People Magazine announced Monday evening that Bristol Palin gave birth Sunday to a 7 lbs. 7 oz. baby boy named Tripp. The source of the news? Not the parents themselves or the proud grandparents. People said the birth was confirmed by Bristol's great aunt, Colleen Jones, the sister of Bristol's Grandma Sally Heath..
Curiously, People has since revised its online article to say the birth took place on Saturday. Hmm. The birth date provided by the NY Daily News is even sketchier. Their report simply says the baby was born "over the weekend." The NY Daily News gives a different birth weight, too. They put the little bundle of joy at 7 lbs. 4 oz.
Really, people, how hard is it to get it right?
But at least the print media is trying. Well, some of them.
While the NY Daily News actually had a staff writer do their story, the Alaskan newspaper of record, the Anchorage Daily News, apparently didn't think the story was even worthy of a byline, so they just ran a blurb announcing the birth and cited their source as People Magazine. To their credit, however, they did note that an attempt to get a statement from the governor was unsuccessful this time, while noting she issued a press release in April after Trig was born.
Over at Fox News, they announced the birth via an AP report that includes a most curious error at the end:
Sarah Palin and her husband Todd have five children ranging in age from son Trig, 7 months, to son Track, 19.
Wasn't Trig born on April 18th? If he was that'd put him at eight and a half months of age, not seven.
What about family reaction? The birth of a baby is a beautiful thing, right? It's hard for parents, grandparents and great grandparents not to brag.
But as ADN pointed out, there's no word from Sarah Palin other than a tersely worded statement from her press secretary, Bill McAllister, stating that the governor's office would not comment on this "private" matter.
If Sarah or her First Dude were there by their laboring daughter's bedside, they aren't saying so. For that matter, we don't know if Tripp's father Levi Johnston was there. The New York Daily News says it isn't clear whether he even attended the birth.
There's no comment from Levi Johnston's parents either, although in their defense the arrest of Levi's mother on drug charges may make any sort of public statement awkward. And what about Sarah's parents, the Heaths? It was Chuck Heath, after all, who told the world that Sarah's water had broken in Texas. It was Chuck Heath who gave Bristol's due date as Dec. 20th. Now, apparently, he's not saying a word and is referring all questions to the governor's office.
The only one who's talking is a great aunt, who gave two facts - birth date and birth weight - with neither being yet reported to any degree of certainty.
So where does this leave our investigation? As far as this blog is concerned, as long as questions remain we'll stick around to answer them. And this "birth" raises plenty.
Why was the birth announced on Monday, with conflicting dates and birth weights given and/or reported. Again, how hard is it to get this right?
No reports state where the baby was born. Usually when a celebrity or public figure gives birth, some hospital flack will issue a press release confirming the birth. So far, no hospital has identified itself as the birth place.
If the baby was born Saturday or Sunday as claimed, it certainly is convenient to announce it on Monday. With healthy babies and mothers discharged within 24 hours these days, Bristol & Son have had ample time to get home, or to some other undisclosed location.
There are no pictures and likely won't be until the family decides to release them. A lucrative deal with People has been reported, but if the family changes their mind we may never know.
It's hard to believe with all the attention the Palins are getting that photographers weren't stationed at every hospital in the area waiting to get a shot of Bristol either going in or coming out.
But again, nothing.
And finally, let's not forget one important point. Even if Bristol gave birth to Tripp on Saturday or Sunday - and that has yet to be verified via photos or official reports - it does not mean that Sarah gave birth to Trig.
Sarah Palin's wildly unbelievable birth story and photo evidence of what indicates a staged fifth pregnancy still leave ample room for speculation regarding a saga that only grows more twisted with time, especially with the latest chapters of a mysterious church fire, Sherry Johnston's arrest and now this vaguely detailed birth announcement.
So stay tuned. If you read the comments on this and other blogs it's abundantly clear that doubt persists. As long as it does, so shall this investigation.
267 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 267 of 267I just saw this on the People website:
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin hasn't yet said anything publicly about her 4-day-old grandson, Tripp, but she does want people to know that Tripp's parents – her eldest daughter Bristol and her fiancé Levi Johnston – are hard at work and keeping up with school.
"You need to know that both Levi and Bristol are working their butts off to parent and going to school and working at the same time," Palin told PEOPLE in a phone message Wednesday. "They are certainly not high school dropouts."
The former vice presidential candidate said she wanted to be clear about their continuing work toward high school degrees because any suggestion otherwise "harms Bristol's reputation and Levi's reputation and their chances for good work opportunities."
PEOPLE reported this week that Bristol, 18, who gave birth on Saturday, intends to finish her high school degree through correspondence courses. Levi, also 18, told the AP in October that he had left high school to enroll in an apprenticeship program training him as an electrician.
Gov. Palin told PEOPLE at the time that she hoped Levi would eventually earn a GED, adding, "I respect that Levi is out there working hard."
Re: People mag update
OMG! So SP calls People and leaves a message - does not actually talk to a reporter who might question her - to spew her self-righteous spiel that the kids aren't high school dropouts. This is what the Governor spends her time doing! I bet she spends a lot of her time reading these blogs and news comments and clearly the general public's opinion about her snowbilly family is getting under her skin. I would love to hear the audio of that voice mail! Oh, and here's the thing, if you aren't attending high school and you haven't graduated from high school then you are a high-school dropout.
