OK, rant over.
Anyway... I really have not wanted to focus on Palin's children but it has been inevitable that the children - in particular Bristol - had to be brought into the dialogue for the simple reason that Bristol was (and really continues to be) Sarah's only proof that she - and not Bristol - gave birth to Trig. No birth certificate, no doctor's statement, no happy family in the hospital photos, nothing. Just Bristol. (Oh, and "Sarah wouldn't lie." I guess we can't forget that.)
So Bristol's whereabouts, behavior, and appearance are regrettably "fair game." And recently, two discoveries have opened yet more legitimate queries into just where Bristol Palin was and what she was doing - and how she "looked" - in the fall of 2007.
When the rumors first hit the Internet the last few days of August, 2008 that Palin had faked a pregnancy to cover for Bristol, two photos were widely shown in which Bristol Palin purportedly had a "baby bump." The first, in which Bristol is wearing a green sweater, was taken at the Palin's home in Wasilla. I have felt confident dating this to 2006, based on the fact that we discovered another photo from the same shoot in which Todd is wearing a campaign button.
But the second photo was a bit more troublesome.
People said many different things about this photo. One of the first was that it was from February of 2008. (I always thought that was most unlikely unless Alaska is a whole lot warmer than I have been led to believe.) Fairly early on, a correspondent identified this photo as having been taken in Juneau - and sometime in the summer or early fall, as the mountain in the background - according to him - typically has snow on it by late September. That seemed reasonable, and from this we could date the picture with more accuracy. It had to be the summer / early fall of 2007. Why? In summer of 2006, Palin was not yet governor; by summer of 2008, Trig was born and he is not in the photo.
I have always been bothered by this photo because - frankly - I never thought that the person in the photo that HAD to be Bristol looked much like other photos available of her. And of course the reason we are looking at this photo is the alleged "baby bump." Is there one? Possibly, though it did not look much different than the picture I felt dated from 2006. What bothered me more - a lot more - was how different and frankly "fatter" her face looked! But all in all, it's hard to tell, and you can't deny that she does look "full" in the middle.
I never felt confident saying anything with any certainty, however, because dates just did not add up in my mind. Operating from the assumption that Trig was really "due" in mid May 2008 and born a month early, if this photo was taken "before the end of the September" whoever is pregnant here could only have been 4-6 weeks - at the most - too early to show no matter who it is.
But one rumor that has persisted since the onset of this investigation was that Trig was born much earlier than announced. People have based this on numerous (and frankly very divergent) "evidence," not the least being that Trig - from the very beginning of his public debut in September looked much older and larger than you would expect a baby who, on Sept 1, was 4 1/2 months old and had been born prematurely. Other researchers have found clear evidence of a jar of baby food for much older babies (nine months plus) in a photograph of Sarah's desk from August on 2008 when Trig would have been barely four months old. Numerous people have commented that Trig looked much older than his supposed nine months in a recent promotional video Sarah did for the Special Olympics.
And of course as was revealed on this blog several weeks ago - we have clear evidence that Bristol Palin's presence was "scrubbed" almost entirely from MySpace beginning approximately July 1, 2007. Why? We had our suspicions but could prove nothing.
However, with the discovery of some additional photos which clearly show that Bristol Palin experienced rather striking physical changes between June of 2007 and September of 2007 PLUS our discovery that the Palin family may have intentionally released a "Christmas 2007" photo which was actually from Christmas 2006, it's hard not to have our suspicion alert level go to orange, if not red.
Here's what we know:
Several weeks ago, an alert blog reader provided us with this link. Apparently, these photos have been available all along but languished, undiscovered, on a UK photo website. Here's the link and here's another. (For this second link, you need to enter the site and you can search either on photographer's name (Andrew Testa) or "Palin.")
These links were critical because it allowed us to date - absolutely - that the photo of the Palin family on the balcony was taken on September 13th (or 14th - there seems to be a bit of confusion about the date, but a one day discrepancy is not an issue.) We already had suspected this because Palin's agenda, released under a FOIA request, indicated that official family portraits had been taken in Juneau on these dates, but we could not prove that THIS photo was taken then. Now we could.
