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Friday, January 28, 2022

Open Thread – Twelve Days of Palin (Day 1)

It’s been three years, so I think we can officially classify this as a tradition.  Each Christmas time, you join me in a little virtual trip to Anchorage’s lovely Town Square Park, where the tree is lit, and thousands of little blue LED lights (Thank you former Mayor Begich) twinkle in spruce, and birch trees that border the little paths through the Square.  Our imaginary Mudflats Choir gathers on the frosty steps in front of the tree, their little noses red, their cheeks pink, exhaling into their mittened hands to keep them warm.  They’ll be here for twelve nights, singing one verse a night, of the bastardized carol we’ve all come to… tolerate.

We’ll finish up Christmas Eve night, so you can print out the lyrics to distribute to your progressive, moderate, sane relatives so they may join in a rousing chorus over your dinner table, or while gathered around the hearth.

So, with that, let’s join the Mudflats Choir as they start us off:

On the First Day of Christmas, My Ex-Gov Gave to Me:


A Dead Fish on My TeeVee

Comments

comments

Comments
144 Responses to “Open Thread – Twelve Days of Palin (Day 1)”
  1. JUST A THOUGHT says:

    I am still laughing! Keep posting! Love to all!

  2. WHAT IS NEXT FOR MCCAIN’S SEX KITTEN – A CENTERFOLD PHOTO

    IN PLAYBOY MAGAZINE? $ARAH HAS TO KEEP HER MONEY TRAIN

    ROLLING ALONG TO THE BANKS. HER “REALITY” SHOW IS A JOKE!

    (Sarah’s Alaska)

  3. overthemoon says:

    Just caught a couple of minutes of Greta and Sarah in Haiti. Boxes of Christmas presents. Cheap plastic toys. Cute girls lined up to give Graham a kiss. Greta unable to use the word ‘fecal material’ to talk about water contamination. Sarah squawking about not very much that is understandable. Greta says it was Bristol being a loving daughter fixing her mom’s hair.

    That’s all I could take.

    • beth says:

      And as Greta says: “Despite what others may think, this was not some big Fox operation…..it was just us trying to get you closer to a very important story.” http://gretawire.blogs.foxnews.com/look-at-the-huge-fox-crew-i-took-to-haiti/

      If by “not some big Fox operation” she means there were only 3 FOX employees from the US covering the ‘compassionate swoop-in–charge-out’, she would be accurate. (Herself, an “OTR Producer” kid named Justin Wells, and give-me-a-platform,-any-platform,-and-I’ll-pontificate-$arah.)

      If, on the other hand, by “not some big Fox operation” she means that FOX wasn’t unabashedly shilling for the innocuous-sounding Samaritan’s Purse, and even more importantly!, throwing all its considerable weight and influence behind $arah’s bid to gain gravitas and be one of the two final contentants in the pageant of 2012, she’d be flat out lying through her ever-lovin’ teeth! beth.

      • OMG says:

        Once considered an intelligent journalist, Greta has sold her soul to the devil.

      • jojobo1 says:

        Yesw I agree and I used to think Greta could be unbiased , not any more. Her blog is almost as bad as the palin one now

  4. leenie17 says:

    Here’s a peek at things to come after the Repubs take over the House.

    Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL) will become chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. He opposed financial reform and the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

    Now he says: “In Washington, the view is that the banks are to be regulated, and my view is that Washington and the regulators are there to SERVE THE BANKS.” (caps are mine)

    Soooo, Congress is not there to protect the American public and insure that the banks don’t try to repeat the same underhanded tactics that got us into this economic mess on the first place. Oh no, the Congress is there to help the banks do whatever they want, regardless of how much it screws consumers and the American economy.

    My only consolation is that these idiots have become so full of themselves that they no longer hide their true beliefs. I sincerely hope this kind of cr@p will come back to bite them in the nether regions in another 2 years, and sanity and humanity can once again return to the halls of Washington. If, of course, our country doesn’t implode before then.

    http://thinkprogress.org/2010/12/13/bachus-serves-bank/

    • lilybart says:

      Is this really what they think people want? They don’t care what we want. WE want the end of DADT and the passage of the dream act and the tax cuts to expire on the wealthy. Not that they should govern by polls, on the other hand, who represents US anymore?

      • leenie17 says:

        “who represents US anymore?”

        Unfortunately, lots of those Democrats who got voted out of office last month.

  5. Alaska Pi says:

    http://alaskadispatch.com/blogs/palin-watch/7811-palin-wants-airlifts-to-haiti
    Alrighty then…
    whatzername, who COULD NOT see her way to using state resources to airlift humanitarian supplies, to her own dang citizens while gov, think the military should airlift supplies to Haiti!!!!
    *&%#%&(*(%^$@#^&*(*()))&^%$#!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    methinks they need to airlift HER to the north pole and drop her off … would be the biggest humanitarian aid to all peoples I can think of.

    • lilybart says:

      She is hoping for a military airlift so she can tag along and look at CIC ish and all.

    • Millie says:

      The polar bears would give her a warm welcome!

    • jojobo1 says:

      Apparently palin doesn’t read much aid has been sent and is still being sent. I know I donated to doctors without borders for their work in Haiti.If she wants so much more she should use her own money or rather the money others gave her.

  6. MO inkslinger says:

    Great take on Sarah’s visit to Haiti. http://www.borowitzreport.com/

  7. Lainey says:

    what do other AK fisherman think of palin’s barbaric act? …or is this just normal in fishing world up there? she seems to defend it…and anything else she does as frontiersy or AKny.

