "it would be nice" if she brought Tripp along when she picked up the checks, because Levi wanted to spend time with his son. Butler says on each occasion Bristol was a no-show.

Butler says Bristol is partly to blame for the fact that she hasn't gotten the support she wants. Butler tells TMZ on one occasion Levi was prepared to hand over $3,000 ... but Bristol never showed.

As for why Levi didn't just put the check in the mail ... Butler says, "Why should he have to do that. He's not dangerous to her."

As we first reported, Bristol filed legal docs late Thursday asking for $1,750 a month in child support from Levi, claiming he's only paid $4,400 since Tripp was born. Levi's manager says the Playgirl model has forked over more than $10K.

Butler would not tell us how much Levi made in 2009, but says it's significantly less than $250,000.

And, Butler says, Bristol's been driving around in a $60,000 Cadillac Escalade that he believes Sarah Palin bought ... and he thinks Sarah is controlling Bristol and is behind the latest legal move.

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UPDATE 2 (by Patrick):

ET Online reports that Levi Johnston defends himself against allegations made by Van Flein and by the media:

In an exclusive interview with ET, Levi says he believes he has given Bristol more than she claims. "I don't really know but my lawyer does. But it's reasonable, what he thought was fair. For them to call me a deadbeat dad's absurd. I attempt to call her all the time and give her texts to make sure he's doing well ... I call her all the time. I try and do everything I can to see my son. I'm making an effort. I'm trying to be there for him."

(h/t) EyeOnYou!

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"In Touch Weekly" magazine reports the happy Palin family life - Spot the fake! - UPDATE 2!

UPDATE 2 (click to enlarge):

"In Touch Weekly" have some more info on their website now.

Apparenty the "last few years" have been "unreal and surreal" for Sarah Palin.

Change this to "last year", and I feel that I have something in common with Sarah Palin! Who would have thought!

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UPDATE (click to enlarge):




"Jezebel" has new pictures and information.

According to the new details as reported by Jezebel, Bristol Palin now appears to be a "born again virgin":

"She does tell In Touch what kind of guy she'd like, when she's "ready" to date: "One with values, one with a good family, a hard worker, and someone who is going to love me and my baby." But Bristol says: "I'm not going to have sex until I'm married. I can guarantee it." (The word "again" seems to have been left out there.)"

More excerpts from the article:

Now, the mother and daughter are sharing a unique experience — raising baby boys together under the same roof, along with Sarah's husband, Todd, and their other children, Willow, 15, and Piper, 8.

While Sarah is extremely proud of Bristol, she hasn't coddled her or taken over mothering duties. She lets Bristol learn and make mistakes on her own, and it's understood that Bristol will support Tripp financially as much as possible — which means buying her own diapers and formula.

"There's no mistaking that Tripp is her baby, and she is in charge," Sarah explains. "this whole experience has made her grow up so quickly , but she has taken total responsibility and never gripes about it."

"Tripp is the love of my life — I couldn't ask for a better baby," she insists. "But the reality is I'm 19 years old and I have a one-year-old. I wish I could be in my 20s with a baby and not be in my 20s. Just having him so young — I have to work, and I have to provide for him, because I'm a single mom."

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You read it on Palingates first. In our exclusive story on Monday, we also pointed out how this magazine deal directly contradicts Bristol Palin's own claim in her custody trial.

The Palins have arrived in dreamland. They pretend to be a happy family, and cash in a six-figure amount for a few hours of "work" at the same time, posing for a cover-story in "In Touch Weekly" magazine. In a deal which was brokered by Bristol's lawyer Thomas Van Flein, Bristol Palin proves that it apparently pays off to be a pregnant, unmarried, teenage mother. Surely Bristol's terrible fate as a celebrity mom will serve as a deterrent for other teenagers! Won't it?

However, what is it that distinguishes the Palins from some other "celebrity families"?

Readers of Palingates know the truth already: The private world that the "mentally unstable" mom Sarah Palin has created in her quest for fame, attention and fortune is FAKE - from beginning to end. Which is again apparent in this cheery gossip cover story.

First of all, Sarah Palin is not the biological mother of Trig. She faked the pregnancy, apparently in order to avoid embarrassment and not to jeopardize her chances for the vice-presidential nomination.

What else is fake here?

Levi Johnston doesn't seem to take a part in Tripp's life - instead, both Bristol and "Grandma Sarah" are raising Tripp, according to the article.

