The thing speaks for itself.
No Time for Tuckerman
-
Time. It is precious, they say. It flies, they say. And former Republican
Party Chair, former Dunleavy Chief of Staff, and now former University of
Alaska ...
1 year ago
48 comments:
A beautiful and poignant picture. The one in profile at the RNC where Bristol is holding Trig is also haunting. One hopes for a better future, of honesty and acceptance rather than concealment and deception.--Mary G.
Hey Audrey--
I have gathered a lot of info on this the moment it started coming out
i spent over a week gathering pictures and information about Palin's movements.
I am convinced she faked it and think I have additional photos and statements made by her and her family to back it up
How can we talk?? i didn't see any email link to email you
What is going to happen if Bristol does not deliver a baby?
info@palindeception.com
Does anyone know what happened to the original posts from Labor Day weekend about all this on the DailyKos? I can no longer find anything!
Misty
I recall seeing in the Frank Elan footage that Audrey posted an odd scene in part 4 of the 5, where Elan asks Palin if she knows the gender, and she says (in a phoney voice) "It's a boy," and then Elan
asks Piper what she thinks, and Piper looks utterly confused--not like a sibling who has been asked umpteen times "does she want a baby brother?". There is actually some inaudible mumbling--perhaps the editors did something. Also, in reviewing that footage, note how occasionally the screen is cropped, to hide Palin's (trim) figure. I actually think there is something more than circumstantial in all of Audrey's hard work! I keep reviewing her site.--Mary
have you tried emailing frank elan to see what he has to say about all this?
It would be interesting.
Just out of curiosity, I'm wondering what criteria you used to determine that Palin used a 'phoney'(sic) voice?
Misty
Misty--phoney may not be the best word: rushed, nervous, furtive. Listen and see what you think. Of course, maybe she is speaking from the "heart" here.... it is just another weird Palin moment.
Here is what I find puzzling.
Although the evidence is not conclusive, it does not seem to me that Sarah gave birth to Trig -- i.e., it could be possible, but it seems unlikely. Everyone here thinks that Bristol birthed Trig. Although it could be a big fake, it appears that Bristol is pregnant.
We all agree that if Bristol verifiably gives birth to a baby in December, Bristol cannot be the mother of Trig. Some people have suggested that Bristol is pregnant, but just not so far along that she is going to give birth in December, meaning she could be the mother of Trig and could have gotten pregnant again immediately thereafter.
Perhaps it is my middle class values, but while I can see an unmarried teenager (especially one from a holy roller family who was never given sex education) ending up "accidentally" pregnant once, I just can't see it happening twice (especially where there is any parental supervision at all).
Again, maybe it's my middle class values, but what kind of teenager pops out two illegitimate babies in a row? So, to me, this goes against Bristol being the mother of Trig or against her being pregnant now, but it goes against one of them.
I'm in total agreement with the poster about the liklihood of Bristol having two babies in a row ... I've heard of kids rebelling against their parents by becoming sexually promiscuous, but that would be a bit of a stretch. Same token .. who is more likely to get pregnant? A 44 year old politician woman with four children and a busy life, or a teenage daughter, known to party, who has a boyfriend and probably is rebelling against her strict, hypocritical parents who try and micromanage her life, imposing their holy roller "values" while probably being absent from the home?
Appalled
I agree with the poster who doubts that Bristol would have 2 illegitimate pregnancies back-to-back. A responsible OB/GYN would counsel an unwed mother on postpartum birth control. Plus if she is breast feeding Trig, that reduces her changes of a 2nd pregnancy so quickly.
If you believe that Levi is the father of Trig, then a second pregnancy with Levi may sound unlikely.
But if Levi isn't Trig's father, it's a different story.
It may be that Levi has been "trapped" into fatherhood here - may be just fortuitously for Bristol and her mom, or with the mom's active encouragement. By getting Levi into a shotgun wedding they would be able to save Bristol's respectability.
It is certainly possible to get pregnant while breastfeeding, though it is much more rare. Most people who post on this blog, write to me and post elsewhere seem to believe that Bristol is not pregnant at all. I think she certainly looks pregnant at the RNC, though from the quick glimpses we got of her in NYC on Saturday, it doesn't look like it's advanced much.