  8. OMG says:

    A well deserved recipient of “Quote of the Day” on Sullivan’s:

    http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/12/quo-1.html

  9. beth says:

    It just struck me: When a woman is going somewhere where she knows she’ll be photographed (a wedding; birthday or office party; charity event etc.) she will usually go out and purchase a new outfit to wear. Courtesy of TLC, we now know $P, apparently, goes out and buys a new gun. beth.

  10. zyggy says:

    This got me laughing,
    Late-night laughs

    Jimmy Fallon: ” ‘Cause if there’s one thing that’s reassuring, it’s seeing Sarah Palin above you in a helicopter” (referring to Palin’s trip to Haiti).

  11. Ripley in CT says:

    Did you all see this? Chuch Heath strikes again. Please, let him speak for the family all the time. He’s a disgusting human being.

    Sarah Palin’s Alaska- Sarah’s dad said that the sight of a caribou makes Sarah “soaking wet”. http://tinyurl.com/3az675a

    • TX SMR says:

      I have a pretty high gross-out-threshhold, but that is really really disgusting and disturbing.

      My mind just does not want to go there.

      Now I need to bleach my brain.

      • Firecracker says:

        I too have a very high gross-out threshold and I am going to have to second you on this one. That is really, really, really disgusting and disturbing.

    • flying pig ranch says:

      Gee Chuckie, maybe she is just wee wee’d up or more likely she is having a hot flash. It seemed that the hunting segment in SP’s AK was Sarah trying to please daddy more than stocking her freezer. Why in the H…. would a father speak of his grown up daughter in that way? Pervert!

      • Baker's Dozen says:

        Do we know that Sarah shot that caribou, or was someone standing behind them, off camera, doing the shooting? Or that part of the footage was cut. I mean, don’t you see her pullin’ the trigger, and then they cut to the caribou fallen’ down?

    • Millie says:

      I’ve not read the postings here, but Barbara Walters indicated on “The View” today that the Palin group was the only one that didn’t like the specific interview Sarah had w/Barbara on the “Top 10” show recently. Barbara indicated she didn’t know why Palin didn’t like it. I found that difficult to believe as Palin ALWAYS indicates her specific displeasures with things. Perhaps Barbara doesn’t want an ongoing battle with her?

    • Well, that explains the origin of her personality disorder (parents with inappropriate boundaries)

    • Martha Unalaska Yard Sign says:

      That site reported it incorrectly. As gross as Chuckie is, that would be beyond the pale even for him. It had something to do with “I was tired, Sarah was soaking wet and her boots were waterlogged…” I’m sure it’s posted on the Net somewhere word by word – but my Palin time for the month is already used up so I don’t care about her again til January. Moderation in all things.

    • jojobo1 says:

      What hunting and gathering for their food is she talking about,she doesn’t need it ,the natives do.Kind of shows what she is a taker not a giver.

  12. Firecracker says:

    Little change of subject. There is a test vote in the Senate of the tax cut deal this afternoon. This would be a good time to contact your senators about your position. I just contacted both of mine even though I know one of them will not listen to me (Murcowski)! I am in opposition to the tax cut deal in its current form.

    The cost of this policy is estimated to be MORE than the stimulus and is a VERY inefficient way of creating jobs for the economy. The rich will not spend their tax cut like people with far less income and there is no guarantee that they will invest their money in the U.S. The rich will invest where the greatest return is likely which very well could be China or some other country. In addition, the U.S. is currently awash is excess capacity so investment in capital (while usually a good idea) is unlikely to be really be helpful at this point. We need effective policy and job creation in order to avoid a worsening of the economy.

    The fact that the inequality of incomes continues to grow between the upper incomes and the middle class should be very disconcerting for everyone in Congress. This inequality has great potential for social unrest and this policy will only further this inequality.

    This policy did not work under the Bush Administration and it will not work under the current administration either. Under the Bush administration there was a bubble being created by the deregulation of our financial industry and artificially low interest rates created by the Federal Reserve Bank. This made our economy APPEAR to be growing but that house of cards has clearly fallen.

    I can support the tax cuts for the middle class and lower incomes but am in strong opposition to the cuts for the upper incomes. The easing of the estate tax is also very disturbing and will again only further the inequality between the haves and have nots.

    • Dagian says:

      What? You mean that trickle-down/voodoo economics doesn’t work–again?

      It’s funny, but the reason for the tax cut when Bush was in office was because the economy was doing “so well” (for some, but not all; certainly not even most). Now the reason for the tax cut is that the economy is doing poorly (for most, but not the top 1% [who are the least likely to spend their tax cut]).

      Cry me a river, people who earn oh…$500,000 or more. I’ll try to be more sympathetic for those who “only” earn $250K in some very expensive parts of the country–but even at $250K, they are earning SIX TIMES the median salary of a two-income family of four. So…it’s quite a stretch for me.

      • Firecracker says:

        Yes, News Flash: Trickle Down Economics DOES NOT work. Never has, never will and that has been proven over and over. Reagan had apparently only studied classical economics but classical economics suffered a huge blow called the Great Depression.

        Just saw a great movie titled “Inside Job” that does a very good job of explaining the global financial crisis. It makes it very clear how Wall Street has weaved its way into Washington. I highly recommend it. It is in theaters now but hopefully will be available on DVD soon because I want to see it again. Even though I already knew a good chunk of what was in it there was just so much information that I feel like I missed some important points.