One thing that is striking about these photos is that Bristol clearly shows signs of a weight gain, both in her face and in her body, when you contrast these shots with ones taken of her only three months earlier, on June 10, 2007.
She is slim hipped, lean through the face, completely flat in the belly, and frankly not very large on top. And three months later - we have this:
This is another photograph that we recently ran across. It was - we think - supposed to have been the "official Palin family holiday portrait for Christmas 2007" and it was obviously taken the same day as all the other photos in September. It was released for use in the Alaska Business Journal's December issue, but I still have not been able to determine if it ever appeared on the state website, or any where else for that matter. It could have been - but considering the fact that we have never seen this photo before now, my guess is that sometime between when it was released to the Alaska Business Journal and Christmas, the Palins changed their mind about using it. Hmmm. Wonder why....
Want another comparison between June 10 and September 14? Here it is:
And this brings me to the second interesting little tidbit that my ever vigilant helpers discovered. One of the things that has always struck us is the complete dearth of any photos of Bristol Palin between (now we know) September 14, 2007 and April 25, 2008 (when she posed in a candid shot with Mercede Johnston before Mercede attended the prom at Burchell High School.)
Bristol supposedly went with her mother to New York City in October of 2007. She is mentioned briefly on the state of Alaska website as having attended a license plate art ceremony (now there's some fun!) in early January, 2008, and again - according to travel reimbursement forms Palin filed, Bristol was also supposed to have attended an American Heart Association event in Fairbanks in mid February, 2008 though no photos of Bristol that we can locate seem to exist for any of these. (Queries to the Heart Association about this event have been met with a surprisingly, even shocking amount of obfuscation and stonewalling. More on this in a future post.) But other than that, the public record is amazingly silent on the whereabouts of Bristol Palin between September 2007 and April 2008.
One "sole" official photo seemed to exist, this Palin family photo released in the Kaylene Johnson biography of Palin, and dated to Christmas 2007. Here - naysayers have claimed - HERE is a photo of Bristol. Nothing to see here. Put THAT in your pipe and smoke it, you Trig Truthers you.
Except, not so fast.
Here's the picture released in Kaylene Johnson's book:
It's clearly dated 2007.
But here's a picture released in another Palin biography, Lorenzo Benet's Trailblazer.
It's dated 2006. Every person in the photo is wearing the same clothes, so it's reasonable to assume it's from the same year. But which year is it? Who's wrong? Kaylene Johnson or Lorenzo Benet? How to know?
Conveniently, every year at the Governor's Mansion in Juneau, the Governor of Alaska hosts an open house. Many high quality and reliably dated pictures are available of this event from mainstream media for both years. Careful analysis of the photos have shown that the decorations - specifically ornaments on the wreath visible behind the Palin family - are consistent with 2006 NOT 2007. It's not easy to see in the photo released in the Benet book, but when you really look, the conclusion is obvious.
Here's the wreath from the Lorenzo Benet book:
Here's the wreath from Christmas 2006, according to the official state of Alaska website:
Here's the wreath from Christmas 2007, again from the official state site:
It's obvious that the wreath in the photos from both the Kaylene Johnson book and Lorenzo Benet book is from 2006. A "typo" on Kaylene Johnson's part? An OOPS on the Palin family's part? Whatever the answer, this photograph is not from 2007. It's from 2006. Yet another "possible" sighting of Bristol from the time period in question is proved false.
So - what can we conclude?
1. In spite of rigorous efforts to locate one, not a single piece of photographic evidence exists of Bristol Palin from mid September 2007 until April 2008. This is a girl who had many friends with social networking pages. This is the daughter of the governor of Alaska, who prior to this time, had required her daughter to attend numerous "First Family" events.