I think it's really important to remember that there are two issues here, not one, and maybe too often this website has been guilty of doing what I've accused the McCain camp of doing - and that is "mixing" them.
The first issue is Did Sarah Palin give birth to Trig in April? There is strong circumstantial evidence that her pregnancy and birth did not occur as she has alleged they did. Note that this question has absolutely nothing to do with Bristol or anyone else and answers to it should not depend on Bristol or anyone else.
If the answer to this is "no," then the second question becomes, Who did? Note again: there is some circumstantial evidence that Bristol was pregnant last winter and spring, and some photographic evidence from recent weeks that show her behavior with Trig to be very "maternal." Does that prove she is Trig's mother? No.
But even if it is shown beyond any doubt that Bristol Palin could not be Trig's mother, it does NOT prove that Sarah IS his mother, as much as the McCain campaign would like us to think so.
By allowing this whole thing to become "about Bristol" we forget that the main question is about Sarah. And it's never been answered.
Audrey is correct again. That Bristol is the mother of Trig is a hypothesis to explain who is Trig's mother if Sarah is not.
If Bristol is not the mother of Trig -- which could be confirmed by the birth date of the second child -- then that leaves three other possibilities:
1 - Sarah is Trig's mother.
2 - Willow is Trig's mother.
3 - Someone else is Trig's mother.
A conclusive affirmative case for any of these three scenarios has not been offerred or proved.
We should probably attempt to prove Trig's actual date of birth, however. We have no direct evidence, except for some pictures on Sadie Johnston's page, of Trig as a very small infant that could be reasonably dated. Could Trig have been born before the publicly acknowledged April 18th date? If so, why would Sarah have to rush back from Texas the day before?
I point this out to remind everyone that we cannot accept any factual assertions without conclusive evidence.
I've been following this blog from Scotland. I'm appalled that the teenage daughter has been thrown to the wolves and I feel that this blog and others should remember that she is a teenage girl. For that reason I would suggest that she be left alone.
However, Audrey's post above, highlights what I have been thinking all along: i.e. Sarah Palin is almost certainly not Trig Palin's biological/natural mother. The story just does not add up. I feel that a more productive and more healthy strategy for this blog would be simply to continue to highlight the improbability of this and consequently the likelyhood that Sarah Palin is lying. Any speculation as to why she is lying is simply speculation. The 'facts' of the amniotic fluid, plane journeys etc all suggest a poorly constructed fraud.
My wife and I, both share Sarah Palin's views on abortion and for that reason refused to have an amnioentesis when expecting our two children at 38 and 42. We were quoted the risk of spontaneous abortion as high as one in a hundred and agreed that we would be unlikely to place our car in a one in a hundred chance of being written off, let alone our precious unborn babies. We were advised that it would help us to prepare but we felt that a newborn has to be fed changed etc for the first few months of its life with or without downs and that it would be at later developmental stages that we would have to actually cope with Downes Syndrome. We were never advised that a Downs baby might need special medical intervention. This might justify the amnio but given the reckless way in which Sarah Palin treated her labour, it is highly unlikely that this is why she had the test.
I am aware of people who have openly supported anti abortion laws but, when faced with potential Downs in their own family, have done a U-turn. It is entirely possible that recklessness in such a pregnancy would be to enhance the chances of miscarriage or still birth - but this is too shocking to contemplate.
My instinct and my head tell me that Sarah Palin is not the mother of Trig and that the amnio story was concocted with Rovian/Machiavellian skullduggery as it was too good an opportunity to miss by way of connecting with the far right.
I believe that Sarah Palin gives the Church of Jesus Christ a bad name, with her lack of charity and her lack of truthfulness but she will stand before the Lord and give an account of herself like the rest of us.
I would appeal to the bloggers to leave her poor daughter out of it and concentrate solely on what the available 'facts' say re the likelyhood or non-likelyhood of her being the mother.