    • sarafina says:

      I keep reading about “easing of the estate tax”. In 2010 there was NO estate tax, as in 0%. It seems to me even setting a low rate for the estate tax is an improvement. If I’m wrong, can someone please explain?

      • Firecracker says:

        You are correct that the rate is currently zero percent for 2010 but it has only been that way for this year and is scheduled to go back to the 2001 levels if the cuts were allowed to expire. If nothing is done then the tax rate would return to 55% with only the first million exempted ($2 mill for a couple). The term easing applies when you consider what will happen in 2011 if nothing is done to the estate tax and it is allowed to return to its prior levels and what is in the tax cut deal. Under the Obama-GOP deal the top tax rate be 35% and the first 5 million will be exempted (10 mill for couples). I apologize if the use of easing was confusing and hope this clarifies my point a little more.

    • jojobo1 says:

      I am hoping the house puts in some changes not enough to blow it out of the water but enough to take away the cuts for those over 1 million,at least that. and Thats take home I believe

  13. Lacy Lady says:

    She wouldn’t know “Good-Will” if it bite her in the ass.
    Surprised that she actually touched the child without wearing gloves. I am sure that the people in Haiti saw right thru her—–and they didn’t need X-Ray vision. She is sooooooo transparent!

  14. Carol says:

    This is my goal also, from the NewYorkTimes
    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/04/opinion/04blow.html?_r=1&ref=columnists
    Ignore Palin to the best of my ability, until/unless she does something newsworthy.

    • Laurie says:

      I’m ready. I trust that if there is something that I really need to know, I will read about it in my favorite places. I’m tired of giving her power.

  15. Dagian says:

    http://voices.washingtonpost.com/compost/2010/12/sarah_palins_alaska_and_kate_g.html

    Heh-heh-heh.

    [snip]

    So the fact that Kate Gosselin might not have had a hot dog with mustard and ketchup before actually would make her less American. Kate Gosselin is not the Rest of Us. She’s a Surreal American, a citizen of a place that only exists on television and between the glossy covers of tabloid magazines. “Celebrities! They’re Just Like Us!” these magazines exclaim. No, frankly, some of them aren’t. And Kate Gosselin is definitely one of those.

    And so is Sarah Palin. Just because you look normal standing next to Kate Gosselin doesn’t make you normal. They’re far more alike than different — TLC Mamas with Dancing With the Stars experience, pursuits they share with an infinitesimal percentage of the population at large. They’re both Celebrities with capital C’s, more famous for being famous than for any tangible accomplishment. So what if one of them doesn’t enjoy the rain and the other claims to relish it?

    So the choice the episode works so hard to create is a false one. “We’re deciding who’s a Palin and who’s a Gosselin,” Kate says at one point, trying to drag her brood of Gosselings back away from the Palin campfire. Palin or Gosselin? Real or Surreal American? “Palin!” you scream at the TV, because you have spent the last few weeks avidly watching Sarah Palin’s Alaska. “Pick Palin!”

    Thank God those aren’t our only options.

  16. A fan from CA says:

    Didn’t see the View this morning but they discussed Boehners crying last night on 60 Minutes. Joy called him “Weeper of the House”. Sure hope that name sticks. She also pointed out that of all the things to cry about, his tears were for his success. A classic case of NPD. How do people vote for this kind of NJ?

    It’s going to be a long 2 years. I just hope that Progressive get their act together and stop the blame game. The Dem’s need some clear messaging to deliver to voters to get them to the polls next time.

    • Carol in TN says:

      Sharon Angle or $arah Palin’s screeching about “Man Up” “Wimp” seems to fit Boehner’s crying. He sounds more and more like a wimp!

  17. Dave says:

    Oh this is going to be fun, I can’t wait to see what the next eleven days have to bring! Jeanne you are sooo creative.

  18. Simple Mind says:

    Palin has done some revolting things during her career. Her virtual abandonment of western Alaskans during the winter of 08-09 especially comes to mind. However, her trip to Haiti appears to be joining the list of the top ten. If Palin were to fire up her considerable fund-raising ability to benefit Haitians, I take this back. However, the trip appears to be what the NYT called “poverty porn”. Palin again appears unprepared, ignorant and oblivious. Cholera victims die of dehydration caused by massive and uncontrollable diarrhea. Palin appears unaware of the misery as she strolls about surrounded by security and Fox news reporters, gawking and blathering about how these dying people are so “full of joy”. She is quoted, â��I know that thereâ��s been some discussion of U.S. aid perhaps being lifted from this area. Again â�� not to get political â�� but if some of the politicians would come here and see the conditions, perhaps they would see a need for, say, a military airlift to come bring supplies that are so needed here.â�� I guess she (still) doesn’t read the papers. According to USAID, the US government has, thus far, provided over $1.1 billion in humanitarian aid related to the January ’10 quake and US-based NGO’s have been on the ground since the day of the tragedy – while Palin has been flying about in private jets to book signings. As I said, if Palin were there to help, I would take this back. However, it seems clear she was there to be seen as an international presence. This was a trip to benefit Palin, not dying Haitians.

    • Carol says:

      Simple Mind has said everything I meant to, so I’ll just second that. I was also going to ask how much she has donated to the Haitian relief effort from her book sales, etc. Easy to guess that answer.