"Popeater" reported:

Sarah Palin and her daughter Bristol are doing something rare -- going front-and-center in an exclusive In Touch Weekly interview and photo spread given exclusively to PopEater, talking about the drama that has plagued the Palin family over the last year. Bristol's split from Levi Johnston and how she and Grandma Sarah have dealt with raising Bristol's son Tripp is the focus of the interview, as the politicians daughter says her headline-making split was "as bad as it gets."

Really? Isn't it the truth that the Palins constantly DENIED Levi access to his son, despite the fact that he wants to play a huge part in his life? Isn't it also the truth that Bristol Palin claimed in her affidavit:

"My mother, Sarah Palin, is not involved in this custody matter other than as a grandmother, so Levi Johnston has no need to be "protected" from her. This case is between me an Levi; my mother has nothing to do with it."

So how come Grandma Palin is also "raising Tripp"? Now that Trig is getting too old to be carried around as a cutie on her various travels and appearances, I am under the impression that Sarah Palin needs a new prop! Isn't this the real reason why Bristol Palin wants sole custody, so that the Palins can do with Tripp whatever they like?

Bristol also said in her affidavit:

"I cannot imagine any reason why Levi Johnston would think that having this custody proceeding take place in the media spotlight would be in Tripp's best interests. It appears that the only reason Levi wants this case to remain public is so that he can continue to capitalize on his name and this case by selling stories to the media. To my knowledge, Levi's media exposure is currently his only source of income. That leads me to believe that Levi's interest in keeping this case unsealed is purely financial. Levi's interest in self-promotion has nothing to do with Tripp's best interest."

Screenshot (click to enlarge):

In addition: In the pictures you can see that the Palins are having a birthday celebration for Tripp. There is only one problem here: According to the timeline that we were given, there is simply no way that these pictures were taken on Tripp's actual birthday, but the pictures were probably taken only a few days ago. It's is therefore our educated guess that the birthday pictures were FAKED and just staged for this magazine shoot.

Is anyone surprised? I am not!

Which family member is missing, by the way? Our readers guessed it before - Track is nowhere to be seen. I am sure he has a "good reason". Keep you eyes open for new upcoming photo comparisons between Track and the Menard family. Here on Palingates you get the REAL gossip. What you get from the Palins for a six-figure sum is only the FAKE gossip. Everyone has the right to choose.

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Bristol Palin hits the tabloids again for six-figure cover-story deal - PALINGATES EXCLUSIVE

Written by Regina and Patrick

We have learned exclusively that Bristol is about to make the cover story for yet another US tabloid magazine. Bristol has posed for several pictures together with Tripp for a six-figure fee, and most of the Palin family will be featured. It seems that it takes a six-figure sum to get the Palin family all together in one room. Apparently Bristol's lawyer Thomas Van Flein was involved in the negotiations with the magazine. Expect the magazine to hit the stands this week.

Bristol’s new foray into the tabloids gives us the opportunity to look back at the sad history of accusations that the Palin family has made against Levi Johnston – for example, that he is seeking “fame, attention and fortune” (Meg Stapleton) and obtaining “money by selling stories to the media about his son Tripp” (Thomas Van Flein).

As usual, the Palins thoroughly deserve the title “hypocrites of the year”.

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Life has never been the same for Levi Johnston since he was paraded in front of the world as Bristol Palin's fiancé, a situation that he never appeared comfortable with when you look back at photos of him on the campaign trail. Alas, and perhaps predictably, Levi and Bristol split up, and an unemployed Levi (thanks to Granny Palin) had to reconsider his options and embarked on a new career in order to provide for his son Tripp and his mother and sister.

As someone who was once close to the Palin family, Levi's opinion was sought by reporters whenever Sarah Palin made the news, he didn't chase them.

On Sarah Palin's resignation:

Levi Johnston told reporters Thursday night that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin decided to resign from office for the money.

Johnston claimed that in December he heard Palin talking about "how nice it would be to take some of this money people have been offering us and just run with it, and saying, 'Forget everything else.'"

Johnston, the former fiancé of the governor's daughter, said the offers Palin was referring to came from "books, talk shows, whatever, things like that."

Levi appeared on some chat shows and gave interviews. The Palin camp was not happy:

"We're disappointed that Levi and his family, in a quest for fame, attention and fortune, are engaging in flat-out lies, gross exaggeration, and even distortion of their relationship," Stapleton said in a statement.

Even Chuck Heath had something to say:

US Weekly: (direct link no longer works, here's an alternative)

"I don't agree with what he's doing right now," Heath told Us Weekly of Johnston's press tour. "It's not right. He's broke, so he's trying to capitalize on this. I wish he’d take some of this money he’s making and buy some diapers with it."