Ebenezer
I suppose Trig could have been born before 4/18, but we have Sarah's own statement that she left a conference that she wanted to attend in a hurry, and in a very public way. If he had somehow already been born, why the rush? I think someone was in labor on 4/17. I'm not sure who it was.
Most of the public skepticism about her birth story stems from one source, and that is the very public and I believe poorly-considered trip from Texas to Anchorage in the afternoon and evening of 4/17. I have not called in Mr. Toad's Wild Ride for nothing. Without the very public record of this trip (including the fact that Alaska Air made a statement about it afterward) we'd have very little concrete to go on.
On 4/18 Sarah Palin's parents gave a TV interview at Mat-Su Hospital holding a very tiny infant. Andrew Sullivan today reports that a local reporter saw Sarah Palin at Mat-Su "the day after" the birth, though whether that means 4/18 (which technically would be the day OF) or 4/19 which would be the day after, I am not sure. That baby came from somewhere, and while a whole variety of "possible" explanations exist, by far the most plausible is that Trig Palin was born at Mat-Su Hospital early in the morning on 4/18.
Audrey and all,
We may finally be at the point when Sarah will have to produce her medical records for the public. Perhaps that is why Joe B. decided to come forth so openly today...One way or another, this will come out. Unfortunately, given the power of the Republican machine, the truth may continue to be obscurred. I too have been obsessed with this since I first read about it, and am so grateful to find so many others that are not willing to accept this "Rove-ian" spin.
Keep up the great work Audrey, you make me proud to be an American!
Penny in Paradise
When I was 12 years old I went on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at Disney in Orlando. I went on it with my little sister, who was 7 at the time. It was our favorite ride. But I'm not sure that most people will understand the reference.
Many years later, my sister and I did the same ride at Disneyland. It was very tame by comparison to most rides now. But thanks for the reminder.
Dangerous
You know, I found Sullivan's part about the reporter (eyewitness) annoyingly vague. He writes that the reporter confirmed
"that Palin was indeed there, sleeping in another room, recovering from labor."
To me, the reporter and/or Sullivan had the chance to make a much more concrete statement. First of all, who is this person? And then, was SP actually seen sleeping in the room by this reporter? How does s/he know that
Palin was sleeping after "recovering from labor" and not just "sleeping"? Did this reporter also see the Palin family members?
I don't know, maybe it was just me--but I felt that Sullivan left something unsaid. Purposely or not, I can't tell.
Right on, Audrey! May I add,as well, my own disregard for the speculation forwarded by some that has nothing to do with either issue.
There are a few things thatbaffle me about Sara Palin's prego story:
Why did Palin feel it was necessary to give reporters details about 'leaking fluids' etc. prior to the flights from TX to AK?
Now some might say she 'leaked' the info (sorry about that)to add credence to her need to get back (and supposedly cover for a birth by Bristol.)
Again though, I'm not sure why that would be necessary? Surely she could have come up with a better 'story' that would not have opened herself up to wide-spread criticism. I don't think she is stupid.
There's an even more bothersome question that goes to the core of all of this: Why would Palin feel she had to cover up a Bristol pregnancy?
Palin wasn't elected to the governorship based on her religious stances. As a matter of fact, Alaska is one of least religious states in the US. Only a few of the ultra-right wing Bible-bangers would have been 'offended' by a governor's kid getting knocked up before getting married.
Lastly, the rumors that Bristol was pregnant began flying in April and May. Levi even told one my son's friends that he was going to be a daddy (early in May) and proudly hung a pair of baby crocs in his rearview mirror.
Misty in AK
To those who decry the "gossip" on this site, there is a reason Sarah has attracted a lot of gossip. She is more akin to a movie star than to a legitimate political candidate. Perhaps not as pretty as Angelie Jolie, but certainly photogenic. And like Angelie Jolie, Sarah's always dragging her gaggle of kids out for public consumption. Doesn't know the Bush doctrine, can't say what publications she's read, doesn't know any Supreme Court decisions other than Roe v. Wade, gives stupid vacuous interviews.
Movie stars and vacuous movie-star candidates with no substance both attract gossip. What do you expect? Put that on top of an exceedingly curious birth story and our first national candidate with a pregnant teenage daughter knocked up by her high school dropout boyfriend who is allegedly going to marry her.
