Bristol Palin and Harper's Bazaar: How to make an absolute fool of yourself without even noticing it

Read the article on the website of Harper's Bazaar HERE.

Original screenshots from the print version can be found HERE.

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Bristol Palin has a problem. She now has a millionaire mom, but she apparently has nobody who dares to tell her when it's time to "pause" - and I am not talking about sex.

So, Bristol decided to pose for another photo spread in a magazine, after her famous cover-stories for People magazine and In Touch Weekly. This time she chose Harper's Bazaar. She is an uptown girl now!

The result is memorable. Not just because it's "another ultimate puff piece".

The "medical assistant in a dermatologist's office" and "wanna-be-hockey-mom" Bristol Palin proudly presents a previously unknown message: Luxury is cool.

In addition, as is to be expected, she has new details about her colourful life to share.

Bristol greets us with a confident smile, wearing an elegant gown, silver teapot in hand and baby Tripp next to her in a chair, surrounded by cakes and lots of other sweet things. It's an adorable picture, isn't it:

But is this really a world which young teen moms can identify with today? Somehow I doubt that they would recognize this as a reality.

Let's take a closer look at Bristol's glamorous and very expensive outfit and jewellery:

Lanvin Gown $4,385

Karma El Khahil earrings $13,750

Giorgio Armani ring $659

Kathy Rose for Roseark bracelet $13,000

This is apparently the lifestyle that a 19-year-old single (hockey) mom should aim for these days. More than $ 30,000 worth of accessories! Cool.

Bristol doesn't forget to mention another sponsor:

"I don't know if my mom will run (for President), but she should."

Why should Palin run? We don't know. Maybe because Palin with her 100 skeletons in the closet could single-handedly destroy the Republican Party? That would be a show we surely don't want to miss.

Next follows an even more bizarre picture: Bristol in another expensive dress - and wearing wellies ("Hunter-Boot boots"), outside!

The outfit?

Carolina Herrera Shrug $6,995
Isaac Mizrahi Gown $14,500

Too expensive for you? But the "Hunter Boot boots" only cost $ 115! Hockey moms, please proceed to the checkout!

The Palins obviously got a taste for expensive clothes during the campaign! ;-)

Now let's look at the content of the article.

We learn the following facts - some of them previously unknown:

- Bristol works as a "medical assistant" in a dermatologists office - from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm. Life is harsh: "I thought I would be somewhere warm at college with my friends. But that was definitely not possible with having Tripp."

- The workaday life is "interrupted" when she "combats teenage pregnancy" on behalf of the Candie's Foundation. "One day she might be shopping at Costco, and the next marketing abstinence on Oprah, Good Morning America, or the Today show." but Bristol manages because she "loves her baby more than anything".

- Now comes something new. There has been a lot of talk about Bristol's new "condo" in Anchorage. In Harper's Bazarr, Bristol finally goes into more detail: "She is also fiercely proud of her newly purchased condo." Not your average single mom - Bristol reveals that she bought the condo and paid for everything in it with her own money: "The big leather couches, the flat-screen TV's, Tripp's toddler-size bed (but he sleeps with his mother) and the Subaru wagon in the garage. "I am on my own", she says, in between constantly texting on her BlackBerry. "I am really proud of it. I am a hard worker."

So it seems to me that Candie's and People Magazine paid well! The cover story in In Touch Weekly alone brought $ 100,000 to the bank accounts of the Palins, to give an indication. One pregnancy (or more...) and then a few days of hard work, and kaboom, there is your condo! And just like her mother, she is already forming a close bond with her BlackBerry (Tripp, make sure you don't get between your mother and her BlackBerry!).

- There is more: We also learn that Track's girlfriend Britta Hanson (and not a boyfriend) is currently living in the third (!) bedroom, because Bristol was "scared to live by herself."

See Britta Hanson's slideshow with Track HERE.

And the condo is not excactly small: It's a "three story gray townhouse".