But he took back his words:

RadarOnline:

Heath says he never made those remarks and even defends the unemployed teenager. “I didn’t say most of that stuff—that’s a bunch of garbage. I don’t know how they came up with that. The only thing I said—and that was said jokingly, that was kind of in jest about the diapers,” Heath explained to RadarOnline. As for his feelings on Johnston hitting the media circuit, Heath cuts the teenager some slack. “It’s up to him. He’s a kid. I have no bone to pick with Levi, he’s a good kid.”

Now Bristol Palin is taking the "good kid" to court, seeking sole legal custody of their son Tripp.

In her affidavit, under point 9, Bristol boldly claims:

“I cannot imagine any reason why Levi Johnston would think that having this custody proceeding take place in the media spotlight would be in Tripp's best interests. It appears that the only reason Levi wants this case to remain public is so that he can continue to capitalize on his name and this case by selling stories to the media. To my knowledge, Levi's media exposure is currently his only source of income. That leads me to believe that Levi's interest in keeping this case unsealed is purely financial. Levi's interest in self-promotion has nothing to do with Tripp's best interest.”

Screenshot:


Van Flein had no hesitation to add:

"Further, as the record already demonstrates, scurrilous scandal publications like Vanity Fair and the National Enquirer will pay money for falsehoods or any statement coming from these proceedings. Neither Levi Johnston, nor any member of the Johnston family, should continue to profit off of Tripp Palin by seeking media attention and money for "stories"."

Van Flein also drew attention in the custody trial to Levi's means of earning a living, asserting that he exploits her family and baby Tripp through the media, saying that Levi “has obtained money by selling stories to the media about his son Tripp, ex-fiance Bristol , and the Palin family in general, but otherwise has not gone to school to learn a trade or obtain a degree.”

Screenshot:


Furthermore, Van Flein cited Levi’s commitments as one of the reasons why he would be unable to offer a stable environment for the child, to which Levi responded quite convincingly.

Screenshot of Levi's response:


In his reply from December 23, 2009, Bristol’s lawyer Van Flein went even further:

"In reviewing the Opposition brief, and Mr. Johnston's affidavit, one thing stands out: Mr. Johnston focuses only on himself, he does not mention the impact on Tripp or show any real concern that a public media circus could have on Tripp or these proceedings.

These gravamen of all child custody proceedings is the best interests of the child.

Yet all Mr. Johnston refers to is his own self-interest, his own interest in endless publicity, his desire for press-mongering, and his appetite for self-aggrandizment. This matter is about Tripp.

Nothing in Mr. Johnston's Opposition suggests that Tripp will benefit from daily news accounts and salacious interviews by Levi with scandal hungry tabloids.”

It’s clear that Bristol, Van Flein and the mastermind in the background, Sarah Palin, are not happy when Levi talks to tabloids – because the tabloids should be exclusively reserved for the Palins, who just love to fill their bank accounts with sweet tabloid dollars!

In addition, we can't remember watching Levi on national television with an "out-cold" Tripp on his lap.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Levi posed with Tripp for a few photos for a magazine spread, but Tripp didn't appear on the cover.

Bristol was happy to appear with Tripp on the cover of People Magazine.

Compared to Bristol, Levi has exploited Tripp a lot less.

This pretense of virtue and propriety by the Palins has to stop, otherwise the damage to Tripp’s wellbeing will likely affect him as he grows older. Tripp needs both his mother and his father in his life. He needs to be secure in the knowledge that BOTH his parents shared in the responsibility of his financial and emotional welfare on an equal basis and that need can be recognised through shared custody.
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Sherry's chronic pain, and what didn't happen when Cindy lied...

We have a guest post by our dear Mrs Tarquin Biscuitbarrel. She analyses and compares the fates of two women in very different circumstances.


Social and economic class still determine how Americans will be treated in a court of law. It's downright painful to see an attorney deliberately make the divide between rich and poor yawn wider, as Thomas Van Flein did in the now-uncovered custody battle over Tripp Johnston, when he matter-of-factly linked the following sentences:

"Ms. Johnston is a convicted felon. She is also a chronic pain patient and undergoes daily, regular, and sustained narcotic infusions." As though "felon" is equal to "chronic pain patient"! "The side effects of such narcotics are well known, but often include sleepiness. The baby cannot be left with Sherry Johnston without someone there to supervise, as Ms. Johnston could fall asleep or be too drowsy to appropriately monitor the baby. Further, in the light of the illegal drug dealing by Ms. Johnston, there is the risk that she may re-offend, keep medications around the house which could be accessible to the baby, have illegal drug users come to the house (or she could take the baby in her car during a drug sale), or otherwise engage in behavior (criminal or negligent) which could result in a variety of harms to the baby."