Sorry, people are going to talk. One really sad thing that I don't think has gotten enough attention is what a horrible example Bristol sets for our nation's young girls. Teenage pregnancy is not to be encouraged and shown off at national political conventions. Bristol will be okay -- her mommy and daddy are millionaires (and will be richer after the election when Sarah sells her story and continues on her trajectory as vacuous telegenic star) and presumably will provide financially for their grandchild. And someone with connections helped the high school dropout father get a lucrative apprenticeship in Alaska that is not usually available to high school dropouts. But the truth is that the taxpayers are going to be supporting most offspring of teenage unwed mothers. And I don't like that one bit, and I don't like the way Bristol has glamorized being knocked up. She is not an example for our country's youth and I don't like the way she and her boyfriend were lovingly paraded at the RNC
@Anonymous said...on October 20, 2008 3:04 PM:
That vagueness got me, too. So much so, that I emailed Mr. Sullivan about it to see if he can add any more to the eyewitness report.
I heard a rumor from someone that the buzz in Alaska is that Sarah was so desperate to get on that plane to Alaska was because a Down's baby born on Alaskan Soil has free health care until age 18. And I think I remember Sarah stated she wanted Trig born on Alaskan soil, something about salmon fishing.
sarah.hoax
Re Sarah.Hoax -- you, sir or madam, are not very bright.
There is no special program in Alaska to provide free health care to Down's babies born on Alaskan soil.
Like every other state, Alaska provides Medicaid assistance to low-income families and individuals. http://www.hss.state.ak.us/dpa/programs/medicaid/ Sorry, millionaires Sarah and Tood don't qualify for help for their children, born on Alaskan soil or not.
Alaska also has a program called Denali Kid Care for low-income Alaskan children (born on Alaskan soil or not). http://www.hss.state.ak.us/dhcs/DenaliKidCare/income_guide_dkc.htm
However, again Sarah and Todd make a pretty good living and Trig would not qualify.
I find it very interesting that Alaska is one of the states where it is perfectly legal for private insurance companies to deny coverage to individuals with health issues. Sarah hates big government and thinks it should get out of the way, but luckily for her, she's employed by big government and has group insurance through big government because I can guarantee that Trig would be uninsurable on the private health care market.
Just another area where Sarah, who favors more deregulation of insurance companies, is a hypocrite (hey, as long as my baby is covered, I don't give a fig about yours). Trig is going to need a lifetime of high-cost medical care. I wonder if Sarah faked the birth simply for that reason - i.e., to get Trig on her group health care policy.
Gotta love those Republicans who think its perfectly fine for non group insurance policies to cherry-pick and only insure the healthy.
Dear Sarah.Hoax, there are free health care programs in Alaska for children who come from lower income families. There is also free health care for qualifying Alaska Natives. Sarah Palin would not qualify for the first. Todd Palin's Grandma was 1/2 Yu'pik. However I don't believe that would give any of the kids enough of a blood quantum to qualify for IHS medical care.
Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone cares to address the post I put up earlier regarding the timeline of the Bristol pregnancy rumors?
This was not something the Rovian RNC made up on labor day weekend. Several good sources actually saw Bristol pregnant this summer which was several months before her mother was chosen as a VP candidate.
Are you thinking that maybe the Palin's were only good for one coverup?
Misty
Misty,
Since Bristol did not look definitively pregnant at the convention, I don't know how she would have looked that way even earlier. Rather, she looked like someone who might have given birth and was breastfeeding. Maybe Wasilla folk who know Bristol noticed that she looked heavier and thought it was pregnancy instead of postpartum. Or maybe she IS pregnant. Either scenario does not make Sarah Trig's mother, as Audrey pointed out.
Rumors of Bristol's pregnancy were also swirling much earlier, during the time she had "mono," which would support the theory that Bristol is Trig's mother. Do your son's friends have any comment on that?