Whitney
Audrey & Company…have a wonderful and safe New Year!!! From Kay
To Alex: excellent post…I agree…could be any of those theories!!! Can’t wait until people start “singing”…it will be an interesting watch!!! And it will happen…I will wait…I just hope it’s sooner rather than later. (December 31, 2008 at 2:40pm)
"Sarah as a christian would know that, The truth will set us free, and that we can't begin our day without being honest, sincere, in everything"
Would like to point out that (a) being a christian in itself is no guarantee of good behavior and (b) most nonChristians agree that honesty and sincerity are important attributes to possess. Sarah Palin's religion is only important in demonstrating her hypocrisy. Honest and sincere are the last things I would call her.
Ivyfree
Anon at 2:46
I saw that. And I don't really know what to say other than "WTF?"
So Sarah calls People magazine and leaves a message in which she fails to address or mention her first grandchild because she's too busy insisting that Bristol and Baby Daddy aren't what they are?
Apparently she was worried that being called a HS dropout would hurt the reputation of a unwed teen whose baby is fathered by the son of a drug dealer.
Why do I feel like I just fell down a rabbit hole?
SP says, "any suggestion otherwise, 'harms Bristol's reputation and Levi's reputation and their chnces for good work opportunities.' "
WHAT reputations? Sarah, you silly dolt, you trashed Bristol's reputation all by your little self!
And no one in the whole wide world let along the voting public of the USA would ever have found Bristol's and Mercedes' Flickr pages without you giving people a reason to LOOK!
Geez, sometimes I can't believe what a manipulative con woman she is...
I'll just bet all the bobbing-head dolls that are Palin fans are just lapping up this little phone message like it's something meaningful, too.
Dangerous,
I still think Bristol is the mother, but I agree with you that the only other serious contender is Willow.
As I have said three times now, Sherry Johnston could've let herself get pregnant by Track, but there is no need for that to have been a problem.
All the other scenarios besides a daughter are all too far fetched.
Lucy
What was the day she announced she was pregnant? end of March? I keep coming back to the thought that is when Bristol gave birth. That is when they found out it was a DS baby and SP had to start pretending she was pregnant. Perhaps the baby WAS premature so they figured they could fudge for a month or so. The baby was going to be put up for adoption but once the baby was born and was DS the adoption fell through. SP had to think quick on her feet.
So that would allow BP to get pregnant again and perhaps be giving birth sometime soon. I'm convinced there is NO baby right now. Who has a baby and does not talk about it???? SP is an unbelievable liar, it's too bad because I would love to support a woman but just not that woman!
Lisa G
From Kay,
I personally hope that Levi Johnston starts talking…he is not related to the Palin Clan (no ethics violation) and he is an adult!!! Sing Levi sing and make a little coin while you are doing it. Forget Alaska and come to the lower 48!!! Ma Johnston is in her own jam & I for one am not convinced that you are the “baby Tripp daddy”! Come on you can do it Levi! And if you are the Daddy then be a man…get some “easy” money for your new family and get the heck out of Alaska! I for one don’t think that you need to marry Bristol but if you are the Daddy then yes…pay your child support but most important be a good Dad! The rewards of fatherhood are HUGE!!! That would be the best thing to do if you are the Dad…you don’t have to end up like your own family. BE A MAN AND STEP UP TO THE PLATE!!! (December 31, 2008 at 3:25pm)
"Sherry Johnston could've let herself get pregnant by Track, but there is no need for that to have been a problem. "
I agree. The only thing that's crossed my mind with that is that possibly Sherry threatened to abort, and Sarah Palin, being prolife, offered to adopt. However, there would still be no need to fake a pregnancy because adopting a DS baby is generally considered a Good Thing To Do. And actually following through on her stated principles has not been a striking feature of Palin's political career thus far.
Also too.
Ivy Freeborn
It seems very likely that the great-aunt Jones was set up with a fake email supposedly from Chuck Heath. The "prankster" then gave a People magazine reporter the phone number of the aunt. The Palin family never suspected the aunt would be contacted, so she was not instructed on how to respond to the media inqueries.
Wonder if the prankster might also be the Wasilla Maternity Nurse.
We don't have a baby yet.
sandra in oregon
Hey, let's give the National Enquirer some incentive to follow up on this story.
Click on the link below to vote on the top National Enquirer stories of the year. As of now, the Palin teen pregnancy story is ranked #2:
http://www.nationalenquirer.com/polls/515
LISA G,
a very compelling scenario.
first time that TRIG's birth before 4/18 make sense to me.
if the intention was to place him for adoption, which turned difficult to impossible due to DS: there was no other choice but to go for PLAN B: FAKE A PREGNANCY!
How can they both be 'working their butts off and go to school', when a) Levi is somewhere on an oilfield, working (NOT going to school!), and Bristol (supposedly) is/was 9 months pregnant. How/why would she go to school? Is there any attendance record around?
I thought she had 'finished early' through correspondence courses?
AND, finally: WHY DOES SP NOT ACKNOWLEDGE/SAY THAT SHE IS A PROUD GRANDMA if she really IS a grandma??
WHERE IS THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE, and the hospital record and hospital statement that Bristol actually DID give birth???
Two response points before I call it a night.
1) If Willow is Trig's mother, the Palins could probably keep the identity of the father secret, perhaps not even tell him if it was another young teenager like Willow. There's no reason that we should assume the father would have to be told. Maybe it was Willow's summer 2007 boyfriend. (I do not want to imply any kind of abuse, for which there is ZERO evidence. I've simply postulated that Willow may have become pregnant because she is past puberty and certainly was developed enough by fall 2007, based on dated pictures.) Not getting the father involved would make it easier to carry off a ruse, agreed? It also explains why Sadie Johnston might not know that Trig wasn't her 'brother'.
2) Any birth date for Trig Palin not on or right before April 18, 2008 has to plausibly explain SP's mad rush from Dallas to Alaska, and why they wouldn't have a better cover story than her water breaking. They could have just said that she decided to go home early, and by coincidence happened to give birth shortly after arriving. If Trig was already weeks old, what's the rush.