There's another blonde, middle-aged mother of young adults who's been much, much more intimately involved with the diversion of narcotic drugs than Sherry Johnston, over a much longer period of time. And she hasn't spent a day in jail, nor a minute with a monitoring bracelet around her ankle, and nobody has implied that she's not fit company for anyone's child. Her name is Cindy McCain.

Let's crank up the Wayback Machine and go back to the early 1990s. At that time, Cindy McCain was director of a medical charity called the American Voluntary Medical Team. Not only did Cindy steal large quantities of Vicodin and Percocet from AVMT, prescriptions for much more were written in the names of her employees without their knowledge or consent, and diverted into Cindy's handbag. One of the doctors who wrote the prescriptions lost his medical license. Senator McCain professed to be completely unaware of his wife's drug dependence until the story threatened to go public.

Tom Gosinski, who worked for AMVT until he was terminated by Cindy McCain, kept a journal of her "drug meltdown" from July 1992 through January 1993. He liked Cindy, was genuinely concerned about her, and was amazed that her parents and husband were unaware of her heavy intake of narcotics. He had suspected that prescriptions were being written in his name, so he called the Drug Enforcement Administration and asked what he should do in such a case. Report it, they replied. So he did, and Cindy canned him. Only after he learned that he would not be eligible for unemployment benefits--the AMVT, as a non-profit organization, had the ability to "opt out" of the unemployment insurance system--did Gosinski sue for wrongful termination.

At this point, John McCain got on the phone to John Dowd of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, the attorney who helped ease him out of his mess with the Keating Five incident. Dowd cooked up a deal for Cindy with federal prosecutors. McCain also called Maricopa County Attorney Richard Romley and complained that Gosinski was trying to extort money from Mrs. McCain. The Senator called in political consultant Jay Smith, in order to "reframe" Cindy's wrongdoings in the most flattering possible light. On August 19, 1994, just days before the records were to be made public, Jay Smith brought Cindy to meet with a selected group of journalists, where she said that her "confession" was intended to quell rumors and to encourage others with drug problems to turn their lives around. The first round of stories is adoring, with no mention of extortion or Gosinski.

According to Amy Silverman of the Phoenix New Times, who covered this story extensively (with the best headline ever: "Opiate for the Mrs."), there remained a number of gaps in the narrative. Cindy McCain told the reporters that she went into residential drug treatment early in 1994, but she told investigators she had undergone treatment in 1991 and 1992. "Whom did she lie to--investigators or reporters?" Silverberg asks.

* If Cindy McCain did undergo treatment before 1994, as she told investigators, the Senator's claim that he didn't learn of his wife's addiction until January 1994 simply defies credibility.

* Cindy McCain and Jay Smith lied about her status with federal prosecutors. She told a Tucson reporter that she already had completed a pretrial diversion program. Smith told another reporter that the case had come to "resolution." In fact, Cindy McCain hadn't even been accepted into a diversion program.

* Jay Smith misled the Arizona Republic when he said that Gosinski had tipped federal DEA agents as retribution for failing to get a cash settlement. In fact, Gosinski was talking to the DEA 11 months before he ever filed his wrongful termination claim.

* Tom Gosinski no longer has a civil lawsuit against Cindy McCain. It died of neglect in the summer of 1994.

But this is all olllllllld news, isn't it? Not quite. Gosinski reappeared during the 2008 campaign to tell his story once again.

And in the fall of 2009, Cindy McCain--flatteringly coiffed and photographed--confided to People magazine about her "secret struggle" with migraines, severe migraines that she says she has suffered "for over fifteen years." Back when Cindy was briefly in the soup for diverting thousands of tablets of Vicodin and Percocet, she reportedly had "back trouble."

So okay, now Cindy has migraines. And for how long? "Over fifteen years." Gee, that would take us back to... 1994?

Cindy McCain is revealing "her painful condition in the hope of raising awareness and encouraging more research. She says one of the first challenges was finding the words to describe how painful the headaches can be. When she first told her husband, a former POW during the Vietnam War, she used a word she knew he would understand.

"'Torture,' she says. 'Being tied to a chair for four days, I can't imagine how unbearable that pain must have been, but yeah, I can, because a migraine may come close."