A short while ago Palingates learned from our Alaskan contacts that Bristol's condo is located on Arctic Boulevard in Anchorage. Here is a similar type of building:

So what else do we get to know? Quite a lot, actually. According to Bristol, her relationship to Levi Johnston is at freezing point: "He is a stranger to me."

And by all accounts, he is a stranger to his son as well, Bristol, because you have kept the two apart for months on end.

Bristol claims that she is single at the moment - Tripp is apparently the only "man" in her life: "I am in no rush. One day I will find a nice guy."

Right... ;-)

Other clues from the article reveal that Bristol is slowly morphing into a "Sarah Palin clone". Bending the truth - and even starting to talk about politics. First of all, despite the condo and her chi-chi lifestyle, Bristol is a victim. "There's been so much misreporting and lying about me and my family, it makes me sick" she says. "It proves a lot of reporters just report lies and rumors, so I'd push for more accountability."

Bristol, you know what makes ME sick? When people have a private life FULL of dirty secrets, pretend to be holier-than-thou and then accuse other people of lying!

Here is a fact you know all too well, Bristol: Tripp was your SECOND pregnancy. Is this a lie? No, it's isn't. It's the truth, and we know this already for a long time. And nobody has ever stopped us from saying that or even complained. Which is not surprising, because it's a true fact.

Bristol, you should also have a look at your old myspace-messages:

Your mother overheard a conversation with Johnny Chandler and then thought you were pregnant. Well, why would that be? As a result, she took your phone away for a few days.

So why did you say THIS to Harper's Bazaar:

Though Bristol was well-informed about sex education, "it's not like we sat down and were like, 'Alright, here's the birds and the bees.' Truly, my parents assumed that I wasn't doing anything. And it was a shock for us all."

Bristol, you lied to Harper's Bazaar. It's that simple.

As Bristol seems to have a problem with telling the truth, I am not sure that we should be listening to her political soundbites, but here they are:

Unsurprisingly, she is no Obama fan. "I think he is making more Americans become dependent on government, and he's acting like government can and should take care of everyone. This is completely contrary to what made America a great nation. We should be expected to take responsibility for ourselves."

Government shouldn't take care of everyone? Bristol, isn't it your son Tripp who receives free government healthcare in Alaska for Natives - which allows you in return to save the money for the insurance payments, which you then can spend on leather sofas, flatscreen TV's and other "useful" things?

Bristol, the reality is that single teenage moms usually don't have the "support network" of Candie's, People magazine, In Touch Weekly, Harper's Bazaar etc. that YOU apparently have:

We have entree into this cosy family scene because Bristol herself texted an invite.

Most young people cannot text Harper's Bazaar, Bristol! Think about that.

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A reader uploaded the whole article of Harper's Bazaar HERE.

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Bonus video (added by Regina):


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Sarah Palin, the eternal victim nextdoor, welcomes Joe McGinniss to Wasilla

Sarah Palin had strange words for a newcomer to her neighbourhood. In a Facebook note, she mixes a sarcastic welcome with that eternal victim whining we know so well.

Spring has sprung in Alaska, and with this beautiful season comes the news today that the Palins have a new neighbor! Welcome, Joe McGinniss!

Yes, that Joe McGinniss. Here he is – about 15 feet away on the neighbor’s rented deck overlooking my children’s play area and my kitchen window.Maybe we’ll welcome him with a homemade blueberry pie tomorrow so he’ll know how friendly Alaskans are.

We found out the good news today. Upon my family’s return this morning from endorsement rallies and speeches in the Lower 48 states, I finally got the chance to tackle my garden and lawn this evening! So, putting on the shorts and tank top to catch that too-brief northern summer sun and placing a giddy Trig in his toddler backpack for a lawn-mowing adventure, I looked up in surprise to see a “new neighbor” overlooking my property just a stone’s throw away. Needless to say, our outdoor adventure ended quickly after Todd went to introduce himself to the stranger who was peering in...