If the theory is that Trig needed hospital treatment for, say, jaundice as Dr. CBJ purportedly said in her letter, why bring it up in the first place?
In order to allow Bristol to be Trig and Tripp's mother by opening a timing hole, you create other contradictions that don't square with the evidence.
It's true that telling a newborn from a two-month-old baby from photos is hard. The Palins can fudge both Trig's and Tripp's actual birthdate, lacking documentation we won't get. But hanging one's hat on that to allow Bristol to be Trig's mother is a tough slog to prove.
Dangerous
The Guardian UK has an article on the 19 worst Americans of 2008. Guess where Sarah ranked?
http://tinyurl.com/7lggdn
Impressive!
Didn't Bristol, Willow and Piper drop out of school for months last fall? Their education didn't seem so important to Palin at that time.
Do we know where the picture from KTUU of SP was taken on the 13th of April? I have an idea that it was on the 2nd floor of the capitol. Because that day was the last day of the legislative session, SP knew there would be many camera moments, and she also knew that many of the legislators and staff wouldn't see her for a while. She decided to look very pregnant that day and even wore low heeled shoes and her hair down so she would look more demure.
Carpenter and McAllister were there for the interview and commented on how pregnant she looked. They suggested that they photograph her in the hallway by the speaker's office.
They took one picture sideways and another face on.
Later there was a party for the press, and someone took a picture of Carpenter and McAllister together with a flash camera. (Probably with the same camera because Carpenter wasn't carrying a camera (do you know a photographer who wouldn't?).
Later Carpenter comes upon Gusty and the videographer interviewing the hallway. He takes a picture but doesn't flash because it would disturb the video shot.
Later all the pictures are uploaded and forgotten. Then it is necessary to show Sarah pregnant for the media at the end of August. The pictures are remembered and the opportunity is so great it is irresistible. The two amigos are placed in the head on shot of SP, and the side shot is placed in the Gusty picture.
I know this is involved and very long, but it seems to fit everything we've looked at.
sandra in oregon
Dangerous....
This is the date for the AMA luncheon. Do you think they were really there that late into the pregancy?? It would certainly rule out Bristol....because no way would she be pregnant looking too? Is there a reason you think they were there that we can pursue?
21st Biennial Fairbanks Alaska Mining Conference
Arctic International Mining Symposium
18-21 March, 2008
Westmark Hotel, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA
A couple of posts raised some new questions for me. First, someone noted that Trig was holding his head up in a way that seemed to be developmentally advanced for his age, which would be exactly the opposite of what you would expect for a DS baby, right? Could someone post a link to the photo(s) that show this? That would be interesting to see, given the questions about Trig's actual birth date. Of course, in most of the photos he looks quite inactive; I'm not sure if that is a typical DS trait or what, but it is surprising that, with all the hubbub around him at those rallies, he was never crying or fussy. I would think that if he were developmentally ahead of babies his age, that would be worth noting.
Second question: someone alertly noted that CBJ seems to be back on the list of physicians -- is this at Mat-Su, or is the Palmer facility different? The Nov. 3rd letter purportedly from CBJ, which indicates her employer is Providence Health, says that her active status ceased on 6/1 so she could devote more time to child abuse evaluation and prevention. So, I'd be curious to know what her actual status is, and who her actual employer is. Does anyone know or have ideas of how to find out?
-- Truthseeker2
How can SP say ""You need to know that both Levi and Bristol are working their butts off to parent and going to school and working at the same time," and at the same time acknowledge that Levi has dropped out and she hopes that some day he'll get his GED? He dropped out! He doesn't have a GED! He's not working on a GED! that makes him a dropout.
Saw a quick blurb about Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck being seen checking in at Cedars Sinai today. I can't believe that if Bristol had checked into a hospital somewhere that someone wouldn't have noticed.
"They are certainly not high school dropouts."
No, they just ... uh ... dropped out of high school. Even if they both get their GED's go on to get PhD's, and find the cure for cancer, they still will have dropped out of high school which makes them ... well ... "high school dropouts".
Welcome to the Orwellian world of Sarah Palin
Lisa G said...
What was the day she announced she was pregnant? end of March? I keep coming back to the thought that is when Bristol gave birth. That is when they found out it was a DS baby and SP had to start pretending she was pregnant. Perhaps the baby WAS premature so they figured they could fudge for a month or so. The baby was going to be put up for adoption but once the baby was born and was DS the adoption fell through. SP had to think quick on her feet.
-------------------------------
She announced her pregnancy on March 6th!
Let's look at the scenero that Bristol gave birth to a down syndrome baby before March 6th. At that point her mom put together a plan to cover for her knowing she'd have time because Trig was small because of the Down Syndrome and/or a preemie or both. Enough time to show a belly and have a baby 6 weeks later! Long enough to stop rumors...long enough to avoid being caught...long enough to put together a plan...long enough for Bristol...to get pregnant again!
What she didn't count on is raging teenage hormones...no birth control...and unsupervised kids!
So her first pregnancy with Trig began sometime between May/June 2007. Don't we have a family photo showing her looking pregnant that August 2007?? By the first quarter of her school year she would have started to show...dropped out school with "mono" and disappeared until after the birth.
That means Tripp...her second baby was conceived sometime in April...born in December. If he has been born yet?!
It puts all the pieces together. What else is missing except proving it!
a follow up to my previous...
how do we explain the WILD RIDE if TRIGG is already 6+ weeks old?
what if it was all about the DRAMA and ATTENTION-getting. she wanted to make a splash.... the dutiful, pro-life-mom credentials burnished.
the only problem with this scenario: they had not built a credible photographic record of a full-term pregnancy.
something they figured after the fact: they realized the national spotlight was going to be more aggressive... THUS pictures 1 and 2.
