Governor Palin’s Press Release is Like So Totally Asinine and Bogus.
24 03 2009(begin patriotic music)
Here it is. The official response from the Governor of the State of Alaska, the Republican Party’s nominee for Vice President of the United States, and 2012 presidential hopeful, Sarah Palin. It can be found on the official state of Alaska website.
(This is not, I repeat NOT what Sarah Palin said late at night after a glass or two of wine, to Todd, in their own home, or to her best friend over lunch. And it was not, I repeat NOT written by someone in Junior High.)
Latest Bogus Ethics Complaint
Commented on by Governor PalinFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 09-64
Governor Comments on Latest Bogus Ethics Complaint
March 24, 2009, Juneau, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin issued the following statement in response to another ethics complaint filed today. Filed by an Anchorage political blogger, the complaint alleges the governor “… improperly used her position and state resources to serve her personal financial interests by being a walking billboard for Arctic Cat …”
“Are Alaskans outraged, or at least tired of this yet – another frivolous ethics charge by a political blogger? This would be hilarious if it weren’t so expensive for the state to process these accusations and for me to defend against these bogus harassments. Yes, I wore Arctic Cat snow gear at an outdoor event, because it was cold outside, and by the way, today, I am wearing clothes bearing the names of Alaska artists, and a Glennallen Panthers basketball hoodie. I am a walking billboard for the team’s fundraiser! Should I expect to see an ethics charge for wearing these, or the Carhartts I wear to many public events? How much will this blogger’s asinine political grandstanding cost all of us in time and money?”
Hilarious, bogus and asinine indeed. It’s difficult to imagine something like this coming from Governor Tim Pawlenty, or Governor Bill Richardson, or Governor Tim Kaine, or former Governor Murkowski for that matter. It’s just….cringe-inducing. I don’t know Sarah Palin personally, but I’m beginning to think I knew someone like her, when I was 15.
I’ve been thinking of a way to answer the governor’s question that doesn’t use the crude analogy that first sprang to mind, but I’m afraid I just can’t come up with one. So here goes. I would answer the governor’s question about whether she can expect an ethics complaint for wearing a Glenallen Panthers basketball hoodie, the same way I would answer this.
A woman who has been arrested on prostitution charges stands before a judge. She says, “I don’t get it. So, are you going to arrest me every time I have sex now?”
Here’s the answer to both questions:
Are you getting paid for it?
So, to put the governor’s mind at ease, no need to worry about those ethics complaints you mentioned. That is, unless the Glenallen Panthers, various Alaskan artists, and the good folks at Carhartt are paying you cash money. If they ARE paying you money, then please post your rate card on the state website so other Alaskan businesses can purchase advertising too. An endorsement from the governor might be helpful in these dark economic times.
The link to the actual ethics complaint is HERE.
Glennallen Jr./Sr. High School. Home of the fightin' Panthers!
Carhartts
Excellent wearable art by Alaskan artist Ray Troll.
March 25th, 2009 at 4:57 PM
What I can’t stand is that there are two super talented Alaskan kids delivering in national snowmaching racing like no one else has done from Alaska, even surpassing their dad’s accomplishments, Scott Davis, partner to Todd Palin.
CARLY DAVIS is a teenage girl from Soldotna on the podium in national racing. She’s the current Champion of the Duluth National Snocross. Her her brother CORY DAVIS was the youngest athlete ever entered in the X-Games in 2007. I think he took 3rd. A pretty big deal, but Alaska media doesn’t spend much time on local athletes competing internationally, so we never heard much about it.
And these guys are cranking it up a notch and devoting themselves like true athletes. Before her racing season began, Carly hired a personal trainer who put her on a strict regimen. Six days a week, she lifts weights, does a cardiovascular workout, stretching and yoga for 90 minutes — with another 30 minutes at night. http://www.adn.com/sports/story/614450.html
Did you see photos of them waving in their dad at the Iron Dog finish? Yeah, I didn’t either. How come they’re not in national media tricked out in Dad’s colors? Why didn’t Arctic Cat and Arcticwear have them in full gear?