      • Dagian says:

        Someone posted this in today’s ComPost article. I think it stands on its own merit.

        http://voices.washingtonpost.com/compost/2010/12/sarah_palins_alaska_and_kate_g.html

        The $42,000 Palin spent for the fun of putting a bullet into a caribou’s brain would have paid for 168 surgeries to repair cleft-palates. She did say that she had killed the animal for food, hoping, I suppose, to sound like a pioneer mother struggling to feed her starving brood. Pathetic. The Palinistas, of course, will go for it.

        Posted by: m_richert | December 13, 2010 1:55 PM

        Here’s another insightful comment:

        “So the choice the episode works so hard to create is a false one.”

        Exactly. Palin and Gosselin represent two different flavors of self-absorption. The only relevant distinction between the two is that Gosselin isn’t a demagogue tilting at elitist windmills while using euphemisms like “real Americans” to bash ethnic minorities.

        Posted by: Carstonio | December 13, 2010 2:08 PM

        • Baker's Dozen says:

          With the two of them together, we’re lucky all that self absorption, sucking in anything and everything around them, didn’t create a black hole.

      • jojobo1 says:

        The only thing she has to do is tithe to her religion or I should say church if she has one now.That gets her out of any charity giving as she thinks churches should handle all that.

    • Baker's Dozen says:

      Did her trip to Western Alaska generate any aid? It didn’t generate a declared state of emergency from the Governor’s office, did it! No, her base will just think we’re not sending anything and be all down on the govt and Obama, though few of them will send a dime to help. Their money goes to Sarah.

      • jojobo1 says:

        I put up on my FB page where Obama peace prizer money went and combined with Bush,Clinton and him it was a lot.There are some palin people on my page but thats ok ,they can then learn the truth.

  19. boctaoe says:

    Blogs reported two Tweets from Palin in Haiti, both began with “I”.

  20. beth says:

    Open thread comment…

    At a Big Box store yesterday, I heard from the next aisle over a young voice (I’d guesstimate its owner to be about three) say: “I want to walk around, now — Daddy, please buckle me out.”

    Oh, how I love the way little chickadee’s minds work! His choice of words really chuckled me; he made my day. beth.

    • Bretta says:

      Love it!

      My three favorites from my youngest before she was three:

      “Mommy, you’re a winner and so am I.”

      “We are lost and we are fishing.”

      “Want me to hold you?” (when she was hurt, boo-boo or feelings, before she could formulate asking if I would hold her, because that’s what she had heard me asking her.)

      • beth says:

        Awww – how sweet, Bretta!

        My 3-yo second son used “whobody” –as in: “Whobody is that?”. I suppose if you can have anybody, nobody, somebody, you might as well have “whobody”. He also used “drowsing” to describe the weather phenomenon where falling precipitation is definitely noticable, but not quite drizzling. Hey… when he was drowsy, he couldn’t get too much going, either! The logic of his growing mind was a joy to follow. beth.

        –My 2-yo elder son was walking around with a cardboard box balanced on top his head asking all and sundry: “Doesn’t I look like a working man? Doesn’t I look like a working man?” When I corrected him with: “It’s ‘Don’t I look like a working man’,” he was absolutely crestfallen. His tearful response was: “Why don’t I?” b.

    • fishingmamma says:

      One morning I went outside to start and warm up the car. I came back in the house to find my little daughter crying. I asked what was the matter, and she said in the most heartbreaking voice, “I thought you withgot me”

      Every day with little kids is an adventure.

    • BMA says:

      Aw. These expressions are so cute.

      An acquaintance’s 2-year-old daughter looked up at my teenage daughter and said, “Who’s your name?” That was ten years ago, and we still talk about how cute she was when she said it.

      When my oldest daughter was first learning to talk, she’d ask, when she was hungry, “Can I have some pood?” When she was thirsty, she’d ask, “Can I have some something to drink?”

      • beth says:

        My “whobody” and “drowsing” son asked us one day; “What’s ‘a dayus’?” We were stumped and asked where he’d heard the word. He said: “The guy on the radio, he’s singing “I’m a dayus, I’m a dayus…”. Since then, we’ve never listened to Falco with quite the same ear. beth.
        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXs93KbBCgY

        • Baker's Dozen says:

          Heh. My younger one, at about 18 months, kept asking for “Reagan.” Not even her older sister, who was 5, knew what she meant, and she was an excellent toddler interpreter, but looked at her with raised eyebrows, saying, “Ronald Reagan?!” (he was president). Nope.
          About a month later, our little one cried out in delight “Reagan!” when Raggedy Ann emerged from a box she’d been playing in in the garage one day. Mystery solved. Family relieved to discover she hadn’t joined the Junior Republicans!

  21. tigerwine says:

    HA HA! You MUST watch the following to find out how to get rid of a bear! All that BS scary stuff from Sarah is just unnecessary!

    http://www.wimp.com/curiousbear/

    • Hope says:

      tigerwine
      She had to show her fans what she just learned. She has been doing that a lot lately. Maybe she will be a good guide for the new Noah’s Ark Theme Park. She can be the woman that walks with the dinosaurs. If they get out of line, she has her gun and halibut bat in hand!

      • Baker's Dozen says:

        Her mom has set the bar low enough for a literacy level companies are willing to publish, so this is actually now a possibility. But if it isn’t “Griftie Dearest,” it won’t sell.