I'm sorry, I must have missed something. Is it true that the report of Tripp's birth, which came from his great-aunt, was based on an email she received from Chuck Heath, and that she may not have even seen this baby when she reported the birth? That is, did People and other news outlets report this based on a pure hearsay report from a not-very-close relative? My, my, just when you think it would be impossible for journalism to sink even lower than they already are, something like this happens.
I do want to respond to comments that there is no evidence that Bristol is Trig's mother. Perhaps not the evidence that everyone wants -- but the photos of her at the RNC are pretty hard to explain except as those of a nursing mother. She was photographed on stage in the gray dress, looking somewhat normally proportioned, but during the same event she was later photographed looking very engorged -- embarrassingly so, IMHO. I know of no other explanation of the phenomenon of her breasts appearing to blow up like balloons in such a short time, than that she was a nursing mother who became engorged. This would not occur if she were simply pregnant, to my knowledge -- though certainly I would defer to someone like Audrey with more expertise in this area. Of course, there is quite a bit of other circumstantial evidence and even more rumor; and there are the photos of her and Levi acting like Trig's parents -- but for my money, the photos of her first looking somewhat normal, and then becoming hugely engorged, are pretty convincing.
--Truthseeker2
In case this question has not been answered, SP announced her pregnancy on March 5th, 2008.
cariz
All we have, so far, is a RUMOR that Bristol has had a baby boy.
That's it, a RUMOR. There is absolutely no substantiating evidence, not from Sarah's parents, not from Sarah and Todd themselves, not from Bristol and/or Levi or anyone else in the extended family, be they Palins, Heaths, or Johnstons.
If ever a birth was a non-birth, this is it.
And we still have NO supported evidence, whatsoever, that Sarah gave birth to a Down syndrome boy on April 18, 2008. None. Zip, zilch.
My hypotheses range from the Palin/Johnston youngers having wild unprotected sex, to something more sinister, along the lines of an incestuous relationship within the Palin household. Hear me well, these are simply the scenarios I postulate to myself without an ounce of proof, simply because the "official" facts as published are unsubstantiated and hard to believe.
I keep looking at that picture of Bristol and Levi at the RNC, where Levi is planting a kiss on Trig, and Bristol has this unmistakable look of motherly tenderness on her face as she holds Trig and gazes at him, and her breasts are definitely bound up and huge, and I know from my own nursing days exactly how big one's mammaries get when engorged with milk.
Audrey, you are quite right to keep the question open about the potential fraud that Alaska's governor may have tried to perpetrate. We know she cares little for the truth if she can twist it to her political benefit, we saw that in so many other lies. Like where the State legislative board declared she had abused her power, and she flat out said that they had exonerated her.
Keep digging, Audrey, and keep this alive. If Sarah were not a governor but only a bookstore clerk who lived next door to me, I wouldn't care. But I have people who live on my street with "Sarah" bumper stickers on their cars. We have to make sure that she goes nowhere, politically. Thanks for your work.
I've uploaded two pictures of Trig at the RNC 9/3/08, after SP had taken him from one of the daughters (can't remember who'd been holding him, probably Willow).
The first shows him just becoming awake/aware, the second shows him lifting his head and looking around.
#1 http://tinyurl.com/7gud5p
#2 http://tinyurl.com/9g49z8
THANKS for the laugh, VINNIE!!!!
Truthseeker2
Valley Hospital
Cathy Baldwin-Johnson, MD
Obstetrics/Gynecology
Biography
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact Info:
Office: 907-352-XXXX
Facility:
Providence Matanuska Health Care
1700 E. Bogard Road
Wasilla, Alaska
Education:
Medical School:
University of Washington School of Medicine
Certification:
Board Certified
More/Other Information:
Providence Matanuska Health Care Associates has served the Valley since 1985. Their staff of family practice physicians and pediatricians provide comprehensive health care for women and children, with a focus on obstetrical care.
National Enquirer
Read about Sarah's terror
Lots of talk re Trig not being born 4/18.
I went back and looked at some of the pics (see http://tinyurl.com/9bakth for a good collection).
Compare the position and size of the baby's head and length of body as held by Grandma Health on 4/19 with that when held by SP supposedly on 5/5 (see pic w/big cake) and size when held in one of the Mercedes pics. No way the baby being held on 4/19 is the same as on 5/5 or being held by Mercedes. Or those shower and Mercedes photos were taken well before 4/19.
Emma
Diana,
Sarah was at this event for teens on the 19th of March 2008.
http://www.ayea.org/pressroom.html
Scrool down to The Gov and Teens 3/19/2008. There is a picture of the Gov with the kids. she is behind a large sign. It is small.
WayofPeace....
I think the wild ride was just another version of Sarah being Sarah. Drama...needed to draw attention... so everyone was paying attention to "the birth". She just over-dramatized it to show how "capable she is" before "presenting" Trig to the world!
FYI, Cathy Baldwin-Johnson was NOT an OB-GYN doc a few months ago. She was a general practitioner, who specialized in treating children who had been abused or molested (sexually and physically), and who were finding themselves parents of children.
She had her own practice -- she'd established a clinic. She was only marginally connected with local hospitals, and at the time of Sarah's supposed birth of Trig, Cathy was not on the list of doctors who had privileges at any of the local hospitals.
Emma....Yes...Yes...Yes. You are not tripping...that is the exactly right! The baby pictures show the story!!
Ocean,
Wev Shea sent the Gov a letter. Said something about Wolves. I think they are coming out.
Go to this site and read the letter.