Considering that both of them have national titles in snowmachine racing and are one-of-a-kind for Alaska, as well as being an Iron Dog winner’s family members, why wasn’t one of them the official Iron Dog starter? Wouldn’t that be kind of cool and really very appropriate?
They got NO love – no photo ops, no media, no film crews.
I wonder why the Sports Illustrated article was just Todd and not Scott? It IS a team race; there ARE NO individual entries.
So considering all these little annoying details, it is clear and transparent that this is indeed an Arctic Cat endorsement by the Governor of the State of Alaska.
WAY TO GO, CARLY!! YOU ROCK!! KEEP IT UP AND YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF AT THE X-GAMES AS THE FIRST GIRL IN SNOWCROSS!!
WAY TO DELIVER FOR ALASKA!!
March 25th, 2009 at 5:28 PM
How come they’re not in national media tricked out in Dad’s colors? Why didn’t Arctic Cat and Arcticwear have them in full gear?
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CG interesting point. To play devil’s advocate for a sec, maybe they have different companies sponsoring them with contracts prohibiting them from wearing a competitor’s gear? Not sayig this is the case, but it could be.
BTW, you may not find many ID fans here, we tend to prefer the real dogs. But good to see that the young athletes (and I do recognize that they are training hard, and what they do is tough and gruelling) are getting some shout-outs from you.
March 25th, 2009 at 5:48 PM
@TheraP….WOW! Thank you for putting all of it and really, there is way more, in perspective. Boundaries. I will be sending a copy of your article to my State Senator and House Represenative. All of us Alaksan’s should be forwarding this article to our Legislators. Seriously.
March 25th, 2009 at 5:51 PM
@TheraP….Actually I just tried to print a copy of your article, and it would not allow it. Bummer! It’s soooo good.
March 25th, 2009 at 5:52 PM
problem child, that’s part of the point. It’s about contractual obligation, endorsement, formal sponsorships. Carly is on an Arctic Cat machine (or used to be), sponsored by Christian Bros Racing. Even ’sledheads’ know what the rules are, eh?
I didn’t see any photos of the Davis clan decked out in Arctic Cat gear. They were very likely there, and probably IN Arctic Cat gear. They sometimes sport colors other places.
One would think that Sports Illustrated would’ve been interested in the Davis story. It’s a good one. The whole thing was all about the Governor. BECAUSE of being the Governor.
March 25th, 2009 at 6:15 PM
Sarah Palin doesn’t care. She does and says what she wants. Of course, it’s nuts. Well, the next time Putin strays into US airspace, Sarah can offer him some moose chili from her back porch.
March 25th, 2009 at 6:35 PM
Ripley, that picture is a crackup.
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CG, you are so right. Very few of us are pure as far as honesty, integrity, and ethics go. No, I’m not going to list my baddies, though I’m happy to say the list is small..
I’ve known people who steal constantly from their workplace. I’ve known people who pass on their lack of integrity to their children as though it is a badge of honor (hey, ex-husband, I’m talking to YOU). We’ve all known people who don’t seem to have ethical boundaries. It is not an isolated problem.
Gotta tell a funny story.