Wow. Just wow. Mrs. McCain also claims that "for years she tried to downplay the pain, not wanting to burden her family." Assuming that a migraineur has any contact whatsoever with his or her immediate family, how could they not know that they have migraine? Nobody's upper lip is that stiff. Cindy McCain does not say what it is that she takes to relieve migraine: A number of highly effective non-narcotic remedies have come on the market in the past fifteen years, but they don't work for everyone. And certainly "finding the words to describe how painful the headaches can be" isn't the main problem for most people. Migraine sufferers who are fortunate enough to have medical insurance still have to find someone to treat them, a physician who is willing to offer a variety of treatment modalities until something clicks, something works. This takes time, and this takes money. People who don't have insurance are, quite simply, screwed to the wall. If they follow the stated Bush-Cheney health plan and head to their nearest emergency room, they may be labeled a "DSP," medical shorthand for "drug-seeking patient." They might be treated there for acute pain, if they are lucky, but the discharge instructions invariably will tell them to "follow up" with a private physician.

Ask me how I know. I've had migraines all my life. When I experienced the first one I remember, I was three years old. The migraines became intractable--meaning "constant"--some sixteen years ago. It took several more years to find a doctor who would treat me aggressively and appropriately. I've been worked up, brushed off, and scoffed at by a wide variety of Washington-area medical specialists before getting the help I needed. I've even been called a "DSP" by an ER physician who was quite chagrined that his patient understood what he was saying about her. And yet, I'm one of the lucky ones, because I do have insurance, and I do have relief on hand at all times (in childproof containers, securely zipped into an inside pocket of my handbag), so that I'm only partially disabled by chronic pain, rather than fully disabled. I "undergo daily, regular, and sustained narcotic" treatment, although I take my medication orally, rather than through an infusion pump like Sherry's. And for years, while taking Schedule II-regulated, narcotic analgesics, I've also taken care of my own children full time, as well as looking after my friends' children on innumerable occasions, without ever once falling asleep, nodding off, or having--as Van Flein assumes--drug-addict friends hanging around my house like flies at a picnic.

Migraineurs across the Internet seem a bit bemused that Cindy McCain feels she needs to "raise awareness" of migraine as a potentially disabling medical condition, but they conclude, well, we suppose it's all for the good. "Migraine headaches were, as everyone who did not have them know, imaginary," wrote Joan Didion forty years ago ("In Bed," The White Album). "All of us who have migraine suffer not only from the attacks themselves but from this common conviction that we are perversely refusing to cure ourselves by taking a couple of aspirin, that we are making ourselves sick, that we 'bring it on ourselves.'" So if Cindy McCain wants to raise awareness, in her brave, brave, I-don't-want-to-bother-my-family way, I guess we don't have anything to complain about. Except that I don't think the situation is quite as simple as the way she is framing her argument. And it helps if her readers, or listeners, don't have the pesky, flypaper memories that some of us do. Some of us remember when Cindy McCain was diverting oodles of drugs. Even Rush Limbaugh paid for his cigar-boxfuls of OxyContin.

With her vast fortune and her husband's contacts, it's inconceivable that Cindy McCain would have been unable to obtain the best medical care this country has to offer, for whatever pain problem she has now, or has had in the past. What we don't know if whether Cindy McCain had, in fact, a legitimate pain problem in the 1990s, or whether she was diverting narcotics for her own use, to self-medicate or to abuse. Her husband's Senate office managed to obtain a diplomatic passport while Cindy worked with AMVT, so her bags were never searched at the airport. In 1999, when John McCain previously nursed dreams of winning the White House, Salon noted, "Cindy McCain's staged, teary drug-addictions have been vintage John McCain. His MO is this: Get the story out--even if it's a negative story. Get it out first, with the spin you want, with the details you want and without the details you don't want."

Sherry Johnston does not have $900 an hour--the current rate an attorney like John Dowd would charge--to reframe her botched hysterectomy in a more flattering light. She has no media consultant to advise her on make herself appear to be an appropriate caregiver to Tripp Johnston. What Sherry does have, and most likely will always have, is chronic pain. When she broke the law, she suffered disproportionately for the magnitude of her crime. However, when Cindy McCain broke the law, her husband's advisors looked around and found another scapegoat, Tom Gosinski. I wouldn't trust Cindy, would you? But I would trust Sherry, though I've never met her. We have something in common, something bigger than we are. We have chronic pain, and children we love. Sherry has a grandchild, too.

Mrs. Tarquin Biscuitbarrel
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Palin-Johnston custody trial: Some inconvenient facts - The case of Diana Palin - NEW PICTURES! - UPDATE 2

Thomas Van Flein knows how to do his duty.