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/Wev-Shea-to-Sarah-Palin/
This is the part that jumps out at me: "both Levi and Bristol are working their butts off to parent...." Gee, if they've only been parents for 100 hours, then how exactly is it that they've had the time or experience to begin to familiarize themselves with the concept of what it is to "work their butts off to parent"? Insofar as one can make sense of anything this woman says, the underlying truth might have seeped out from her curious focus on the teen parents when she's supposedly just become a grandma: maybe Bristol and Levi have been working hard to parent a special needs baby for many months? Maybe, in that many months of hard work parenting, some "going to school and working at the same time" did indeed happen?
"You need to know that both Levi and Bristol are working their butts off to parent and going to school and working at the same time,"
How can they be working their butts off to parent when they have been parents for at most 4 days?
We are expected to believe that even though there has been basically no sign of Bristol (other than the one brief (questionable if it was her) video after the church fire) that she is slaving away at both a job and school....while being beyond 9 months pregnant (since she was overdue)?
All reports have shown that Levi is working on the North Slope. They have a high school there as well? Maybe he's commuting?
It's like stepping into the twilight zone any time this woman speaks.
Sandra in Oregon @ 4:12 pm,
After you called my attention a day or two ago to Patrick's picture of Sarah on Apr. 13, I agreed with you that Gusty and 3Amigos were taken April 13 as well. I have a different scenario from the one you suggest above for how the Gusty photo we now know came about. I posted this elsewhere, but will add it to this string:
Anonymous said...
I now think the photo of Sarah in the Gusty picture was taken on April 13. It was either taken with Gusty in April (so Gusty thought she was telling the truth) or in August it was put into the empty-hallway Gusty picture from April.
I think 3Amigos was taken at the same time (not sure about three minutes apart -- that sounds like pictures of pictures) but wasn't a side view so it was not altered. I don't find it at all unusual that Palin would pose with anyone she knew who wanted his own "See, I know the Governor" picture." As Biden said, Palin is very like-able.
So because Palin's photo wasn't staged, the side view available (and maybe already posted then by Erik/a) was not a slam dunk to be a belly a few days away from delivering a six pound baby. (At the time, she thought she had another month to "grow.") So Palin's image was altered.
Remember, one poster here recalls seeing this Gusty photo with Palin at the end of August and the belly not being convincing to her -- but then the photo somehow became a picture with a fuller belly that did seem convincing to her. That suggests the photo existed with Palin and Gusty, maybe posted by Erik/a. Some Palin person got feedback that there were no photos convincing enough and asked Erik/a to let him replace that one.
I conclude that Palin's image was distorted in some way just to stretch the belly. This probably involved making her head and legs relatively smaller. This may have screwed up the necklace so as to be a visible giveway of alteration, so that the necklace had to be removed. (Good eyes, Patrick! Isn't that what started this?) Or her head may have been put back on her altered body, thus the funny neck pixels.
I've been mulling over this since seeing Patrick's picture of her at the legislature on April 13. The hair seems the same to me as in 3Amigos, just the longer strands brushed onto and behind her shoulder there. Hair would be hard to stage several months later, especially since her hair was shorter by then.
I am gratified this morning to see others saying that Palin's body seems distorted in the Gusty photo. This makes the most sense -- no staging, no conspirators other than the photoshopper, and explains the neck. But I don't even have Photoshop to play around with how to expand a belly by reducing the rest of a body. Patrick, I can't thank you enough for your pictures and for putting them together for me.
Next step: Someone with clout needs to ask Gusty and her TV station why she gave Factcheck a picture which an expert says shows alteration, and also ask Factcheck in light of the opinion of alteration to revisit its opinion.
-B.
December 31, 2008 7:51 AM
And then another commenter:
Anonymous said...
Yes, B (7:51AM)!! I'm glad you agree with me that Palin's body looks distorted in the Gusty pic. I also remember seeing the slimmer version of this photo (way back when, in very early Sept?) and recall that someone had a demo (linked on DailyKos perhaps?) that showed how Photoshop could've been used to expand SP's belly after the fact. The demo maneuver distorted Gusty's shape, too, so maybe someone should try to find out what she normally looks like - or looked like in April!?!?
Hmmmm.... the plot THICKENS, as they say...
December 31, 2008 8:39 AM
And my reply:
Anonymous said...
Anon.@8:39 --
Really? DailyKos had the smaller belly sideview and showed how the belly could be morphed? Wow!! But then DK deleted all the stuff in September, right? I didn't follow this story until after DK removed it.
As to Gusty also being distorted in the DK demo, I think for the current version Palin was either altered and added to the original or, more likely, removed and morphed and replaced. Could this be why the photo was replaced by a lower-resolution version after it was posted on flikr: the replacement had an altered Palin and the original did not?
Is there anything in the expert's report that points to a possibility of alteration in the belly? If someone just multiplies the gray pixels already existing in the middle of the belly area, but doesn't alter anything at the edges of the belly area, would that be detectable by an expert?
I really think we are onto something here. Really! -B.
December 31, 2008 9:36 AM
I never realized the dementia that had taken over the left until I read posts by people like Margot and VintageReadHead
Anon December 31, 2008 11:45 AM...
Great post Anon...my sentiments exactly! I actually wrote one expressing the same opinion...but in a more brazen/direct way. It never got posted. Thanks Audrey for having my back on that one!
This comment relates to part of the Sarah/Trig storey that hasn't been mentioned in a while...Sarah mentioning that she "didn't show much" because of "tight abs." Those of you over a certain age may remember the Australian tennis player Evonne Goolagong. She had a baby and played tennis while pregnant. She was very obviously "with child." She showed. A lot. Now, who do you suppose would have tighter abs...a governor who works out maybe an hour a day, or a pro athlete who exercises vigorously many hours a day?