I was walking down the street in downtown Juneau once, with one of my sisters, I think, and I found a big fat wallet in the gutter. I retrieved it, opened it, and looked through it for ID. The wallet was full of credit cards, money, and a big fat paycheck for something like 10 thousand dollars (I can’t remember the amount, just that it was huge). I found a couple of business cards and pulled one out. That is ALL I took out of that wallet (but I kept it, which turned out to be great). Anyway, I called the number on the card (it was for some hotshot legislative liason for an insurance company if I remember correctly, it’s been a long time). I got the secretary of this guy, told her I found his wallet and wanted to return it. She was very polite and grateful and told me where to bring it. I dropped it off and accepted her thanks and left, after leaving my name and phone number that she had requested. I wasn’t interested in a reward, though I thought it would be nice if the actual owner would call and say thanks. Well, he never did. After a couple of weeks that began to bug me, just because it seemed so rude. So I pulled out that business card I had taken, and sure enough, there was an email address on it. So I emailed the guy and told him that I hadn’t expected a reward, but that basic etiquette that I had grown up with sort of put him in a position of saying thank you and that I was surprised that he hadn’t taken a few minutes out of his busy day to say thank you to me, since I had made sure his credit cards, cash, paycheck (really big), and personal items didn’t fall into the hands of a dishonest person. He emailed me back, and let me tell you, the smarm was so thick it oozed out of my computer. He went on and on about how he was so grateful and so amazed at how great Alaskans are, and that he had been telling the story of his found wallet to everybody he met on his travels as a way to show how great Alaskans are. Well, I emailed him back and told him that a simple thank you to ME would have been nice, and by the way, I am a Californian and just up visiting my sister in Alaska, so you might want to change your sweet little story to include ALL honest people in ALL states and countries.
March 25th, 2009 at 7:02 PM
“…as I read the words of fellow Alaskans and Americans…” I neglected those in other countries. My apologies.
Mainly, I’m addressing the confusion of a multitude of what I assume to be U.S. citizens who apparently don’t understand what ethics are, as it relates to political positions in Alaska.
Because it occurs to me that all these morally-challenged people who apparently don’t know right from wrong, share my world, I am suddenly much more concerned about that, than I am about the one individual who doesn’t cross paths with me.
Karma.
March 25th, 2009 at 7:25 PM
CG–You are right ,everyone needs to have good “ethics” Maybe thats the problem.Those who don’t ,see nothing wrong with what Plain does. Myself,I am socommitted to fairness,honesty and ethical behaviour that i do crazy things,like last summer driving on vacation,at a gas station in Alabama on the way to NJ ,I found a purse hanging on a hook in the rest room.I did not look in it,took it to the cashier and asked if anyone had asked for it,she said “no,why not just take it with you?!! I called the police to turn it in,waited for 30 minutes for them,when a young women came rushing in all upset,looking for her purse!! She was ecstatic,because she and her family were moving with a uhaul to another state and all of their money in the world was in that purse(crazy,but,I guess she learned not to do that).She offered a reward which I of course refuse,only asking that she return the favor to someone else when she could.(the police never did show up before I left).
I say all of this to illustrate why I can never feel that Gino is anything like me,as her supporters say.I guess that says a lot about them,doesn’t it ?
March 25th, 2009 at 7:42 PM
Hey mudpups just came across this from a “ProGino” site no less, lol!
Madonna hates GINO!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1oaOhOvP3Y
March 25th, 2009 at 7:57 PM
Formerprosecuter over on HuffPo had some very knowledgeable things to say about this ethics complaint. It appears as though Palin could be in very real hot water over this. Let’s hope it’s taken seriously and investigated. I think the part in the Sports Illustrated article about people paying up to 30K to enter, but Team Palin paying hardly anything lends credence to the fact that the “5K” figure mentioned is a WAY LOW estimate of $$ paid out by AC to the Palin family.
Here it comes Sarah- karma comin’s to getcha!!!
March 25th, 2009 at 8:03 PM
She and author of the ‘Drill baby Drill Cheer’,Michael Steele are both certifiable. If they don’t wind up in prison, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them on the same ticket in 2012.
March 25th, 2009 at 9:42 PM
The price of running the Iron Dog STARTS at about 30K, not counting time away from a job for daily practice or race time, or fuel used. Of course it depends on team strategy, but that’ll get you the lowest-budget, bare-bones, borrowed equipment, and it would still not be enough to see it through.
The serious racers that end up in top 5, buy 4 matching machines. With racer discounts-$40,000. And there’s a pile of other stuff that they need.