2. Photographs that do exist show a striking amount of physical change in Bristol Palin during the early months of the time when "someone" would have been pregnant with Trig.
3. The one photograph ever released "officially" by Palin which purported to show her daughter in December of 2007 was misdated. By whom, we do not know.
Stay tuned...
438 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 400 of 438 Newer› Newest»Another blog I check occasionally is "Gosselins without Pity", comprised of well-meaning viewers who were up to here with the fakeness, child exploitation and product-placement in the reality series Jon and Kate plus 8.
Turns out they were right: It's amazing how the house of cards came falling down when family members -- Kate's brother Kevin and his wife "Aunt Jodi", as well as the brother of Jon's apparent new lover -- started to blab.
Even though there are LITTLE KIDS involved... doesn't matter... People Mag, US Weekly, etc. are ALL OVER IT.
Speaking of media attention, or lack thereof, thank *goodness* the lovely Shannyn Moore is on KO every other night. I can't wait for her to get the scoop when the wheels come off the Mavericky-maverick Express...!
Doubting Thomas,
Good job.
Re: Does she have a natural paunch or not?
The Bristol photo I am looking for was a side view taken with the white background. She is in black and there is no doubt the paunch is gone on May 6, 2009. Has anyone seen that one?
It is nothing like we see here three months lprior on February 8, 2009 and can be verified by the photographer
http://tiny.cc/bpPAUNCH
"If you asked the staff about Trigg's birth, they couldn't possibly remember because of the heavy patient load."
No, I'm sorry, that's not true. I don't know about the work load at Mat-Su, but any nurse would remember assisting at the labor/delivery of the Governor of the state. They'd be highly likely to remember Tripp's birth, too, the governor's grandchild.
I'm a nurse and I know. You remember the famous people you take care of. It's human nature.
Thanks to Doubting Thomas for this information about the development of premies -- very helpful to see this!
Given that some of the new information indicates the possibility that Bristol became pregnant earlier than previously thought, I bit the bullet and spent some time looking through the travel authorizations, to see what else we can deduce in light of what we know from other sources. Here are a few quick observations.
First, it's certain that the family photo (BP in camo-dress) was taken on 9/14/07 (not the 13th), as the kids did not arrive in Juneau until night-time on the 13th. So I think that minor point is settled.
Next: if it's BX2, when could B have become pregnant? She was in Wasilla for a week in late March, two weekends in April (13-15 and 20-22), and then continuously from May 21st on until September. So those seem like the “windows of opportunity” for BX2. March would have her giving birth to a full-term baby in December – earlier than the timeframes we’ve been looking at. Perhaps March can be ruled out or at least put on the back burner for now.
Levi would probably have been in Wasilla on most or all the dates when Bristol was there. We know that Bristol and Levi had some “interaction” at her house by early June, and that she referred to herself as a slut by late June. So I am going to assume that she slept with Levi at least by June, if not earlier.
We also know that in spring 2007 until early June, Bristol's chatting on MySpace was all about Johnny, not Levi. Bristol was apparently going with Johnny at the time, but the two of them were having a hard time getting together because he was living elsewhere that winter-early spring, and Bristol was in Juneau much of that time. So it was really hard for them to get together. But they saw each other enough that Sarah wondered if Bristol was pregnant in May. Perhaps they made up for lost time when they saw each other.
It looks like Bristol & Johnny were both in Wasilla the weekend of 4/13-15 (even though she said she had gotten in trouble and wouldn't be coming home that weekend, the travel records say she was in Wasilla). Then Johnny was planning to go to Wasilla around 4/20-21 but Bristol said he should have stayed home because she was going to Glenallen. But the travel records show that she was in Wasilla for 2 days that weekend after all. Then she was in Wasilla continuously from 5/21 on until the infamous photo shoot in September.
What to make of it? My hunch is that if Levi is the dad, which I suspect is true, it seems likely that Bristol got pregnant after May 21st… because I think she was with Johnny on the April weekends.