        What with air brushing techniques, Playboy becomes a possibility. Otherwise, she isn’t think enough–and I’m not just talking about right now. As a disclaimer, I wouldn’t have been thin enough either. Not that that would have ever been my thing, thank goodness.

        • Baker's Dozen says:

          Hmm. Not sure why this is here . . .

          But Lordy, I’m laughing and the thought of her bopping Dino on the nose. The Flintstones are proof that she’s right, you know.

          She can demonstrate how to field dress a triceratops whist fending off saber tooth tigers, man eating venus fly traps, and various primates who aren’t remotely related to her.

          I’d ask how she’d do without a gun, except her last unreality adventure demonstrated she’s as well armed with a gun as without. Heck, she’d be just as expert with a bow and arrow.

          • Baker's Dozen says:

            I’m having a conversation with myself here.

            But, heck, if you were walking down an anchorage street after dark and she came up and stuck a gun in your ribs, sayin’ “Your money or, you betcha’, your life, also, too,” you’d fall down laughing, knowing she’d miss!

    • zyxomma says:

      tee hee hee. Thanks for posting, tigerwine.

    • leenie17 says:

      Great video! I don’t think I’d be nearly as calm as that man if a bear got that close to me!

  22. twain12 says:

    anybody watch the view?
    I guess Sarah wasn’t happy with the most fascinating person interview that Barbara gave LOL

    As soon as they mentioned that somebody wasn’t happy with their interview i knew it was her.

  23. OMG says:

    I totally agree with this column about 20 year old, teen mom celebrity Bristol Palin. She most certainly is not off limits. She, like her mother and so many other celebrities, courts media attention to become rich but cries foul when criticized or made the butt of a joke. They want their world to be viewed through rose colored glasses and want all the publicity they can garner to allow them to line their pockets. Bristol is a grown up celebrity now and should expect to be treated like one.

    http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/entertainment/50834160-81/palin-bristol-griffin-joke.html.csp

    • Dagian says:

      Bristol is a 20-year old adult. If you do stupid things as a 20 year old, particularly on national television, or on a Facebook account, then expect them to bite you on your ass.

      What a cluck.

    • Dagian says:

      Excuse me, but extra-super-awesome mean post follows. Indulge me. ‘Tis the season for self-indulgence.

      Who here is willing to bet against me? I think that Bristol will find her way to a Playboy photo shoot session within 3 years. She’s not going to be able to find those plum speaking gigs for much longer, and clearly she can’t learn to dance (vertically), and I seriously doubt she can sing.

      Maybe she can write a book, just like dear old mom.

      • A fan from CA says:

        That would certainly be a “Mommy Dearest” moment for the functional illiterate. She could even feature a middle finger salute to you know who.

  24. Susabelle says:

    A great tradition..I certainly will hum along….The vision of the Savior Sarah bringing so much to Haiti (actually touching a child ) brings me to tears..of frustration and mean thoughts. So glad I am not alone. You guys help me feel almost sane

    • Dagian says:

      I’m posting this because it provides SO much to compare and contrast $P to our current (albeit imperfect) POTUS and answers the age-old question, “What do you do if a million dollars lands in your lap–and you have no real need for the money?”

      How Obama gave away $1.2 million dollars (Nobel Peace Prize)

      $250,000 to Fisher House

      Fisher House is a national non-profit organization that provides housing for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers.

      $200,000 to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund

      In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, President Obama asked former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton to create the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund to raise funds for long-term relief efforts in Haiti.

      $125,000 to College Summit

      College Summit is a national non-profit organization that partners with high schools to strengthen college-going culture and increase college enrollment rates, so that all students graduate from high school career and college-ready.

      $125,000 to the Posse Foundation

      The Posse Foundation is a national non-profit organization that identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. Posse’s college and university partners award Posse Scholars four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships. The scholars graduate at a rate of 90 percent.

      $125,000 to the United Negro College Fund

      The United Negro College Fund plays a critical role in enabling more than 60,000 students each year to attend college through scholarship and internship programs.

      $125,000 to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund

      The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) is the nation’s leading Hispanic scholarship organization, providing the Hispanic community more college scholarships and educational outreach support than any other organization in the country. In its 34 year history, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund has awarded close to $280M in scholarships to more than 90,000 students in need.

      $125,000 to the Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation

      A non-profit organization funded by foundations and companies, ALEF supports and enables young men and women from Appalachia to pursue higher education though scholarship and leadership curriculum.

      $125,000 to the American Indian College Fund

      The American Indian College Fund transforms Indian higher education by funding and creating awareness of the unique, community-based accredited Tribal Colleges and Universities, offering students access to knowledge, skills, and cultural values which enhance their communities and the country as a whole. The Fund disburses approximately 6,000 scholarships annually for American Indian students seeking to better their lives through higher education. The Fund also provides support for tribal college needs, ranging from capital support to cultural preservation curricula.

      $100,000 to AfriCare

      AfriCare was founded in 1970 and has more projects in Africa than any other U.S. based charity, reaching communities in 25 countries, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its programs address needs in three principal areas: health and HIV/AIDS; food security and agriculture; and water resource development.

      $100,000 to the Central Asia Institute

      The Central Asia Institute promotes and supports community-based education and literacy, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Institute’s co-founder, Greg Mortenson, was also a Nobel Peace Prize nominee this year, whose book, Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace, One School at a Time, recounts his attempt to successfully establish dozens of schools and promote girls’ education in rural Afghanistan and Pakistan.