You also speculated about why Sarah would have embroidered the bit about amniotic fluid leaking, since that was the first tipoff that the story was preposterous. I have wondered same thing. My conclusion is this: She was not running for VP then, had no inkling of the scrutiny she would undergo, and just wanted to make it a good story! You say she is very smart but I am not so sure. I think her big mistake was in overdoing it.
I'm sure Audrey would be very interested in any firsthand evidence you have, or if you know any Wasillans who would be willing to talk to her.
Misty in AK, maybe you can give us a little more insight into what exactly you are trying to say, because I am getting confused.
As I understand it, there are sources that show that the rumors about Bristol's pregnancy were occurring as early as February or March of 2008 (I think?). That might fit with what you are saying --i.e., the theory that this is Bristol's first and only pregnancy, but that she is currently very close to delivering, rather than being a couple of months out yet. I know that Sue Williams, the woman who had commented several weeks ago on the Mudflats blog, had indicated that she had heard that Bristol was already in her third trimester as of late August, and that she and Levi had even already married.
My question is--is that what you are also saying? It seems to be a possibility, but my big problem with it is--if the McCain campagn was using Bristol's pregnancy as an answer to the question: "Did SP give birth to Trig?", WHY wouldn't they just say that she was already 6 or 7 months pregnant? Then there is NO way Bristol could have been Trig's mother, instead of there being this idea that if she were 5 months pregnant at the RNC, there could still be some room for doubt.
Am I misinterpreting what you are saying?
MC
Bristol was on the campaign trail again today in Colorado.
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/politics/17760056/detail.html
Strange that there are never any pictures. Methinks the MSM has an unwritten rule not to photograph Bristol even though she is being thurst out there.
Sarah - you don't want your daughter written about? Here's a hint - leave her home. Shouldn't she be in school?
Re Bristol on the campaign trail in Colorado. Maybe it's me, but it makes little sense to me that a 7-month pregnant teenager (who should be in school) is out on the campaign trail. Who is providing her prenatal care? Is Dr. Cathy Baldwin-Johnson also traveling with the campaign?
One reason to rush back to Alaska to a regional hospital would be if the staffing on a particular day would be amenable to a cover-up. I wonder if there were any unusual changes in the staffing schedule just before the 18th for the 17th and 18th.
Misty from AK-
I would really appreciate it if you could email me privately. My address is info@palindeception.com
Audrey
Keep up the great work Audrey.
Back in April the issue was about protecting Palin's political career. But now McCain's vetting capability depends on this scandal not getting out. They can deal with Bristol's "pregnancy" after November when the election is already decided.
This sounds terrible to say but I'm sure they could adopt a child or even tell Bristol to get pregnant again and delay showing photos of the baby. They've already proved to be very good at hiding her away from the public.
Don't forget that there apparently was a Trig birth announcement on the Matsu Hospital website on April 18, but it was subsequently taken down -- as this Google search shows:
http://tinyurl.com/5evzqn
It seems highly likely that he was born at that hospital on that day.
I know that this is pure speculation but I think its worth putting somewhere on your page (especially if you've addressed the Willow rumors). A baby was born to a Levi and an Amber on the same day as Trig at Alaska Regional Hospital
http://www.alaskaregional.com/cpm/w-index.html
That baby looks a lot like Trig. And just how many Levi's are there in Alaska? Is "Amber" Bristol's middle name?
If they new ahead of time that it was a high risk pregnancy, perhaps Bristol did not give birth at Mat Su Regional. The baby would need special care. Perhaps they drove back to Wasilla were there would be less press (or no press) afterwards for Palin's cover story and continued care.
Interesting. But I went to that website and see that Levi and Amber's baby is 9 lbs 4.5 oz and 21inches long. That's 50% bigger than 6 lb 2 oz Trig. --jwc
Just wondering........ how do we know for sure what Trig's birth weight was?
With all due respect, I don't think that baby looks like Trig or a down's baby. Interesting lead though.
Trig:
http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0eIA5qy1wt0Zw/340x.jpg
Baby born to Amber and Levi on the same day:
http://www.alaskaregional.com/cpm/w-index.html
I think the nose looks much larger with Amber and Levi's baby than on Trig. They don't look at all alike to me.