Last thought for now: I also realized in looking at these records that it is pretty likely that Bristol could have avoided scrutiny by Sarah for a good deal of the time when she would have begun showing, because I think Sarah was in Iraq in late July and then was in Juneau in August, right? So she may not have seen
much of Bristol in late summer.
wv: fable
muah: I know the picture you mean. BP is standing with Hayden Panetierre (sp.?) extolling the virtues of high heeled shoes... *ahem*... I mean abstinence. And she is as thin as she was in the June 2007 pictures - very lean. I'm not sure where I saw it, but it was in the fray of the initial Candies exposure and I'm sure it can be easily found. She wore a black top and jeans against a pale background.
Can't believe I forgot about this. My mother and one of my aunts are the same age for about three weeks every year. I'd have to ask my sister exactly how many days.
Now that I've remembered, I think it's a relevant point to share when discussing the possibility of Bx2.
Not necessarily more strength for the theory, but for those who doubt, it IS entirely possible to have two babies in one year (my Catholic grandmother and BP probably used the same time-tested birth control that's bound to fail every time - hope and prayer).
Doubting Thomas,
Thanks for the helpful info about Preemies. That's a big factor in TriG's appearance. Onething & I were wondering about when TriG would have been full term if the Sept. 07 pictures really show a 3-4 mos. pregnant Bristol, which we doubt. Even if full term, TriG's DS also could affect his growth.
So much "consistent with." So little "proof." I try to be patient.
How interesting! Sherry J. is now saying the Media made it out to look like a war between them and the Palins.
I've said all along the Palins/Johnstons were working this together. No one can deny Mercedes attack against Bristol on T.V. and Sherrys blaming the Media?
Everyone feeling so sorry for Levi and now he can see the baby anytime and take him anywhere!
Please, don't tell me they had to go on national T.V. to settle this. There are laws in Alaska!
I'm still in the Bx1 camp and have no idea where Tripp came from. At lease with Trig, they were all at the Mat-Su Hospital and Lori Tipton, KTUU, took their picture as they walked out.
With Tripp, there is nothing. Levi confirmed his birth date of 12/27/2008, on T.V. He also said all her girlfriends were there. Later, they said the whole family was there. Did we hear from any of these people?
In Alaska, when there is a birth, the doctor/midwife/hospital will enter the information into a computer. There is an automatic announcement in the paper but it takes two to four months. Bretta said she saw an announcement for Trig but todate, has not seen one for Tripp.
Trust me, Dangerous, I know how you feel. It is very lonely here in the Bx1x0 camp, too!
Sherry's next day in court is Monday. Resolution of her case could prompt more disclosures.
She has stuck in my mind lately, especially her saying, more than once, that she was *happy* to hear Bristol was pregnant with TriPP. Both of them had another year of high school to go. Wouldn't most moms have mixed feelings, happy about a grandchild, but wishing the kids were graduates, older, had jobs, and maybe married?
More and more I wonder if Bristol and Levi *tried* to get pregnant with TriPP to replace a baby they "lost," as in Sarah took.
We've discussed Sarah claiming to carry a DS baby to term to appeal to her "values voter" base. On the other hand, is it possible she feared a backlash from the voting majority, whose votes she also needs, if she was seen as an extremist who *forced* her unwed teen daughter still in high school to carry a DS baby to term, a baby with enormous needs that high school juniors (with no jobs) could not meet, a baby that could keep Bristol from anything approaching a "normal" life?
Many people would feel a teen aborting a DS baby was understandable, and could see Sarah as too extreme. So maybe it wasn't just her base she considered in deciding not to let the public know Bristol had TriG. Maybe that's one reason Bristol insisted, "It was my choice," that the family had discussed the problem with Sarah being seen as choosing for her.