Joe announced to Todd that he’s moved in right next door to us. He’s rented the place for the next five months or so. He moved up all the way from Massachusetts to live right next to us – while he writes a book about me. Knowing of his many other scathing pieces of “journalism” (including the bizarre anti-Palin administration oil development pieces that resulted in my Department of Natural Resources announcing that his work is the most twisted energy-related yellow journalism they’d ever encountered), we’re sure to have a doozey to look forward to with this treasure he’s penning. Wonder what kind of material he’ll gather while overlooking Piper’s bedroom, my little garden, and the family’s swimming hole?

Welcome, Joe! It’ll be a great summer – come borrow a cup of sugar if ever you need some sweetener. And you know what they say about “fences make for good neighbors”? Well, we’ll get started on that tall fence tomorrow, and I’ll try to keep Trig’s squeals down to a quiet giggle so we don’t disturb your peaceful summer. Enjoy!

- Sarah Palin

Wow! It sounds like she's going to repeat the Letterman fiasco, this time focusing on Piper (maybe Willow's bedroom is on the other side of the house).

Sarah included a photo of the offending house:


Let's take a look at the wider area (click on pictures to enlarge):

Joe McGinniss is renting the house marked with an arrow

(Click on pictures to enlarge)

When the Palins started building the new chateau, it was reported that they had also rented the house on the right. What an oversight! They should have rented the house on the left as well...

Our reader Armchair Jane pointed out that Sarah had said similar things about her noisy children when a resident complained about bus tours around the governor's mansion in Juneau, back in May last year:

Gov. Sarah Palin is clashing with a Juneau activist over what he calls "voyeur" bus tours past the governor's mansion that he asserts ruin the neighborhood to exploit her fame.

The governor said she welcomes tourists and "can't imagine other areas of Alaska looking at having the Governor's house nearby as a degrading irritation that invites voyeurism."

The governor said she offered to meet with Thoma "to ask if I could lessen his burden by keeping a lower profile," but he declined and suggested she work it out with the Juneau mayor instead.

"I wanted to offer him to hide Piper's trampoline further in a corner of the yard ... if it's a matter of not giving anyone anything to look at so they'll go away then I'd ask Piper to not giggle so loudly on her buoy swing or bicycle in the yard," Palin said in a written statement, referring to her 7-year-old daughter.

Sarah Palin is very keen on recycling. All her speeches use the same tired talking points, with a few googled stories and jokes to fit the venue, plus some family anecdotes, using cute little quotes from one or more of her children...

Her whining follows the same pattern, don't you think?

Letterman was a pervert who alluded to the statutory rape of 15-year-old Willow, Joe McGinniss is going to peer through Piper's bedroom window.

In Juneau, Piper giggled. In Wasilla, Trig squeals. The implication being that people find her children offensive just for behaving like children.

Sarah Palin always assumes people are thinking the worst about her family. While that may be true regarding herself and the older members of the Palin clan, she doesn't acknowledge that, she brings the younger ones into the story instead.

She also implies that people have perverted designs on her children, but nothing could be furthest from the truth.

We think Sarah Palin is a liar and a lousy mother. We will continue to expose her as such, but we have the deepest compassion and genuine concerns for her children.

Joe McGinniss may be too close for comfort, she will have to behave herself and be a better parent while he's around.

That's a tall order!

(HERE is the article by Joe McGinniss that upset Sarah Palin)

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UPDATE (CSU STANISLAUS):

Senator Leland Yee just published a terrific press release - this man has guts, is not afraid of the Quitter Queen and refers to Palingates:

Palin Fee to CSU Reported at Over $75,000 – More Than Double What She Charged Local GOP
Tuesday, May 25, 2010

As university violates state law, information continues to trickle out

SACRAMENTO – The Modesto Bee is reporting that a Sarah Palin watchdog website has uncovered Palin’s fee to speak at California State University Stanislaus. The Palingates blog reports that Palin will be paid up to $93,000 for her upcoming visit. The amount would be more than double what Palin charged a local Republican Party in Lane County, Oregon, when she appeared at an event for $35,000, according to documents accessed on the Oregon Secretary of State website.