In his petition for custody on behalf of Bristol Palin, he dutifully points out all negative facts which could speak against Levi Johnston (including messages from Levi's fake twitter account). For example, he strongly emphasizes the fact that Levi Johnston's mother, as everyone knows, had been convicted for dealing drugs and writes:

"Ms. Johnston is a convicted felon. She is also a chronic pain patient and undergoes daily, regular, and sustained narcotic infusions. The side effects of such narcotics are well known, but often include sleepiness. The baby cannot be left with Sherry Johnston without someone else there to supervise, as Ms. Johnston could fall asleep or be too drowsy to appropriately monitor the baby. Further, in light of the illegal drug dealing by Ms. Johnston, there is a risk that she may re-offend, keep medications around the house which could be accessible to the baby, have illegal drug users come to her house (or she could take the baby in her car during a drug sale), or otherwise engage in behaviour (criminal or negligent) which could result in a variety of harms to the baby. For these reasons, any visitation schedule for Mrs. Johnston should be conditioned on a neutral third party supervisor, paid for by Ms. Johnston."

Screenshots (click to enlarge):



Accordingly, we here at palingates feel that we have to do our duty, too!

Which is to continue to expose the truth behind the deceitful facade which Queen Sarah has created!

There is one subject on which our team has done extensive research, starting several months ago, and we have patiently waited for the right time to publish these inconvenient facts. This right time has come now, as the Palins use the conviction of Sherry Johnston as an argument in the custody battle.

I am talking about the subject of Diana Palin.

Diana Palin is the half-sister of Todd Palin. Apparently they share the same father, Jim Palin. We are not aware of the identity of Diana Palin's mother at this point.


Diana Palin in November 2008:

Diana Palin around November 5, 2008 at Biltmore Hotel Resort in Arizona, holding Trig Palin. In the background Sarah Palin's sister Molly with one of her sons. Diana Palin posted this picture on her myspace-account.


Diana Palin in April 2009:

(click on pictures to enlarge)

On April 2, 2009, Diana Palin, Todd Palin’s half-sister was arrested after police say she broke into a Wasilla home for the second time in a week to steal money. The ADN reported the story on April 3, 2009 and followed up on April 13, 2009 with a report about the indictment by a grand jury on burglary, theft and trespass charges related to three break-ins at a Wasilla home:

"Police say she broke into a home on West Mill Site Circle owned by Theodore Turcott to steal cash. Turcott told investigators he'd lost nearly $2,600 in two prior burglaries, so when he saw an unfamiliar car pull into his driveway, he waited in a bathroom for Palin and confronted her after she headed straight for a cabinet where he kept his money, according to a police affidavit filed by officer Jentry Crain. Palin's 4-year-old daughter came into the home as her mother was being detained by Turcott, who was armed, police and prosecutors say.

On April 2, police arrested Palin for that day's break-in and also for a burglary March 31 in which nearly $400 was taken from Turcott's home.

The grand jury on Friday indicted Palin for those break-ins, and also for one March 26 in which $2,200 was stolen, according to court documents."

Since then, not too much else has been reported, although the court dockets for Diana Palin's criminal trial show that the proceedings are still "in full swing". From the court dockets it is also apparent that Diana Palin was granted a privilege which Sherry Johnston didn't enjoy: Confidentiality. In December 2009, a "confidential presentence report" was presented to the court.

In addition, Diana Palin also didn't have to wear pink handcuffs which are designed to humiliate the accused person - unlike Sherry Johnston.

The visible dramatic deterioration of Diana Palin's appearance from November 2008 to April 2009 and the repeated burglaries can in my opinion only be explained the the abuse of hard drugs. This graphic, detailing the horrible effects of the use of methamphetamine, shows what I am talking about.

However, we don't know for certain which drugs Diana Palin has taken, as no reports seem to be available - convenient for Sarah Palin, who of course didn't mention Diana Palin in "Going Rogue". What doesn't fit into Sarah's picture of a model-family has to be erased from memory.

However, "Alaska Dispatch" thankfully reported more details on October 2, 2009:

"Palin's bail was set at $10,000, but she served five months in jail, the majority of the time at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle River.

Josh Fannon, Palin's attorney, successfully filed multiple requests to delay her court appearances, and on May 19 wrote, "Ms. Palin has appointments with a treatment center at Hiland and if she is moved for a court hearing she will miss her appointments."

Fannon declined to talk about Palin's case except to say that, "Without commenting on her, some people stay there for longer because of classes or treatments or other objectives they might have."

The Wasilla Police Department declined to comment, as did Sarah Palin's spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton.

On Aug. 29, Palin was released into a residential program at Akeela House, an Anchorage nonprofit that provides treatment for alcohol and substance abuse. Under her terms of release, she must finish the residential program."