If you think Sarah could not have given birth to Trig, please look at this picture. To me, if it is dated correctly, it should be the nail in the coffin.
http://tiny.cc/P7Pu8
IMO this picture of Sarah with the Target dog may the photograph that no one could look at and really believe that Sarah was pregnant enough to have a baby in six weeks! A woman that far pregnant cannot “schooch down” and lean forward at the same time. There is no place for the baby to go! I don’t care how much a woman “doesn’t show”, a baby takes up space and it is not a soft space like putty dough that can wrap around the mother’s organs, bones and muscles when she takes unusual positions. It has to go " out front".
This picture was on the ADN website and it was attributed to a “Target Handout Photo”.
I struggled for a while as to whether this photo was correctly dated as having been taken March 1st, 2008 since to the best of my knowledge, the Target store did not open until the fall of 2008 (unless there was an older store that the new one was replacing). A newspaper report said the store was opening in the fall of 08 in a shopping center with Target being the first store to go in the center in Anchorage.
However, everything else with the picture was correct with the day of the week, the calendar date and this being the 36th Iditarod. Sarah and much of her family attended the ceremonial start of the event on that day in Anchorage. In looking at the only other picture I could find of Sarah at the Iditarod (where she is signing the document), she seems to be wearing the same clothes. She has the same coat, looks like the top of the same pants, the same dark cowl sweater and the fluffy brown mittens. I haven’t seen those mittens much, if ever.
I went back to the picture with the Target dog and realized there was no mention of an actual store. The caption said, “Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin greets the Target dog, Bullseye, at the start of the 36th annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage on Saturday, March 1, 2008.” If Target was going to open a store in Anchorage in the fall and maybe other places in Alaska, it would have been a great marketing step for them to have a presence at the Iditarod, particularly a dog!
So I do think the dating of this picture by ADN is correct. I personally felt that the picture in LA where Sarah leaned forward was conclusive that she was not pregnant, but evidently it was not enough. That picture was a little dark but this one is not. She cannot be at a stage of pregnancy where she is giving birth to a live child in 6 weeks.
Documented pictures of Sarah not being pregnant should be enough to convince folks although I am beginning to feel as though only identifying who is Trig’s mother and father get the MSM involved. Someone has to do the work for them. And they wonder why newspapers are failing?
After doing some more Myspace investigating, the story I am getting is...
Johnny and Tyree were Best friends and heavy partiers. Tyree died (last year?), Johnny left town (he is in Oregon now). Lanesia left Alaska too (Colorado).
All of the kids that Bristol hung out with all have *RIP Tyree* messages, but do not talk about how/why Tyree died. Most of the kids have all left the state, the few that remain all have messages about how they are leaving town when they graduate.
Things that make you wonder.....
My WV is coespa (co-conspirators?)
You gotta do the math (Trig) to get to the Trippy (Tripp) conclusion that Sarah Palin is not the Mother of Trig!
tp://tinyurl.com/qfso8b
has a great explantaion of a preemie birth age, corrected ages & birthdays....
"Corrected Age, Actual Age, Birth Age What does it all mean?
When it comes to premmie babies and their birthdays it can be a little hard to follow if you have had no experience with premmie babies before. There are so many dates that are important in your tiny premmie baby's life and so many people seem to have dfferent names for each on it can become just a little hard to keep track of. You can go on correcting a premmie baby's age between the ages of 2 and 5 depending on their gestational age when born, their weight and also what ongoing issues they may have to deal with after experiencing premature birth.
When speaking in regards to my own daughter Airlie Fae who was born at 27weeks +5 days gestation due to pre eclampsia and HELLP Syndrome I would tell people that she was born 12weeks and 2 days early or 3months early. For the first 3 months of her life she grew inside the nicu and didn't really get to do a lot of what a newborn full term baby would do. Her gestational age was what was written on her chart (the number of weeks mum was pregnant when baby wasborn) as well as how many weeks she had been outside the womb. Both of these numbers are very important factor and continued on for qutie some time after a premmie babies birth as this impacted on the milestones and when they would reach them.