“If these figures are accurate, clearly CSU got a bad deal and Sarah Palin gouged California students,” said Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco). “Celebrities should not be trying to line their own pockets at the expense of students, especially at a time when our public higher education system is in such dire straits.”

According to sources, the university transferred two payments of $37,500 each to the Washington Speakers Bureau – the entity in which the university contracted for the Palin event. In addition to the $75,000 speaking fee, the university is paying $18,000 for Palin to receive a hotel suite, first class airfare or a private Lear jet, and “bendable straws,” among other expenses.

“If Ms. Palin truly cared about our students, she should have waved her speaker’s fee or at least not overcharged,” said Yee. “Every dollar that goes to Palin is another dollar not going to the students at Stanislaus, who have already seen their scholarships lost this year. This is just the latest in a long series of bad decisions by CSU foundations and auxiliaries which demonstrate why we need greater transparency and accountability.”

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Read the exclusive revelation by Palingates of Sarah Palin's secret speaking fee for her appearance at CSU Stanislaus HERE.

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Websites which linked to this post:

Politico (photo credit)

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Palingates Weekly Roundup

By Blueberry Tart

Hi again, Palingaters. I’ve been out of the loop recently, and want to give my thanks and a hat-tip to Mrs. TBB for doing a wonderful job on the roundup the past two weeks. I’ve been busy for several days trying to catch up with the posts and comments, so I hope I will do them justice.

Tuesday, May 18

The roundup begins with an open thread, which might not normally be something that we would highlight in a roundup. However, this particular thread included the excellent piece, “Imagine if the Tea Party was Black,” by Tim Wise, suggesting what the reactions would be if the actions of the Teabaggers (and others who oppose the Obama Administration) were black. This is a very provocative and revealing piece in itself, so if you haven’t already read it, I hope you will take the time now. The post also included reactions to Chuck Heath’s creepy insinuations about “field dressing a donkey this fall” which elicited deserved reprobation from some Alaskans. The new flying pigs logo drew rave reviews from commenters, and here is my small plug to visit the Palingates store!


The open thread comments bear some mention as well, as they covered a wide range of subjects: Sarah Palin the anti-feminist, Republican hypocrisy, Bristol’s speaking fees (don't get me started on this subject!), SP's ghostwriter's Facebook rant on the new Arizona law, the links between Palin and Cheney, and, not to be missed, more comments on Sarah’s incredible appearance on FN in what looked like a nightgown with a black bra underneath! (Her crushed velvet coat and purple suede hooker boots now have some competition for the absolutely tackiest clothing choice ever by a non-entertainment industry person... oh, wait...)

Wednesday, May 19

Next up was a post revealing that Sarah’s speaking engagement for the Lane County Republicans in Eugene, Oregon only garnered $35,000, not the usual $100,000 plus fringe that she is said to command. There was some discussion as to whether she would offer a discounted price to speak to other groups, like the charity Rainbow Omega or the CSU engagement. The consensus was along the lines of, let’s be real here; this is Granny Grifter, who doesn’t have an altruistic cell in her body.


Thursday, May 20

Onward. A reader made an amazing find, discovering that Sarah’s cousin, JD Morgan, has a MySpace page that is (was?) open to public view. Our reader found some new photos of the election night event in Arizona, including one of Bristol with Willow and cousin Lauden. This photo elicited a fair amount of discussion on the blog about the extent of Bristol’s pregnancy and how she compared to other photos taken during the September-November period. Patrick also posted very interesting comparison photos of Bristol from 2005 and June 2007 in which she looked consistently slender, as she had at Sarah’s inauguration, for example. These photos, juxtaposed with the September 2007 photos, show how dramatically her body changed in those three months in summer 2007, adding to the preponderance of evidence that Bristol was pregnant in 2007.