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How close was Diana Palin to the rest of the Palin family?

More screenshots from her myspace-account give us some hints - Diana Palin with Sarah Palin, Todd Palin, Willow Palin, Wendy Palin, Miranda Palin - and Piper Palin! In addition, Diana Palin also posts a group picture which shows Bristol Palin and Lauden Bruce (daughter of Sarah Palin's sister Heather).

Click to enlarge:


Apart from that, we have another screenshot from her myspace account which is one of my favourite screenshots of all times:



Diana Palin:

"I really love dysfunctional families. Especially mine - crazy thing is - the more you go through - the better it gets. That is if you hang in long enough!!"

This has to be the first blatantly honest statement I have ever heard from a Palin. It's really like a breath of fresh air...

How do we know that the picture in which Diana Palin holds Trig was taken at the beginning of November 2008?

The ultra-conservative Washington Times reported on November 6, 2008:

"Superstar Gov. Sarah Palin spent Wednesday poolside at the luxurious Biltmore Hotel Resort and Spa, surrounded by her children, would-be "first dude" (aka husband Todd), and a slew of family and friends. Dressed in a pair of gym shorts, a Pittsburgh Penguins T-shirt and some big, dark sunglasses, the Alaska governor drew a nonstop flow of the curious, and graciously posed for photos with fans bold enough to speak to her (some poolgoers simply stopped by, took a few snaps and left) Her unruly mob of children, led by the precocious Piper, 7, spent much of the day slipping down a huge water slide. "Piper! Piper!" the other kids yelled as she led a gang up the steps to the top of the slide. They hardly slowed for lunch, and apparently, the governor over-ordered... (Palin's sister walked over to your blogster and said, "Do you by any chance want a cheeseburger? Sarah ordered way too much food and I hate to see it go to waste." Your blogster ate said burger, dubbed by another reporter on hearing the story a "Palin Burger." No, it wasn't moose)."

Here are two pictures from the pool at Biltmore Hotel Resort in Arizona:




Here is the comparison with the picture of Diana Palin holding Trig:


Sarah Palin's sister Molly and her son (who, as we believe, is called "Heath Wooten") are also pictured here, together with Sarah Palin, Willow and Bristol:


The picture above which was taken on September 14, 2007 shows, by the way, Bristol Palin while she was pregnant with Trig. But that is an entirely different story...

EDIT: In the comments, the question came up whether the picture above really was taken on September 14, 2007. The answer: YES, it was. This photo album on flickr will answer all your questions regarding this picture.

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UPDATE:

I had mentioned that we didn't yet know the identity of Diana Palin's mother. This has changed, therefore an update is necessary, also thanks to our resourceful readers! In addition, the research of Diana's mother's background led us straight into the "twilight zone" again, surprise, surprise! It seems that this is what you inevitably have to deal with if you research facts surrounding "the Palins" (poor Michael Palin - Monty Python, of course - he will ask for a name change if this is all over...).

Ok, here we go:

Diana Palin's mother was Elayne Ingram.

One of our readers (thank you!) sent us the text of the two marriage announcements of Diana Palin, which were published in the ADN:

Anchorage Daily News (AK) - Monday, June 20, 1994

Diana Dee Palin and Howard Peterson III were married May 14 at Matanuska Lake in Palmer.

Both Diana and Howard are Wasilla High graduates. Their parents are Howard and Gloria Peterson of Wasilla; and Elayne Ingrim of Barrow and James Palin of Wasilla.
___

Anchorage Daily News (AK) - Monday, August 25, 2003

Diana Dee Palin and Scott James McLean were married June 7 in Cooper Landing.

Diana is the daughter of Elayne Ingram of Dillingham and Faye and Jim Palin of Wasilla. She is a 1992 graduate of Wasilla High School and is employed as a major account executive at ACS Wireless. She enjoys fishing with her husband and reading.

Scott is the son of Linda and Mike Quamme of Grand Forks, N.D., and Jim McLean of Prescott, Ariz. He graduated from Red River High School in Grand Forks and works as a ramp agent for FedEx. Scott enjoys fishing, coaching, hockey and flying.

The couple met through parents of players on Scott's hockey team.

The ceremony was at Kenai Lake Baptist Church in Cooper Landing, the bridegroom's favorite fishing area. Willie Johnson officiated. Wendy Palin was matron of honor, and Kraig Rygg was best man. Bridesmaids were Melanie Hoff, Ashley Barney and Laura Young, and Denali Peterson was flower girl. Groomsmen were Donny Taylor, Corey Anderson, Brian Olson and Cody McLean, with Keanan Vivian as ring-bearer.