      • bubbles says:

        lovely post Dagian. thanks.

      • Bretta says:

        Incredible. Thank you. I loved him before, now I love him more.

      • rpm says:

        Thank you for this wonderful bit of information. I know it must be available other places;but I had never read it. How much true good Sarah could do by donating instead headlining,criticizing, and showing her ignorant,selfish self.

        • North of the Range says:

          Oh, but she’s donating her most valuable commodity, don’tcha know…

          Her shining presence, her very center-of-the-universe-ness.

          How Haiti managed without it up until now, is certainly a mystery to her.

      • leenie17 says:

        You know what Palin and Beck would say…all that money going to promote that soshalist edj-amacatin’ stuff for people who aren’t rill Amurkans after all.

        I, on the other hand, thank my President for helping to make the future brighter for many young people who would otherwise not have these opportunities. As usual, he’s thinking of how to make the world a better place years down the road.

        And THAT’S why he won the Nobel Peace Prize in the first place!

      • Thank you…that’s wonderful..! I’m glad to know…

  25. GoI3ig says:

    That darn TLC runs that inane show two or three times in a row. I thought I had sucessfully dodged it. Later in the evening, I was surfing along, and there it was again. Ugh! I endured about 4 minutes of it, as they were showing the much ballyhooed caribou hunt.

    What a joke. She’s obviously no hunter. She got enough lead in the air, until something stepped in to it. That something was a pathetic little caribou. It looked like a cow to me. (yes, you non Alaskans, female caribou have antlers)

    Everyone in her party keep calling it a “him.” If it was indeed a bull, it wasn’t any more than a calf. I didn’t hang around for the butchering. The screech had worn me down, even over the noise of rifle fire.

  26. Cammie says:

    12 Days of Palin?? Nooooooooooo! Now, that really IS waging a war against Christmas!

  27. johnny says:

    What is the length of that halibut anyway? Looks a little small….

  28. SendLawyersGunsAndMoney says:

    Day 2: “Two pregnancies a-hiding…”

    • Bretta says:

      Gets my vote – that Haitian belly’s about six months. I’m predicting a February birth. Someone else already took March 2nd.

  29. Bob Benner says:

    I love guessing games:

    I’m guessing on the second day of Christmas my Ex-Guv gave me two books for burning…

    • Nan (aka roswellborn) says:

      Points to you! That’s terrific!

    • Dagian says:

      My Reading List by Sarah Palin
      (Happy reads my true American friends)
      —————–
      1) The Big Book of Knock Knock Jokes
      2) Going Rogue (CliffsNotes version) 3) America by Heart (pop-up book)
      5) Going Rogue (also pop up book)
      4) America by Heart (scratch-n-sniff version)
      5) opps! I mean 6
      6) No..I actually mean 5…no wait I’m confused.
      7) Oh crap I lost count!
      8) Dang these numbers are….
      9) OH Crap…again with the numbers!
      10) Somebody..Help! Stop the autoformatting numbering on this excel!

    • jojobo1 says:

      Good one LOL

  30. LibertyLover says:

    With all the shooting and clubbing things to death, I just gotta wonder if this is the “kinder, gentler nation that George H W Bush (41) spoke of a few years back.

    On the other hand, since we will all have to go back and start killing and growing our own food because we won’t have jobs to be able to buy it, maybe it’s a good thing to learn what we’re going to have to do to feed our families in the future. It’s a public service that Palin is providing us. /snark

  31. TX SMR says:

    Yesterday I went to Starbucks (because I’m an elitist that way) and had the greatest time talking to the fella sitting next to me about the crazy quitter lady, crazy texans, crazy politics. He was so lovely. It was so nice to talk to someone who is sane. There are so few people here who I can have decent talks with about politics. Mostly I just keep my mouth shut. And that is a real challenge some days! This weekend is my husband’s office xmas party. This would be the same office where they were handing out “Freedom Works Rally Jobs for Houston!” flyers. O. M. G. I promised my husband that I would be very good and not myself at all.

    Now, to be on topic: when I was a teenager I had a boyfriend who had a family cabin on the Kenai River. I don’t eat fish — had it force fed to me for years & years when I was young, and now even the smell of it makes me literally sick to my stomach. Anyway, we were fishing, and I was quite enjoying myself, then boyfriend’s granny came out to start bashing fish over the head and I hung up my fishing rod, never picked one up again ever. That was almost 30 years ago. I know that’s how it’s done, but I could not get past that, and since I don’t eat it myself, why fish? I’ve been camping a zillion times (using fox math), and hunting too, but even watching a sheep being shot, unpleasant for me as that was, was nothing like watching someone bash a fish over & over. Why show that? I remember thinking that boyfriend’s granny looked like she was taking out every bit of her life’s frustrations on those fish (she was a horrid bitter old witch), and I get that from the quitter’s fish-smashing efforts too. Yuk.

    • Bretta says:

      Good point – I taught my kids to fish and we never bash them. If I can’t kill humanely and fast then I’m not doing it right, according to my dearly departed dad. He says it taints the meat to be violent against them. Break the neck or pith the brain but bashing is not good.

      Such XMas-y thoughts. This is what the $creech-monster has brought me to…

      • wendycrew says:

        In the spirit of the holidays, and in respect for your dear Dad’s teachings, I wish to mention another technique for dispatching fish. Do you know that vodka is considered a relatively humane way to end a fishes life? A mouth full of strong liquor sprayed into the gills acts very quickly. Of course this is not a suitable technique for children or those who might abuse strong drink. Peace

    • AustinGirl says:

      Around Austin it is much easier to have those conversations 🙂 Have never encountered anyone around her with anything favorable to say about her.