In Airlie case I liked to explain to people that she was given an extra 3months to reach those milestones. For exapmple when she was 6months old (birth age - the day they came into the world early or sometimes called their actual age) she was actually only suppose to be 3months old had she been born full term so this was called her corrected age which was her due date age and sometimes you hear others call this their adjusted age. Airlie was born (6.1.06) which was classed as her birthday /birth age or actual age and this was when she would go on have her needles as long as she was well. As she got bigger we also went on her weight for other meds under our doctors advice. If you have questions regading your baby please always contact your baby's doctor.
Having to correct your premmie baby's age all the time can become hard when having to explain to well meaning people just what it all means??? It also can be a stress for the parents when they attend mothers groups and they are asked why their baby is 14months old but not yet walking? or some other milestone that full term babies would have reached by that age. If you have questions for a mum of a premmie try to ask them in a minful way. To the premmie mums I would say try to use these questions as a way of educating the general public about premmie babies and how amazing they are.
I hope in time to come the general public will become well informed about premature birth and premmie babies and all that impacts them. "
Doubting Thomas,
The point I've been making is that we either have to give up on the idea that the camo dress shows a 3-4 months pregnant Bristol, or the premature birth. We can't have both. At least, I don't think we can.
If she was 3 months in mid-September, the baby should be born mid March. If 4 months, mid February. If born a month early, he could be born mid January to mid February.
But I doubt they could pass him off as a newborn on April 18 unless he was not more than a month old as a preemie born one month early, although 6 weeks perhaps might work.
But I think the camo dress looks more like 4 months. This makes him full term in February, which probably will not work.
If she was 4 months, can Levi be the father?
Ginger said,
I'm still in the Bx1 camp and have no idea where Tripp came from. ***
Bristol appeared pregnant:
at the RNC
at SNL
in WalMart (Oct. 12?)
in convenience store election day?)
walking into church (Dec.)
The WalMart photos show her baby belly and curved posture up close and realistic. I don't know *when* TriPP arrived, maybe end of January, but I do see where he came from.
T in Canada: those babies are known as "Irish Twins" when they are so close.
Google "tyree graham wasilla" and you get his obit, crush's MySpace with a couple of pictures, and Tyree's MySpace (no info there). Google "tyree graham annville" and see he was found dead in a house in Annville, Pennsylvania and the cause was alcohol and drugs. Sad.
Bristol graduated from highschool yesterday.
Tyree Graham was a friend of Johnny's who died of a drug overdose (which was investigated as a possible suicide) on his 18th birthday on May 29th 2008.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/adn/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=111069827
http://www.whtm.com/news/stories/0608/525222.html
Personally I'm not convinced that Johnny was ever Bristol's boyfriend based only on those myspace comments. I've looked at some of the public comments made by the teens in that social circle. The kids don't seem to have many inhibitions about having non-romantic friendships between boys and girls, including calls, texts, and even myspace comments professing intense love and affection. Bristol asked Johnny to call her - that doesn't necessarily mean she was sleeping with him.
Is there any corroborating evidence that they actually were romantically involved?
(By the way, Patrick - thanks for the shout out!)
jeanette, you're right. She couldn't bend over like that if she were 6.5 months pregnant. I recall this Target photo being discussed before. The way the fairly stiff fabric rolls at her middle is not consistent with pregnancy either.
Diane, C4P promulgated the debatable fact that Sarah was disinvited from being the speaker at Bristol's graduation last night. Also discussed on adn.com and mudflats. Official word is her speaking was discussed last summer before VP run, but never confirmed. Maybe Arizona State will invite her to speak next year and give her the honorary degree they said Obama did not deserve.
Uh, she's 18, not 19. And so much for the nursing career. Now it's business school and real estate, which makes some sense since she has a lot of name recognition.
from people.com: Exclusive
Bristol Palin Graduates from High School
By Sandra Sobieraj Westfall
Originally posted Friday May 15, 2009 08:45 AM EDT
Looking like a lot of her classmates – giddy and irreverent, wearing a silly necklace of Blow-Pop lollipops strung together with curly gift ribbon – Bristol Palin stepped toward the stage in Wasilla Sports Complex Thursday night to receive her high school diploma, more a worried mom than a jubilant teen.
