Open Thread
6 06 2009The moosecapades continue. One of the nice things about summer is the cool backyard barbeques that seem to lure us outside to our friends’ houses until all hours of the night. At this particular soiree, everyone seemed to want to share their libations with Brian. He has obviously not learned that all-important “never mix wine and beer” rule.
Brian shares a little vino with Maia of the supremely fabulous blog "Own the Sidewalk."
Brian tips back a cold one with former Ethan Berkowitz press secretary & APRN reporter Dave Shurtleff.
I did see the real Brian today as I was leaving the house. Didn’t get a picture, but he is sporting a lovely pair of dark brown velvet-covered antlers. They still have a lot of growing to do, but he looked quite handsome anyway.
June 6th, 2009 at 9:51 PM
Nan Says:
June 6th, 2009 at 9:31 PM
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Nan, I think they just neglected to put a disclaimer at the end. I loved it, though – having to read through to see if there was any sense there (nope).
June 6th, 2009 at 10:15 PM
Oh I made a mistake. The firing of Public Health Director Wooley is mentioned at the ADN. How could I have missed it?
ON THE MOVE . . . The state’s top doctor, Jay Butler, is leaving the Division of Public Health effective June 21 for a job at the federal Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. The announcement says Butler will be working on the H1N1 (swine) flu outbreak.
• Butler’s boss, Director of Public Health Bev Wooley, on Friday announced her resignation too, “per Governor Palin’s request.” Ear can’t wait to see who Sarah wants to put in that job, and why.
Alaskas nastiest appendage made sure it was mentioned!
It also mentions another tidbit of information:
NEW GUY, AGAIN . . . Now that Palin press aide Bill McAllister has been officially kicked sideways to the A.G.’s office, earwigs say his replacement in the governor’s posse will be David Murrow, described as a local freelance television producer turned writer. If this is the person former ADN reporter Cinthia Ritchie wrote a long profile of in Your Favorite Good Morning Newspaper back in 2005, he’s a Presbyterian official and author of a book called “Why Men Hate Going to Church.” As of Friday, the book was No. 27,322 on the Amazon bestsellers list. Rumor is he did the media for Lite Gov. Sean Parnell’s run for Congress. Hmmmm, Ear doesn’t remember
This is what I was able to find…
A sought-after speaker, Murrow delivered the keynote address for the National Coalition of Men’s Ministries, Presbyterian Men, and Lutheran Men in Mission to name a few. He’s recently begun writing and speaking for Promise Keepers. His presentations are fast-paced, informative and funny. Expect to laugh – a lot! He builds his presentations on humorous photos, unforgettable illustrations and dramatic re-enactments of the things that drive men crazy about church. “My men’s weekends are designed to get guys talking around tables, instead of just listening to me teach,” he says.
Murrow spent twenty years honing his skills as a communicator, producing and writing award-winning television documentaries, commercials and specials. He’s contributed material to Discovery Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, Food Network, Travel Channel, Dr. Phil, The Miss America Pageant and many others. Murrow has a degree in Anthropology from Baylor University. He’s a layman who’s served as an elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He’s married with three children. David and his family spend their summers in Chugiak, Alaska and their winters in Conroe, Texas.
http://www.wordserveliterary.com/Authors%20on%20index/Murrow,%20David/Author%20David%20Murrow.html
June 6th, 2009 at 10:19 PM
Already Sarah’s Texas friends are out there trying to discredit Geoffrey Dunn for his story about Palins speech Wednesday.
(from the ‘Texas for sarah Palin’ website) Didn’t want to link them.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
HuffPo’s Geoffrey Has Come Undunn over Palin
Geoffrey Dunn, in an unhinged huff piece at HuffPo, has charged Gov. Palin with plagiarism. In a dubious diary titled “Palin Plagiarizes Gingrich in Anchorage Speech,” Dunn declares, “It’s a pure case of unadulterated plagiarism”:
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Of course these are some of her ‘ Texas Friends ‘ who paid over 100K of her Legal Bills or lawyer fees.
June 6th, 2009 at 11:10 PM
@ honesty
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Yep…$180,000 in fact…. paid by the legal arm of the Dobson “Focus on the Family” religious mega-corporation to try to derail the Troopergate investigation once Palin was tapped by McCain.
Makes you wonder why she doesn’t hit up Dobson again to pay off her alleged $500,000 of legal bills remaining….unless she’s including that $180,000 in her total as a way to pump up donations from her ignorant fans. She clearly cares nothing about separation of church and state….and obviously neither does the good Reverend Dobson.
“When fascism comes to America it will come wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.” Sinclair Lewis
June 6th, 2009 at 11:23 PM
More on Palin’s new mouthpiece:
People around the world are asking, “Who is Sarah Palin?” I thought you might appreciate an analysis from someone who has worked with John McCain’s pick for Vice President. Before I wrote Why Men Hate Going to Church, I was a full-time television producer in Anchorage, Alaska. I did quite a bit of political consulting in election years. Sarah came to me in 2002 and asked me to produce media for her Lt. Governor campaign. I knew right away she was a different kind of politician. She was confident but not arrogant. She was down-home approachable, yet sophisticated. She seemed utterly uninterested in the trappings of power, yet ambitious to wield power for good. As cameras rolled for her first commercial, I knew that Sarah Palin was a gifted communicator. And she was a savvy negotiator. At our first meeting she made it clear she would be running a shoestring campaign. She told me she liked my work and wanted me to produce her electronic media, but she had no fat cat donors to bankroll her run.