      I agree with you on the fishing. I did a lot of fishing as a kid, but it never involved beating them to death. I am no vegetarian, but these things must be done humanely. Anyone who gets enjoyment out of something like that is just sick and twisted.

  32. GrainneKathleen says:

    not just a dead fish. but a bloody bludgeoned one.
    great first line!!! can’t wait for more.

  33. Oh, now that’s a good idea – except I’m not good at Whack-a-Mole games. But I love the idea.

    Hubby was flipping through channels after we finished watching a movie and there it was – Sarah Palin’s Alaska. He laughed, I yelled”NO, change the channel”, by which time he already had. Luckily I didn’t see anything as it was on commercial. I feel like our TV is now contaminated.

    • benlomond2 says:

      …wife “threatened” to watch it last nite as she was flipping channels, which caused a loud NO from me, as I heard a screeching noise from the TV….I promptly planted myself in the den to play computer solitare for the next hour to keep myself pure….. ( at least in THAT regard ! no commnets, slip !)

    • Reba in Va says:

      Same in our house last night…
      NLF channel is right next to TLC and hubby hit the wrong button on the remote…
      I hear one syllable from the Screecher and screamed…
      he’d already hit the mute button!

  34. thatcrowwoman says:

    do re me me me me me
    and
    OY! VEY! also, too (consider it to be thatcrowwoman’s A-men at the end of the carol)

    29 degrees in sunny windy (wind chill? we don’t need no stinkin’ wind chill!) Florida.
    Off to the library to proctor some “high-stakes” “value-added” testing. Meh…
    *weighing options: testing? whatzername? sharp stick in the eye? root canal? it’s all about the same*

    stay warm out there, er, in there, er wherever…
    thatcrowwoman

    • leenie17 says:

      I would feel your pain but I haven’t quite thawed out yet from my trip to the store. It’s 13 degrees here with a wind chill of -3 and snowing like crazy. We’re currently getting the delightful Great Lakes phenomenon known as ‘Lake Effect’. By the time if stops snowing on Wednesday the total is projected to be somewhere around 2 feet. We had that much last week so that’s not a big deal, but the winds and the low temps make it a lot harder to keep the roads safe. I decided to top off my gas tank before I came home and actually slid sideways into the gas station. Boy howdy, THAT was fun!

      I am doing all my snow day dances tonight but have little hope that our Sup’t will close school tomorrow. Two years ago, every single sup’t in our county closed one day when the wind chills hit -18 but we stayed open, even though a large number of our kids walk to school and don’t have proper clothing. That night on the news, he managed to insult the other superintendents, the staff and the parents, all in one fell swoop by insisting HE knew better than everyone else, despite the fact that he grew up in Haiti and lived in NYC until three years ago. The only people who seem to like him (unfortunately) are the members of the School Board, who just extended his contract for another 3 years. Arrgghhh!

      Have fun proctoring tomorrow…we just finished the third of six rounds of state testing last week. Hey, who needs time to actually teach???

      • Elizabeth says:

        Keep those little guys warm; yourself too. I can’t imagine having children out walking with that kind of windchill.

  35. Kath the Scrappy says:

    Do-re-mi Whack a Fish. That woman takes such pleasure in killing things.

    Okay, gotta get back to warming up the vocal chords.

    Do-re-mi
    Will SOMEONE get her OFF my TV?

    • Kath the Scrappy says:

      Sickness, pure and simple.

    • WakeUpAmerica says:

      Which reminds me, I wish AKM could put up a virtual Palin Whack-a-Mole game for us to entertain ourselves.

    • PennLawyer says:

      Someone recently pointed out that there is no record of the Palin family ever having pets, i.e,. dogs or cats. Really a shame because her kids could sure have used a source of always present and unconditional love in their home as they were growing up.

      • Or an endless supply of creatures to torture…..weird not to have a pet…

        • fishingmamma says:

          I only had two kids. But we went through the hampsters, birds, cats, frogs, mice, lizards, more birds, more cats, kittens, dogs, more dogs, horses, and more dogs.

          I do not know how a family with five children can get through childhood, teenageerhood and young adulthood with no pets. The kids just bring them home., at least mine did, because they knew I would not cook them for dinner…wait….ewe…

  36. London Bridges says:

    I think it is very flip and insensitive that Sarah’s “fun” camp out aired in Tee Vee the day after she visited Haiti where nearly all its people have been forced to camp in squalid conditions permanently.

    Anyone else would have postponed one or the other.

    • jimzmum says:

      Why should she postpone? It is all about her. No matter the circumstance, it is all about her. Have to get that bump-it screwed in before a photo-op.

      Thank you, AKM! Perfect as usual.

      It is stinking cold here – way below zero in the wind. Schools are closed, which is not normal. I am staying inside today, and finishing up the Christmas letter we send to family. One of the highlights of 2010 was meeting AKM and Shannyn in Anchorage, and introducing them to Kir Royales. Lovely evening, long remembered. Funny.

      • PennLawyer says:

        Should you ever be in San Juan and order a Kir Royale, make sure the waiter/bartender knows the difference between Kir Royale and a shot of Crown Royale on the rocks. They were very gracious about mixing the right drink when I told them what it was. Also, for Thanksgiving we made them with an Italian sparkling wine, Prosecco. Really about as good as with Veuve Cliquot, but as the Brits say, more value for the money (cheaper!).