Sarah said Bristol is working. Anyone know where?
Thanks to KaJo and Diana for info in response to my questions.
--Truthseeker2
I totally agree with what WearyMom pointed out about SP saying that "both Levi and Bristol are working their butts off to parent....". What an odd thing to say about super-duper brand new parents.
Nothing this lady says jives with basic common sense and experience. I cannot believe that she is again pulling a baby out of a hat. No independent corroboration whatsoever - just some third-hand hearsay. And this has been reported all over the world.
Why do we not have some reporting about the new baby? Hasn't someone gone to visit - with all their extended family and friends and teenage rumor networks and staff as governor surely someone could give a one-sentence confirmation? Even not for attribution? Something has got to leak out if there is a newborn at the Governor's house. Is it like Area 51 there?
And the Governor has time to call in to People mag to rant about her displeasure over Bristol and Levi being the poster children for teenage high school dropout parents in some too-little too-late concern over her daughter's reputation, but neither she nor anyone on her behalf can make a simple declarative statement to a reputable news organization?
I am trying to give these people the benefit of the doubt - that they are keeping a lid on this news until the exclusive story is unveiled in the highest-bidding trash rag of their choice, but the clock is ticking . . .
Whitney
Dangerous wrote: "We can start by accepting for now that Bristol was pregnant and just gave birth, eliminating her, pending new evidence, as a candidate for Trig's mother."
No we can't. That would be the same as just accepting SP's giving birth to Trig, or just accepting that the moon is made of cheese. There is NO PROOF!kinke
WearyMom has a good point that SP's comment about Bristol and Levi working their butts off at parenting is curious. I do think that Bristol (at least) IS working hard at parenting Trig (and seems to be very loving toward him, which is nice to see). Except she's supposedly not his mother!
Wow!!
From ADN - Governor Sarah Palin Welcomes Her First Grandchild
The governor's office just sent out this statement:
December 31, 2008, Anchorage, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin has welcomed her first grandchild, Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston, born to Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston on December 27.
“We are over the moon with the arrival of this healthy, beautiful baby,” Governor Palin said. “The road ahead for this young couple will not be easy, but nothing worthwhile is ever easy. Bristol and Levi are committed to accomplish what millions of other young parents have accomplished, to provide a loving and secure environment for their child. They are both hard workers, they’re very strong, and have faith they’ve made the right decision in setting aside their own interests to make this child their highest priority.”
Palin added, “When Bristol and Levi first told us the shocking news that she was pregnant, to be honest, we all at first looked at the situation with some fear and a bit of despair. Isn’t it just like God to turn those circumstances into such an amazing, joyful blessing when you ask Him to help you through?”
Bristol Palin said she “obviously discourages” teen pregnancy and knows that plans she previously made for herself will now forever be changed. “Teenagers need to prevent pregnancy to begin with – this isn’t ideal. But I’m fortunate to have a supportive family which is dealing with this together. Tripp is so perfectly precious; we love him with all our hearts. I can’t imagine life without him now.”
Bristol begins her final semester of high school next week where she’ll get her last credit needed to graduate. She looks forward to continuing her record of good grades and high achievement. Levi is continuing his online high school work in addition to working as an electrical apprentice on the North Slope.
Bill McAllister, the governor’s office communications director, adds: "The governor's office previously declined to comment to honor the family's wishes that the event remain as private as possible. However, the high volume of press inquiries, along with some erroneous information that was published, prompted the governor to make a statement.
I love this. Published 1 hour ago (according to Google News):
"Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says her future son-in-law is not a high school dropout as the press is reporting. The former Republican vice presidential candidate told The Associated Press on Wednesday that 18-year-old Levi Johnston is enrolled in high school through a correspondence program."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iTphIQPg4pWotzxzULuowb8BYqmQD95E1DHO0
I love that SP is glued to the news, is probably aware of the controversy surrounding this birth, too, but it's Levi Johnston's status as a high school drop-out that she has to address.
Johnson dropped out of high school and is trying to get a GED through correspondence, now, many months (years) after he stopped attending high school.
And the spin just keeps on coming.
"truthseeker2 4:57pm..
that she was a nursing mother who became engorged."
Ive thought all along that trig was born earlier.
Im thinking late Jan early Feb.
At the RNC and in public Bristol usually wore a blanket across her sudden huge chest when trig was with her, surely to avoid showing leakage.
Perhaps...she was stopping nursing before the RNC publicity but didnt count on the engorging.
April-Sept=6mos.
I dont know when BP had the kid but SP prolly knew she would get the vp slot in early march, hence the outburst of being preg.
There had to be some time between the outburst and the delivery.
March 6 sp announces she is preg.
April 18 comes baby.
Thats 6 weeks for BP to get preg again.
SP finds out and rushes back to AK....since she's just found out she's being tapped for VP.
(..at the TX gov's conference..)
If trig was born earlier than March any of the pic could have been taken at a later date than his actual DOB.
SP rushed home to 'give birth' to start the next cover story: One birth down.
SP had to find a major cover story because she just found out BP was preg again.
This tuff AK gal holding a baby in for nearly 10 hours, who can skin a rat fit quite well.
Has BP actually had another??
BP had a belly.
BP had the boobs.
...what has occurred with BP since Sept...is rumor.
"ocean said...
National Enquirer
Read about Sarah's terror"
This is perfecto!!!
....Ive said all along SP had sherry busted, the bust story is so shot full of holes you'd drown if it rained.