The reception was at Kenai Princess Lodge. The couple honeymooned at a riverfront cabin on the Kenai River and enjoyed fishing.

Therefore we know that Elayne Ingram and James (Jim) Palin are the parents of Diana Palin.

On a sidenote: Blanche Kallstrom and the same James (Jim) Palin are the parents of Todd Palin.

Let us continue:

In addition, we have the obituary of Jeremy Andrew Lewis, who died in July 2005 "at home in Glennallen", just 23 years old. The obituary in the ADN reads:

GLENNALLEN

Jeremy Lewis, 23

Lifelong Alaska resident Jeremy Andrew Lewis, 23, died July 22, 2005, at home in Glennallen.

A graveside ceremony will be at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Lake Nerka in Dillingham, where he will be laid to rest next to his mother. A potluck will be afterward at the home of his aunt, Shirley Murphy. Call Diana Palin-McLean at 1-907-715-8165 or 1-907-745-3036 for details.

Mr. Lewis was born Sept. 17, 1981, in Glennallen "to loving parents Elayne Ingram and Paul Lewis, and four adoring big sisters," his family wrote. "Throughout his life, he was a resident of Dillingham and Glennallen, where he loved to play hockey, listen to music and hang out with friends and family. He left this world too soon. ... He is deeply missed and will be thought of every day, forever."

He is survived by his father, Paul Lewis; sisters, Dana Bartmen, Margaret Wallona, Laura Lemons-Young, and Diana Palin-McLean; grandmother, Lillian Ingram; and many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Arrangements are with Evergreen Memorial Chapel.

There are several things to mention here:

Jeremy Andrew Lewis was the son of Elayne Ingram and Paul Lewis.

Paul Lewis was the third husband of Elayne Ingram. The name of the first husband we don't know yet, the second husband was James (Jim) Palin.

Why do we know that?

Because Elayne Ingram had four daughters. The youngest daughter was Diana Palin (see below). Elayne had three daughters in her first marriage. Therefore James (Jim) Palin apparently was her second husband.

In addition, Jeremy Andrew Lewis was therefore Diana Palin's half-brother.

What did he die of, at the age of 23, at home? I rather don't want to speculate.

From this obituary we can also see that Elayne Ingram is not alive anymore, as Jeremy "will rest next to his mother."

But now comes the most interesting part:

Elayne Ingram gave a long, taped interview in 2001 to the "Center for Alaska Native and Health Research", which is still available online (audio and transcript).

In this interview, Elayne describes in detail her battle with alcoholism and also the alcoholism of her husbands.

In the interview, Elayne said:

"(...) Then I got married at age 19 and had my first daughter at age 20. And at that point in time we still weren't heavy drinkers. But we moved out to Oregon and when my husband at the time was with his buddies then the drinking escalated. I still don't feel like I was an alcoholic at that point in time. I was definitely a battered wife at that time. And I ended up leaving him briefly and then going back to him. We finally divorced after three kids. After I saw that in that marriage that somebody was going to die, because the beatings by then were so bad that I weighed 96 pounds, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, my mind was racing. I had attempted suicide I thought if I committed suicide that would be a way out but then at the last minute I envisioned my kids growing up with him and that thought was horrifying. It was at a point where I figured it was going to be me that died and somehow, someway God gave me the strength to get up one morning and just pack our stuff and then away we went me and the kids. But I was so emotionally distraught at that point in time. I don't know, I didn't have the strength personally to do what I did. You know to get out.

Shortly thereafter I was remarried. I dated this guy who could provided better financially for us. Hindsight is 20/20 and we lived so poorly in my first marriage that I was looking for security. And I found it. And then I worked on the pipeline. And when I became financially secure I left him. By then the drinking… it was alcoholic drinking by then.

DANTE: For both of you?

ELAYNE: For both me and my second husband … It was, the drinking had escalated and by then I had four kids. It seemed like every time I got a divorced I ended up with one more kid and less money than when I went into the marriage. (...)"

In conclusion, following Elayne Ingram's own words, her second husband, James (Jim) Palin, who is also the father of Todd Palin, was an alcoholic, at least during the time when he was married with Elayne.

Never a boring moment with the Palins. I don't enjoy researching these tragic details, but I feel that it is our duty to do it, as we are currently the only ones who seem to be interested to get to know the truth about Sarah Palin's "model-family".

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UPDATE 2:

One of our wonderful readers found a page from the Daily Sitka Sentinel from November 20, 1995 which proves that the name of Elayne Ingram's first husband was Larry Lemons.

Screenshots (click to enlarge):





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