Friday, May 21 (1)

Next we were treated to an extraordinary guest post by Mickey7, whose daughter’s rare and life-threatening health condition was the basis of an excellent, personal and moving critique of Sarah, who purports to be qualified to expound on health care policy, but really has no knowledge or legitimacy to comment on this incredibly important topic. This excellent post was enhanced by comments by those with specific knowledge of this subject, like ltl1 who explained how research funds to NIH are incredibly limited and are rarely available for research into rare conditions like that afflicting Mickey7’s daughter. Such first-hand knowledge and experience from our contributors makes Palingates such a rich site, and we all appreciate these gifts from the Palingates community.


Friday, May 21 (2)

The next post highlighted Sarah’s endorsement of politicians who promote racial inequality. The post and comments focus on Jan Brewer, Governor of Arizona, as well as Kentucky’s Rand Paul, candidate for U.S. Senate, who got a lot of press this week due to his interviews on NPR and later on Rachel Maddow’s show. If you did not see the interview and Rachel’s follow up the next night, please do catch them now, as they are brilliant examples to remind us that real journalism is not completely dead yet. The post and comments also highlighted Sarah’s utter confusion about who was running for what in Pennsylvania, and made note of several other interesting races, like the Vaughn Ward-Raul Labrador race in Idaho. A well-deserved h/t to ltl1 for transcribing Sarah’s gobbledegook praising Carly Fiorina in California (WTF was she saying?)


Saturday, May 22

Next up is the most recent “open thread,” which is another meaty post on Sarah’s luggage mishap in Idaho, which apparently forced last minute shopping for a (searching for appropriate adjective for inappropriate wardrobe choice) remarkable tie-dyed outfit. Perhaps the aide who bought this had seen Sarah in the negligee on Sean Hannity and tried to match her utter tackiness? This new clothing purchase offered a great opportunity to revisit Sarah’s shopping spree during the 2008 campaign. If you have not seen the videos from Newsweek’s reporter and editor, go back and take a look – they are well worth it. Reporter Katie Connolly confirms that Sarah used a wealthy donor’s credit card to buy hundreds of thousands of dollars of clothing and accessories, including $20-40K for Todd, $20-35K for the children including Gucci shoes for the girls. Money quotes: “a Wasilla Hillbilly coast-to-coast looting of Nieman-Marcus” and “one step away from stealing from the campaign.” Another video highlights Susan Eisenhower saying that if Sarah Palin is the voice of the Republicans, they “will be in the wilderness for a very long time” and talking about how the shopping spree using someone else’s money was very telling about Sarah Palin’s priorities. I had never seen these videos before, and they were well worth a look.


Sunday, May 23

On Sunday Regina looked at Cap & Trade and how little knowledge Sarah Palin has about this complex subject. (Does she have any knowledge about anything?) One thing is for certain, Sarah Palin is no friend of people or the environment, big oil dollars fire her enthusiasm and trump anything else. As an added bonus, two videos of students protesting her appearance at Denver University show that her popularity is definitely not universal. The readers vented their outrage in the comments regarding Sarah Palin's snide remarks about Rachel Maddow and the allegation that President Obama is on the BP payroll in an interview to Fox News on Sunday. It's already starting to backfire, as the GOP received a lot more in donations from big oil than candidate Obama...

Comments for this "shorter week" neared 4,000, which is par for the course. There were many valuable contributions as usual, and Palingates is going from strength to strength as a blogging community.
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Sarah Palin's secret speaking fee revealed: CSU Stanislaus foundation pays Sarah Palin a fee of $ 75,000 plus ca. $ 18,000 of expenses! - UPDATE

Photo: chdwckvnstrsslhm on flickr - Creative Commons License

Sarah Palin's carefully constructed "web of mystery and secrets" slowly unravels piece by piece.

Wednesday this week we reported that Sarah Palin received in total "only" $ 35,000 from the Lane County Republican Party for her appearance in Eugene, Oregon. This information wasn't too difficult to get hold of, as the Lane County Republicans were forced to diligently report their expenses to the Oregon Secretary of State, who then made the data available for public access.