Trying to distract SP is trying to lay off her own TOTAL LOSS of cred on SherryJ because Sherry was popped for selling 10 pills on three diff occasions by 2 local-police set-up-busted suspects who copped pleas, and became INFORMANTS FOR THE PURPOSE OF BUYING THE SAME PILLS FROM SHERRYJ.
...as opposed to how the MSM has carried the story which is totally unclear and frought with more discrepancies and near total untruths and has left SherryJ appearing as some 'major drug dealer', which there is no proof of.
(see mudflats thread on 'more palin family troubles')
Sara is trying to blame 'other people' again...
"along with some erroneous information that was published, prompted the governor to make a statement.
December 31, 2008 6:25 PM"
She makes a comment thru the office finally...because...of what?...the published dates were wrong???
Sara, what "erroneous" info R U talkin 'bout...
Sarah has issued a carefully crafted statement about Bristol & Levi:
http://tinyurl.com/7plstz
She addresses:
Teen pregnancy, and includes a "quote" from Bristol discouraging teen pregnancy,
Bristol and Levi's education--they are working on high school diplomas
God's blessings to Sarah--He turns around things when you ask Him to help you through difficult times
Looks like she tried to rebut several issues regarding Bristol, etc. but not much of any substance about the baby!
Oh yes, Bill McAllister got his point in, too and also.
Please read it...
L.
Addendum to my comment at 5:16 re size of baby in pics.
I left out the piece that really convinced me that the baby in 4/19 pics with Grandma was either older or a different baby than in the pics with SP and First Dud that claim to be taken on day 3, those with Mercedes and those at the shower.
The ratio of adult hand to baby's head.
Multiple people have commented on the baby's face in 4/19 pic and how that doesn't look like a newborn. But, rather than try to discern from chubby cheeks peaking out from a blanket and hat, I figured to look at size of baby in relation to adult. In looking at length, one could argue (although I challenge anyone to provide a plausible reason) that they stuffed 4 or 5 diapers at the foot end of the blanket in the 4/18 pic, making him appear longer than he was. So, I focused on head size in relation to adult.
If you compare the size of Mercedes hand to baby's head, SP's hand in the day 3 pics to baby's head and the hands of those holding baby at shower, the head is about 1/2 the size of all adult hands. But, look at Grandma Health's hands compared to head. The head is much larger.
So, either a) baby's head shrunk by about 50% 4/21 thru 5/5, b) Grandma Health has incredibly small hands, c) baby shown in 3 day old pics and shower pics is a different baby or most likely d) baby shown in 3 day old pics and shower pics was several weeks younger than baby in 4/19 pic w/Grandma.
This theories that Trig was born well before 4/18 also make sense with something I've thought all along -- that the difference in size between the shower and Mercedes pics and when McCain announcement SP and at RNC is too great for 3.5 months.
So, why 4/18 and not before or after? She had to wait until after her speech--I mean, you don't think she would pass up that opportunity to, do you? And, why not much later? Because every day they waited, they risked exposing the lie. Which then makes the wild ride not so wild. If she knew she wasn't pregnant with her fifth child, a high-risk, DS baby at 36 weeks, leaking amniotic fluid, and in her own words, contractions that felt different than Braxton-Hicks, what does she have to lose by waiting hours after waking up at 4 am with leaking amniotic fluid to give her speech, and then bypass going to the hospital to get one not one, but two different planes for more than 11+ hours, then bypass several hospitals with NICUs to go to a hospital without a NICU and be delivered by someone who isn’t even an OB/GYN. If she’s not pregnant, none of that is risky.
Look at the photos of the baby. Not only during first few weeks, but in comparison to VP announce and RNC. Maybe someone with better photoshop skills than me can do some measurements, including comparing height, hand size, arm length of Grandma, SP, Mercedes and others. I think this will help support the other photographic evidence.
And, Happy New Year to all!
Emma
Anonymous at 11:45 Dec. 31--
You are absolutely correct! Amazonian persona and narcissist with a hero complex are accurate descriptions!!
Please give us more descriptions. I am learning so much about personality disorders from current political news. Honestly, what I am learning will help me spot these characters sooner in my everyday life.
Thanks for your interesting post.
L.
"I cannot believe that she is again pulling a baby out of a hat." Good one, Whitney! -B.
If those who think Trig was born before April 18 are right, then the hospital was in on that deception. As Audrey shows in Palin Birth Questions, there's evidence that Mat-Su posted a birth announcement for Trig on the 18th and later removed it. -B.
Does anyone doubt that a MEGALOMANIAC like Sarah Palin is probably actually reading this blog? Or has people reading this blog for her?
I love this statement from McAllister:
"erroneous information that was published"
M E G A L O M A N I A C
Say it loud, 3 times.
That's what Sarah Palin is
It's an illigitemate child. It's not Sarah's child, it's Bristol's. The father has not married the mother. and the grandmother just got arrestd for dealing.
So why should Sarah Palin have to give you all, all the details. Leave people's families out of it. Are you going to go after the Obama girls, next?
You people who believe all this crap about Bristol being the mother of Trig and all the fake pregnancy conspiracies really need to get some real excitement in your lives. Or you need to get a life.
I do know some babies can pick up their heads at 2 or 3 months. One of my three did.
And no, he wasn't medicated to be "vegetative". How disgusting these speculations are. One of my three was on the go constantly. And another one was a very calm and content baby, or what you call vegetative.
And how anyone can even trust the mainstream media with any information is beyond me, after the biases and misrepresentations they have put forth as "news" in the last couple of years.
Instead of this garbage about the Palin family, go read a good book. Go hiking or kayaking. Do something healthy, that will enlighten your mind or enrich you as a human being, not slime you with this kind of dirt.
And I don't expect the blog author will approve this comment.
"So why should Sarah Palin have to give you all, all the details. Leave people's families out of it."