I don’t cut my rates for anybody. But I did what Christians are supposed to do: I went home and prayed about the decision. Frankly, I didn’t expect an answer. God doesn’t usually prompt me regarding my business decisions. But in the case of Sarah I had an immediate impression that I should help her, and that I was not to worry about the money. I called Sarah the next day and signed on for her long-shot campaign.
Sarah has been a guest in my home. She’s had dinner with my family and I’ve been to her house in Wasilla to film one of her commercials. We’ve worked together through the pressures of the campaign season. We took a moment to stop and pray when the campaign got tough. Sarah also encouraged me to complete my first book, and came to a book signing at Barnes and Noble in Anchorage in 2005
http://frontpage.americandaughter.com/?author=73
June 6th, 2009 at 11:53 PM
254 EyeOnYou Says:
June 6th, 2009 at 11:23 PM
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I can’t criticize his second paragraph….sounds honest enough.
But the first paragraph is an absolute side-splitter….”confident but not arrogant??”…..”sophisticated”….”savvy”…..”gifted communicator??” ROFLMAO!
BTW….she lost that election for Lt. Guv. Next time, Sarah….trying praying for humility and wisdom…….. not just ” We win. They lose.” Reagan and God were not pleased.
It bears repeating: “When fascism comes to America it will come wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.” Sinclair Lewis”
June 7th, 2009 at 1:11 AM
EyeOnYou Says:
June 6th, 2009 at 10:15 PM
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I posted that news about Murrow last night on the Open Thread. I called it ‘news’ because I got it from just one website. Obviously the ADN has seen it there too also. It’s been traced to a comment on Radio Sarah (or whatever) but that of course means nothing. There hasn’t been any confirmation, even in internet-land. Usually when Mrs Palin does anything, the hens immediately start clucking to high heaven about it, so I’m reserving my judgement until there is another mention of it. If I recall correctly, it was originally posted about 4 days ago, and nothing has been heard about it since.
McAllister has already finished up, and if Mrs Palin is traveling to Tx next week it’s understandable that the new person won’t be announced next week. Frankly, it’s hard to care what stool pigeon she has hired to tell lies for her. All the same, I’d love to know why the State lawyers need a full-time “communications” person.
June 7th, 2009 at 1:13 AM
Lee323,
I agree with your take on the two paragraphs I quoted. I find it interesting to note that this man has previously done work for her (at a christianly inspired discounted rate) and is noted as being in AK only part time, while living in Texas for winters. Now, has he moved back to AK to live full time and that has just not been reported? If not, how is that going to work?
I have lots of questions about this situation. Why did Palin place McAllister into a position that has previously been eliminated by her own administration? Isn’t this “growing government” which she is supposed to be opposed to doing?
Why did she hire this person (if the reports are accurate) in the first place? I get the feeling that this is inspired less by his previous “communications” qualifications and more by he “religious” ones.
Paying attention lately to Palin, or should I say, paying closer attention to the details, she is bringing up “God” a bit more than usual, and there seems to be more of a religious theme to her decisions.
June 7th, 2009 at 1:17 AM
Aussie Blue Sky,
That trip to Texas could have a little something to do with this whole thing. Mr Murrow is reported to live in Texas part time (winters) and Alaska in the summers, so who knows.
I know that there has been no word on the street about this, but lately it seems like the “AK Ear” has an “in” with the Governor’s office. It will be interesting to see what happens with this.
I have heard suggestions that Meg O’ Mouth might be getting the job, but I seriously doubt that. Palin and Meg will keep her in the PAC/Spokesperson position that will give her a lot more freedom and will allow Meg to go anywhere and everywhere with Palin should she publicly announce a national campaign.
June 7th, 2009 at 1:25 AM
EyeOnYou, Sheila Toomey admitted she didn’t know which David Murrow she was referring to. So she must have read it the same place I did. Or she could have read it here …..
If this David Murrow is going to be in Alaska for the next few months, then naturally it’s possible that Mrs Palin would give him a job – her mouthpieces don’t last long with her anyway!
June 7th, 2009 at 1:31 AM
Aussie Blue Sky,
Well it will be interesting to see who she picks.
It is always fun to guess and see how close we are to figuring out what she might do. It might give one a headache but it isn’t too hard sometimes. She isn’t complicated at all and is ruled by emotion a majority of the time. Well emotion and a constant need for a pat on the back (hence her desiring to go places where there is no question she will get the adoration she craves).
June 7th, 2009 at 2:34 AM
EyeOnYou, I just read the Toomey column ….. it wouldn’t surprise me if she got the news about the ‘resignations’ from the Division of Public Health from here also too. I don’t believe she has an ‘in’ anywhere, I reckon she just gets lucky now and then. Most of her columns are rot.
June 7th, 2009 at 7:35 AM
Nan, that’s definitely a spoof, and I thought, a pretty good one. Did you catch the pun in the name of the ACLU lawyer?
I also loved this part: “Williams & Connolly assigns up to 15 attorneys for each client. A considerably better client-to-attorney ratio than the Public Defenders where each attorney might have up to a hundred clients.”
June 7th, 2009 at 8:13 AM
problem child – thank you! (It *is* good!)
Looks like I need to be more awake (alert!) when I read this stuff! Gawd. And I must still be foggy, because, even though the ACLU’s “lawyer” name has been bugging me, I can’t pin it down.
feeling witless,
Nan