Therefore it seems that the extremely strict confidentiality clause which the Washington Speakers Bureau apparently uses in their contracts for Sarah Palin...

...sometimes isn't worth the piece of paper it's written on.

If Sarah Palin ever needed more proof of this fact, here it is:

Palingates today learned from a reliable source at CSU Stanislaus that the CSU Stanislaus foundation transferred two payments of $ 37,500 each to the Washington Speakers Bureau. In total, Sarah Palin's top secret speaking fee for her planned appearance at the 50th Anniversary Gala of CSU Stanislaus on June 25, 2010 amounts to $ 75,000.

But that's not everything: Palingates also learned that the expenses which CSU Stanislaus foundation has to pay for Sarah Palin's appearance amount to an additional ca. $ 18,000. These expenses are mainly payments for Palin's "deluxe" hotel, for 4 first-class flight tickets and for the SUV's - "perks" that Sarah Palin is famously entitled to receive due to her contract.

In total, Sarah Palin's appearance at CSU Stanislaus will come to a total of approximately $ 93,000!

How can the CSUS foundation justify these horrid payments - especially in light of the fact that the recently published internal CSUS correspondence revealed that the profits from the appearance of Sarah Palin will NOT be used for scholarships?

How will State Senator Leland Yee react to this news? Senator Yee is engaged in a heated battle with CSUS and their foundation regarding the transparency in this case and he doesn't seem to be willing to "let it go". It has also not helped CSU Stanislaus in this respect that Senator Yee received horrible abuse from Palin's fans via fax and phone back in April (read the details HERE).

What will Senator Yee and the students at CSUS say about the fact that Sarah Palin charged the Republicans in Eugene, Oregon only $ 35,000 in two payments of $ 17,500 for her appearance on April 23 (while the exact amount for additonal expenses in Oregon cannot yet be determined), but that Sarah Palin had no hesitation to charge the much higher amount of $ 75,000 plus ca. $ 18,000 of additional expenses to CSU Stanislaus foundation?

Not to forget the costs of the high-calibre PR-firms that CSUS instructed to act for them in order to "spread good PR" regarding Sarah Palin's visit - famously also through "shill comments" on news websites, as the internal CSUS emails revealed.

Sarah, now that the secret is out: Just admit the real facts and acknowledge that this whole mess was caused by your insatiable greed. You had the opportunity to do something for good and donate your services in this instance for free in honor of the University's 50th birthday. It's not as if you haven't donated your speaking fees before!

So, I have a suggestion for you, Sarah: Professor Patrick Kelly of CSU Stanislaus recently announced that the CSUS faculty started their own scholarship fund - because the CSUS foundation just revealed that they have no longer funds to pay for scholarships! This would be a truly worthy cause to donate to, Sarah, and get this fund off to a good start.

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You can read all the posts by Palingates about the CSU Stanislaus scandal HERE.

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UPDATE:

The "Modesto Bee" (also printed in Sacramento Bee and Fresno Bee) published a longer story on May 25, 2010 about the revelation of the speaking fee by Palingates. Matt Swanson, President of the CSU Stanislaus foundation, doesn't dispute the figure of $ 75,000 we published. He just says that exact amount of the expenses hasn't been finalized yet.

However, we never claimed to know the final amount of the expenses, we said "ca." and "approximately". In any case, $ 1,000 more or less wouldn't make a real difference here, given the outrageous sum in total that the CSU Stanislaus foundation pays Sarah Palin for delivering her worn out talking points for the 100x time.