But seriously. From a journalistic perspective, or even just appealing to the masses for sales, a real sports article wouldn’t leave out half of a winning team, when that’s what the event that they’re reporting on, IS. Much less blow off the very appealing secondary story of teenage champion kids busting it out at the national level, and traveling 4,000 miles to race. With snowmachines! Come on, that’s like an Alaskan traveling with horses down to the Kentucky Derby and winning.
Badly done, Sports Illustrated.
And let’s correct another Palinism that’s persisted since last summer. The Iron Dog is NOT a “world championship”, or any kind of championship. It’s a single endurance event and quite spectacular in its own right. But Todd doesn’t race anything else, doesn’t race circuits, and is NOT a “World Champion racer.”
March 25th, 2009 at 10:30 PM
@TheraP (10:59:31) :
To assist this process of looking at sp’s lack of ethics, I’m providing another link to a blog from last October,
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TheraP – I know this is a late post and probably won’t be read, but just wanted to tell you I thought that October post was just excellent. I missed it during the campaign — and would REALLY have enjoyed it then, even more!
It shined a light directly on SP’s ethical delusionism and narcissism.
March 25th, 2009 at 11:31 PM
new open post ..
March 26th, 2009 at 12:40 AM
SP says, ‘Where do I sign? Wait, this doesn’t apply to me, does it?
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/large_photo.php?id=54
The more I think about this complaint the ”bigger” it seems to me.
What is she teaching her kids, our kids? I imagine one of her daughters, saying, ‘Geez Mom you sure get sued alot. Did you ever stop to think you might be doing something wrong?’
To the people who think this is a frivolous complaint: Given todays political figures constantly in the news for FRAUD, GRAFT, SEX, PAY FOR PLAY, DRUG USE, and other things. I Understand How You Feel This Is A SMALL Thing.
Consider this ’small’ infraction, though, as a ”GATE” WAY into much larger corruption much as you might think of some ’small’ drug use as a gateway into larger things.
It is glaringly apparent how De-regulation has contributed to our current economic situation.
So out of the 10 or so ethic complaints filed against her I’d like to hear how your explain to your children that they are all nonsense. Better yet, I’d like your children to explain that to me and you.
March 26th, 2009 at 12:56 AM
It, also, seems to me that the State Disclosure form is not adequately designed to be what it purports to be; in other words, the form has allowed her to be vague and opaque. This is not a defense in itself. Maybe the form could be co-authored by a committee made up of government officials And the general public to ensure it is explicit to get at that for which it is designed.
The fact that so many people have so many questions as to what the disclosure means after it’s been filled out and submitted is prime evidence of it’s obscurity.
She has willfully, for whatever reasons, used the form inadequecies to hide from the public that which the form is supposed to reveal: the true financial picture of a government official. Caging her answers in ‘Discounts’, possibly adding information that is irrelevant, using entity initials BBNC, et al, misplacing decimal points on monetary figures, bundling together family members, changing answer formats from the prior year, writing in editorial responses, I forget what else.
This could be another Complaint, in my opinion.
March 26th, 2009 at 2:33 AM
AHA
Aha!, you are right.
March 26th, 2009 at 7:54 AM
Glad some found that Oct blog helpful.
If you’re trying to print it and have any difficulty, just highlight the blog, then copy and paste. Then print. That should do it!
You can also copy it into an email and then send it to yourself. And print from there.
Peace to all. Hang in there! You’re onto sp now – and every move she makes will be followed over the web! She may not like it. But tough!
March 26th, 2009 at 8:02 AM
yukonbushgrma (22:30:54) :
Thanks for your note. I send you greetings!
March 26th, 2009 at 8:03 AM
Women Who Run With The Wolves (17:51:51):
Please see above for ways to print out my blog by copying and pasting.
March 26th, 2009 at 10:57 PM
re the ADN headlines, you’ll often see them change at night because the web editors who come in later in the shift tweak them to where they’ll better be picked up by Google, etc. Adding “Alaska” in the hed, for instance. The perfect headline for web hits would include Palin, volcano, Alaska, grizzly and attack.