    • Diane says:

      But I’m out of the country for one day, people may forget me!

      OR

      America needs! What will they talk about on Monday morning if I’m not on the night before???

      OR
      My base! What will they say without my guidance? Who else will tell them about Obama? oh right. glenn…

    • Eykis says:

      I see running across the bottom of my teevee screen: “Palin says Haiti needs ‘military airlift'”. As always, about a year LATE – YIKES, when this female leave the airwaves?

      • Dagian says:

        Did she miss the USNS Comfort when it was there for a period of time? The woman is a complete lack-wit!

        Jan. 20, 2010
        Aboard the USNS Comfort in Haiti
        Navy’s Hospital Ship with 900 Medical Staff and 12 Operating Rooms Arrives in Port-au-Prince to Help Earthquake Victims

        10 March, 2010

        PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The U.S. military hospital ship Comfort has completed its relief mission in Haiti and is heading home.

        The Comfort has been stationed off the country’s coast for seven weeks treating victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake.

        But the U.S. military is scaling back in Haiti and it’s time for the ship to head back to its homeport. A military spokesman says the comfort will leave Wednesday and be back in Baltimore on March 14. While in Haiti, the ship’s personnel treated more than 800 patients.

        The total number of U.S. forces in Haiti is expected to drop to about 8,000 in coming days, down from a peak of around 20,000 on Feb. 1.

        • bubbles says:

          one wealthy American does a tour of an army base to visit some badly wounded vets. ‘course this celebrity ain’t a rill amurikkkan but he does a lovely thing anyhoo:

          http://www.hotboxingnews.com/NEWS2010/news120810washingtondenzelwbc.htm

          • zyxomma says:

            Loverly! What a contrast. Denzel Washington visits the wounded vets and their families (burn victims, no less) in TX, with no fanfare, no entourage. While visiting one of the Fisher Homes, where family stays while the loved one heals, Denzel asks, “What does one of these houses cost?” then breaks out his checkbook and pays for one on the spot. Contrast this with Grifter Granny of the Endless Photo Op, who believes that charity begins at home: her home, with herself and fam as sole beneficiary.

          • leenie17 says:

            SUCH a classy guy! And, when he smiles, it comes right from his toes.

            He’s always seemed to me to be the model Hollywood star…excellent at what he does, uses his celebrity for good causes but not for his own ego or fame, and keeps himself and his family out of the spotlight most of the time. Ms. ‘I’m Ready for My Closeup’ could learn a lot from Mr. Washington.

          • Thank you for that…! What a beautiful man….and what a gesture of real grace..WOW..!

          • Laurie says:

            There is something strange about this. Maybe I’m experiencing deja vu. I seem to remember reading this exact story years ago about Denzel Washington. Perhaps he has done this before.

          • formerwriter says:

            Denzel Washington has made some excellent movies. He acted and directed in The Great Debaters, based on a true story about Wiley College debating Harvard during the 1930s. Back when blacks went only to black colleges and whites went only to white colleges. I sure love that man.

        • NOLA says:

          Just a side note, hopefully more positive. My grandfather was an officer on the Comfort during WWII. He was officer on duty, in fact, when the ship was it by a kamikaze. Horrible event, but I’m proud that he served on that ship!
          Not too long ago, we found a newsreel of the ship back in port, and you can actually see him looking at the damage on the video. Made me cry to see him so young and in such awful surroundings. Dozens were killed in that instant, but the ship was saved. Now, that is American Exceptional-ism. SP can go suck a pickle.

  37. London Bridges says:

    Sarah is a parody of own self, a black com-edy!

    The gift that keeps on giving!

  38. ks sunflower says:

    Ah, me-me-me-me . . . .

    (No, I am not warming up my vocal cords – I am preparing myself for the overall tenor of the song – “it’s all about Me, Sarah Palin!”)

    Gosh, I am looking forward to singing this song!

    Off to a delightful start, AKM, delightful! I love starting my week this way.

    • eddie fireplace palin says:

      It’s About Me, Babe

      (sung to the tune of “It Ain’t Me, Babe”

      Go away from my office,
      Leave at your own chosen speed.
      I don’t care what you want, babe,
      I don’t care what you need.
      You say you’re looking for someone
      Who will guide the state along
      A path that serves the greater good,
      And who knows what’s right or wrong.
      Someone who will protect all that is yours.
      But it’s about me, babe.
      Don’t you know, it’s about me, babe.
      It’s about me and nothing more, babe.

      Go ahead and plan your party,
      Who knows if I’ll be around.
      I don’t care what you want, babe,
      I don’t care if I let you down.
      You say you’re looking for someone
      Who will live where they should work.
      Who won’t be grabbing constantly
      For each and every perk.
      Someone who will respect the law and more.
      But it’s about me, babe.
      Don’t you know, it’s about me, babe.
      It’s about me and nothing more, babe.

      Go jump into the river,
      Try not to make a sound.
      I don’t care what you want, babe,
      I don’t care if you drown.
      You say you’re looking for someone
      Who will act in times of need.
      Who will offer more than sugar snacks
      When there are mouths to feed.
      Someone who will care for you and yours.
      But it’s about me, babe.
      Don’t you know, it’s about me, babe.
      It’s about me and nothing more, babe