Screenshot from the Sacremento Bee:

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UPDATE 2:

Senator Leland Yee just published a terrific press release - this man has guts and is not afraid of the Quitter Queen and refers to Palingates:

Palin Fee to CSU Reported at Over $75,000 – More Than Double What She Charged Local GOP
Tuesday, May 25, 2010

As university violates state law, information continues to trickle out

SACRAMENTO – The Modesto Bee is reporting that a Sarah Palin watchdog website has uncovered Palin’s fee to speak at California State University Stanislaus. The Palingates blog reports that Palin will be paid up to $93,000 for her upcoming visit. The amount would be more than double what Palin charged a local Republican Party in Lane County, Oregon, when she appeared at an event for $35,000, according to documents accessed on the Oregon Secretary of State website.

“If these figures are accurate, clearly CSU got a bad deal and Sarah Palin gouged California students,” said Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco). “Celebrities should not be trying to line their own pockets at the expense of students, especially at a time when our public higher education system is in such dire straits.”

According to sources, the university transferred two payments of $37,500 each to the Washington Speakers Bureau – the entity in which the university contracted for the Palin event. In addition to the $75,000 speaking fee, the university is paying $18,000 for Palin to receive a hotel suite, first class airfare or a private Lear jet, and “bendable straws,” among other expenses.

“If Ms. Palin truly cared about our students, she should have waved her speaker’s fee or at least not overcharged,” said Yee. “Every dollar that goes to Palin is another dollar not going to the students at Stanislaus, who have already seen their scholarships lost this year. This is just the latest in a long series of bad decisions by CSU foundations and auxiliaries which demonstrate why we need greater transparency and accountability.”

Last week, CSU Stanislaus released hundreds of documents that further show that university officials violated the California Public Records Act by not disclosing documents requested March 31 from Californians Aware and Senator Yee.

Among the documents uncovered is an email correspondence between CSU Chancellor Charles Reed and Bernie Swain, chairman of the Washington Speakers Bureau, that reveal documents were withheld simply to avoid “another round of newspaper stories.”

The documents disclosed also show hundreds of correspondence between university officials and a partisan public relations firm on how to handle the public scrutiny.

The scandal has spurred Attorney General Jerry Brown to launch a formal investigation and Californians Aware to file a lawsuit in Superior Court.

On April 9, CSU student Ashli Briggs was informed that suspicious activity (specifically, document purging) was taking place within the administration building. After seeing several administrators’ cars in the parking lot on the university’s scheduled furlough day, Alicia Lewis and other students found several public documents in a campus dumpster.

Many of the public documents were shredded, presumably by university personnel. Among the intact documents were financial statements, university spreadsheets, and staff assignments, as well as pages 4 through 9 of the Palin contract.

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UPDATE 3 (May 27):

The LA Times today confirmed the report by Palingates regarding the speaking fee for the CSU Stanislaus appearance with their own sources.

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Websites which linked to or mentioned this post:

Buzzflash

Modesto Bee

Sacramento Bee

Fresno Bee

Miami Herald

Bellingham Herald

SF Weekly Blog

ABC local

NBC Bay Area
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Sarah Palin doesn't understand Cap & Trade - UPDATE

"Whether it is in the United States or in mainland Europe, written constitutions have one great weakness. That is that they contain the potential to have judges take decisions which should properly be made by Democratically elected politicians." ~ Margaret Thatcher (page 275 of her book "Statecraft")

This video is disturbing. First she insults the rest of the world (Greece in particular), then proceeds to attack President Obama's proposed Cap & Trade plan.

Has Sarah Palin ever offered any alternatives to the problem of emissions? In her op-ed on the Washington Post (published ten days after she announced she was quitting as governor of Alaska), she cites cleaner coal, her gas pipeline and nuclear energy as cleaner supplies of domestic energy. The first two are non-renewable fossil fuels and the third is not without many attending problems.

This is a very complex issue, encompassing subjects ranging from simple, visible pollution to the more complicated topics of climate change and energy independence.

Pollution is real, climate change is real, the fact that non-renewable energy sources will be depleted in the not so distant future is real.

Pollution

Sarah Palin doesn't want America to be like Greece. Let's have a look at Athens (Greater Athens population 3,000,000+):

Smog in Athens

By the late 1970s, the pollution of Athens had become so destructive that according to the then Greek Minister of Culture, Constantine Trypanis, "...the carved details on the five the caryatids of the Erechtheum had seriously degenerated, while the face of the horseman on the Parthenon's west side was all but obliterated."