We don't need or want "all the details." If Bristol gave birth, I don't want to know when she started labor, at what point she entered the hospital, what medications she had, how her labor progressed, whether she went natural or had an epidural, if she plans to breastfeed and how long, or whether they plan to circumcise the baby.
But since Sarah made the pregnancy an item of public interest as a crass political ploy, and her press flack has announced that there was a lot of misinformation about the birth going around (that would be date and weight, the only information we had at that point) I think an announcement should include date, hospital, length, weight, and name, a statement about the mother's wellbeing, and a picture of the baby, usually taken with Mama or Daddy or both. That is, I think it should include all the things that new parents and grandparents usually announce proudly with joy in their hearts and a goofy grin on their faces, sometimes including tears in the eyes. Also too.
A request for privacy for the young family is typically considered in order for celebrity-types, too. No problem.
The fact that all we have is a date and a name and an alleged statement from the mother how her situation is not ideal and should be avoided (although she loves the baby, of course) makes me wonder if there really is all that grandparental joy, and, in fact, whether there is really a baby yet (although I tend to think there is- I have no proof).
We're not asking for information that is usually considered confidential. We're actually asking for a birth announcement. Like the ones that are so common you can buy packets of them in Hallmark shops, and fill in with the above information.
Hi Folks!
I've been reading diligently for a couple of days now. What a dedicated group you all are! The site is very enlightening. I still have a lot to read and hope it's as interesting as what I've seen so far. Great site, Audrey!
I haven't seen it yet, but wanted to throw something out there and see what you all think. I hope I'm not repeating... 2 days and still I haven't read ALL the blogs!
SUPPOSE: Tripp is not here yet and is expected in the next couple of months, which seems to be a pretty well accepted scenario.
WHAT IF: The birth fails and the baby dies before any photos can be taken? What do they do now? (GOD FORBID! I'D NEVER WISH THIS TO PLAY OUT!)
They say he was born in December and healthy. No doting family isn't going to have zillions of photos of the first grandchild. As first family, they'd probably even have professional photos done.
How do they explain a Cause of Death? It would be far different for a newborn than a 3 month old, right?
Headstones typically list birth and death dates, so they go for cremation. Also, it prevents exhuming the body if any foul play or other unlawful things are discovered. Or if someone wants a little DNA.
That's all well and good, but at EVERY Memorial Service I've been to, photos of the deceased are all over the place.
Wouldn't it be strange to hold a funeral for a 3 month old and not want to brag about what a beautiful and happy baby he was? What better way than to have photos around highlighting the baby's time with the family?
Is there a way that they could realistically cover for the fact that a 3 month old has NO photos or actual concrete proof that he actually existed? Wouldn't it be "natural" for at least one nice photo to be released to the press, given they are the First Family?
What are the FOIA laws in AK as far as birth/death certificates? What about burial plot information?
There probably aren't too many cemetaries in Wasilla, might be easy to hunt that part down... if they bury the baby as opposed to cremation.
Is cremation against their religion?
Also, why has no one brought up Christenings? I don't know if it's standard in their faith, but as a Catholic, I was Christened 18 days after birth. The church has the records as do I. And my birthdate is clearly indicated.
Oh, wait! Their church mysteriously burnt to the ground, but ONLY records were destroyed, right? No one finds this suspiciously suspicious?
I thought I read that somewhere... much was unharmed in the church, but RECORDS were destroyed. That would be little Trig's Christening information, but not little Tripp's because he wasn't "born" yet.
I know it's pretty morbid to bring death to the table, but it appears no one has analyzed how it could be handled.
It's a shame no one can go up there, blend in with the community and do some real sleuthing. It would take months to gain trust, but someone would probably eventually tell a new person in town what the story is, once they "know" them well enough.
It might take a couple of drinks to get the real story, but I'd be happy to pick up the tab! :)
Finally, (and this might already be answered, but I haven't seen it yet) have any FORMAL requests been made directly to the Gov's office or SP personally for seeing the birth certificates of both babies, or is everyone hoping ADN is reading here and THEY should put in the formal request?
Best to all!
Linda from Michigan
PS: I can't believe MI took care of Palin's kid when she didn't want to! But if you're "doing" hockey, Michigan is the best. That said, I don't like feeling we are a depository for wayward youth from Alaska.
One more kind of general thought/theory that's out there is that Trig was actually born prior to April 18th.
Has that theory been put to rest with the information found on this site's page with the screen shot of the hospital's entry on Google?
The one I'm talking about is where someone googled "trigpalin:matsuregional...". Whatever the search verbiage, it included Trig's name at the beginning of the string.
What came up was a link to the April 18 Matsu Baby Page, listing parents and babies other than Palins. Trig was evidently there at one point, but then removed. Google, however, remembered he was there on that page at some point in time.
To my mind, that refutes the rumor of any other date of birth than April 18th.
What am I missing? I continue to read every comment on every blog, but it's an arduous task... much discussion has taken place!
Thanks for your patience with my new fascination!
Linda in Michigan
Linda in Michigan,
Most Protestant churches don't do infant baptism or christenings. The Palins aren't Episcopal or Methodist, so I wouldn't expect one.
Linda in MI,
I might suggest that you repost in a newer thread ... the 'conversation' moves so quickly that many times readers to not make their way back to older threads. You have interesting comments that others would want to read, too!
"Instead of this garbage about the Palin family, go read a good book. Go hiking or kayaking. Do something healthy, that will enlighten your mind or enrich you as a human being, not slime you with this kind of dirt."
And yet, here you are.
Sherry johnston could not be Trigs mother. She says she had a hysterectomy many years ago and that accounts for her drug addiction for the pain it caused.
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