I wonder if Trig is Sherry Johnston's baby? (Sherry is Levi's and Mercedes' mother.)
BTW: Bristol turned 18 on 10/18. Happy birthday, Bristol!
To anon above me:
I don't understand why Sarah would fake a pregnancy for Sherry Johnston. Can you please explain why you believe Sarah would do this for Sherry?
Thanks!
XXXX
It's Sadie Johnston, as in Mercede, not Sherry.
And Sarah Palin would not fake a pregnancy for someone else's daughter under any reasonable scenario. She might do so for one of her daughter's however, either Bristol or Willow.
Again, it seems logical that there would be more impetus to fake a pregnancy for Willow rather than for Bristol. They certainly had no problem publicly outing Bristol's current pregnancy (if there is one) and a 17-year-old becoming pregnant is much less damaging to one's reputation and abstinence philosophy than a 14-year-old getting pregnant.
While we don't have any direct evidence of Willow being Trig's mother, we don't have any evidence for Bristol, either. We only have reports that she was out of school and there were rumors in early 2008 that she was pregnant. Both COULD have been cover stories for Willow.
Dangerous
Why might Sarah have pretend to have given birth to a DS child?
Politics, my friends. It ignites the base!!! It makes her stand out, it makes her different and notable!
It got her chosen. (Well, being a lifetime member of the NRA didn't hurt either.)
Willow is old enough to have given birth. But she was in school, right? Teachers & other kids would have seen her pregnant. Or did she have "mono" for 5 months, too?
If Sarah is the mom, maybe she didn't want a baby, so got an early amnio to increase the odds of an early miscarriage, as early amnios are risky to the fetus. Ditto for going on a 12-hour travel adventure after leaking amnio fluid. Ditto for going to a podunk hospital lacking a neonatal ICU.
Assuming Bristol is Trig's mom, the cover-up does a lot to Sarah's image:
1. Supermom could postpone a birth for 12 hours, even toughing it out after leaking amnio fluid.
2. Supermom doesn't need maternity leave and can work with the newborn in a crib in the office.
3. Anti-abortionist chose to give birth to, and keep (at least so far) a DS baby.
4. Superwoman exercises so much that she doesn't look pregnant at 7 months, and walks in heels at 6 months.
5. Supermom does not look postpartum, nor look like she is breastfeeding, presumably because she is "in shape."
I'm sure that rinkydink hospital was chosen because it was out of the way, and fewer people would be wandering through, seeing the Palin family (whichever members were there) while checking in to deliver. HIPPA rules prevent any health care providers from giving out info without permission, but that wouldn't stop someone else who was checking in at the time from saying "yes, I saw Bristol checking in"; would it? How many stray people would be in a big city hospital at that time, vs. how many at Mat-Su?
Don't assume that a teenager would not give birth to 2 illegitimate babies in a row. Lots of young girls don't use birth control after giving birth. Yes, a smart health care worker should counsel the new mom on contraceptives, but that doesn't mean she listened & heeded the warning. Maybe she thought she wouldn't have sex again so soon (different boyfriend?), or disbelieved that pregnancy was possible so soon, especially if she was breast-feeding. And of course no form of birth control is foolproof. I know a woman who got pregnant twice while on the Pill. And maybe the health care worker she talked to believed in "abstinence-only" advice. Who knows?
Huffington Post has a photo expo on Trig here: Pics of Trig
That poor baby.
Down's children are prone to coughs, colds and ear infections because of their relatively narrow ear and nasal passages.
Flying all over the country isn't in Trig's best interest.
I don't think the Palins care too much about their kids going to school, since they missed practically the entire fall term on the campaign trail, but it would be nice to know if Willow was also out of school. I do recall reading somewhere that they also changed schools for Willow and Piper, but I don't recall where I read that.
Perhaps Audrey's contacts in Alaska can provide some independent confirmation of where Piper and Willow attended school during the 07-08 school year. Also, did they miss a lot of time for "official" travel.
Based on Levi's comments during his "press conference" on his lawn last week, maybe the first baby is not his, but the second one is....food for thought.
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