In Athens, two types of air pollution are recognized: the first is characterized by high concentrations of particles. The second type - photochemical smog - is linked to an excess of nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide (primary pollutants), ozone, and organic nitrates (secondary pollutant) and results from a series of chemical reactions driven by sunlight.

As a result of the abatement practices, the level of sulphur dioxide, smoke, nitrogen dioxide and ozone exhibit a gradual decrease in later years. However, the exceeding of the levels of the World Health Organization are still recognized in a higher frequency in the city centre, with the exception of zone which exhibits its higher values in the northern suburbs of Athens. It is anticipated that the completion of the major infrastructural works in Athens (e.g. Metro, peripheral roads, introduction of natural gas, replacement of buses, etc.) will decrease to a considerable extent current atmospheric pollution levels.

The US is better equipped to tackle pollution than most countries, but as recently as 2008, Sarah Palin pleaded with the governor of California to object to certain measures that would reduce pollution in that state because it would affect Alaska.

Los Angeles, CA

Other US states have problems regarding pollution.

(Click to enlarge)

New York, NY

Pittsburgh, PA

Birmingham, AL

Phoenix, AZ

Emissions and Climate Change

The previous administration, with strong ties to the oil industry, failed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

US President George W Bush pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol in 2001, saying implementing it would gravely damage the US economy.

His administration dubbed the treaty "fatally flawed", partly because it does not require developing countries to commit to emissions reductions.

China and India fall into this category, although they are two of the world's biggest producers of greenhouse gases.

Mr Bush says he backs emissions reductions through voluntary action and new energy technologies.

Sarah Palin reiterated the argument about hurting the American economy in her Washington Post op-ed and is still harping on the same note.

She also believes climate change theories are based on "snake-oil science."

In that case, we shouldn't expect Sarah Palin to offer solutions for a problem she doesn't believe exists.

Energy independence and renewable energy sources

The only way to achieve 100% energy independence is to rely solely on renewable sources. Solar and wind power and geothermal energy seem to be the way to go. Biofuels may be controversial because of the impact on agriculture and livestock, but it could have a limited role to play.

They are the only guaranteed way to ensure energy supplies for future generations without further cost to the environment. Questions to Sarah Palin: When does the future start? Why not start investing now?

If these alternative energy sources are to become the norm, it would be necessary to make a massive investment in developing them. President Obama has committed to such investment and Cap & Trade is part of it.

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Sarah Palin, forever at the beck and call of the oil industry, fails to see the big picture, fails to use her imagination and take a glimpse into a more distant tomorrow.

There is a price to be paid whether the US moves towards a cleaner future or not.

If it does, certain sections of the economy will pay the price.

If it does not, small communities, cities, countries and ultimately the planet will pay the price.

Small communities will suffer from the direct effects of energy exploration on their environment. Cities and countries will continue to suffer the effects of the uncontrolled burning of fossil fuels. Thousands of people died because of the London smog in 1952 and in 1956 the British Parliament passed the Clean Air Act. It also had a price. Whereas before the Act people were paying for "progress" with their health and their lives, after it was passed, the related industries had to absorb the costs.

Great London Smog, 1952

In Sarah Palin's world, only the costs to her favoured industries count for anything. Forget clean air. Forget true energy independence. Forget the people, the planet and the future.

A reader sent me a couple of very good links. Read THIS first, then have a look at this report.

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UPDATE

Students in Denver are not very keen on Sarah Palin:




Honestyingov confirmed the figures published by the Denver Post (3,500 people in attendance) which are at odds with figures broadcast by Fox News (6,000).

This email was received by our alert reader from the writer of the Denver Post article:

" I got it from the organizers. There is absolutely no way there were 6k people there, that's laughable. " -- Sent from my Palm Pre "
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