"Where's my baby?" Bristol mouthed, searching the two front rows where her family sat until she finally spotted son Tripp near the backstage door, where Bristol's Aunt Heather was feeding the infant a bottle. With a wave to the little one she alternately calls "Handsome" and "My Guy," Bristol crossed the stage – and crossed "graduate high school" off her to-do list.
"I knew it would be hard work, but I knew I was going to do it," Bristol, 19, tells PEOPLE.
Her mom, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice-presidential nominee, was not always so sure. Palin said in an interview that one of her first thoughts when Bristol announced her surprise pregnancy last spring was, Oh, there goes her education. "And that's why I'm so proud of her … really relieved," Palin says. "It's been a challenging and exciting year – her senior year – and I'm just so pleased that we are where we are today."
Bristol boasted a 3.497 G.P.A., regretting only that she was "point zero-zero-something" away from graduating with Honors. A budding activist in the cause to prevent teen pregnancy, she says she hopes to go to an area college for a two-year business degree and then a job, possibly in real estate.
Yes, yes, yes, tabloid chick. I totally agree with what you say about poor and inappropriate choice of clothing for Bristol in a state, official photo. A chunky girl's body can be minimized tastefully. You're right when you say her outfits are arrows pointing right to the problem spots. I always took the camo dress and green sweater choices to be a big f*** y** to her mom-- consciously or sub-.
Doubting Thomas said, [from their MySpace comments] "Johnny and Tyree were Best friends and heavy partiers. Tyree died [of a drug and alcohol overdose]"
It's always so sad to see a troubled young life cut short like this. But this tells us much about Bristol. In my experience, girls who run with guys who are heavily into alcohol and drugs are doing the same thing themselves. Girls who stay away from drugs and alcohol, stay away from those guys. And I'm not being holyer-than-thou here; a frightening number of my guy friends from high school ended in the cemetery; most of the girls ended up pregnant.
To add to what Ivyfree said yesterday @ 2:37 PM in response to the comment "If you asked the staff about Trigg's birth, they couldn't possibly remember because of the heavy patient load." by someone else:
(Ivyfree's response: No, I'm sorry, that's not true. I don't know about the work load at Mat-Su, but any nurse would remember assisting at the labor/delivery of the Governor of the state. They'd be highly likely to remember Tripp's birth, too, the governor's grandchild...)
Not only that, but Matsu-Su "Regional Medical Center" isn't all that large a hospital.
It has 74 beds, and I'd be willing to bet some of those beds are not in use because of the economy, and a significant number are dedicated to "in-and-out" day surgery patients who receive the surgical services offered.
There are probably 10 or less beds dedicated to obstetrical patients -- especially since any complicated cases, such as high-risk mothers (!), are probably cared for and delivered in Anchorage. :)
B: what is the connection of Tyree and our research? Sorry if I missed it in earlier posts.
Ivyfree said:
"I don't know about the work load at Mat-Su, but any nurse would remember assisting at the labor/delivery of the Governor of the state. They'd be highly likely to remember Tripp's birth, too, the governor's grandchild.
I'm a nurse and I know. You remember the famous people you take care of. It's human nature."But do you remember all the famous people that other nurses take care of?
The Mat-Su staff is apparently swamped on a regular basis. In the midst of their frantic daily routine, there's a rumor that the governor came in. Potential gawkers among the staff are too busy to look for her, and everyone just assumes that since she isn't in their area, she must be in another one.
You end up with a staff that was vaguely aware that something was going on at the time. Later, whenever they might have some down time and discuss that night, they might discuss why nobody from the hospital seems to have been involved with the delivery.
The most obvious conclusion that could be jumped to is that Palin hired her own personal nurses to assist in the delivery. After all, she did bring a doctor from another hospital to deliver the baby.
In reality, maybe you had the governor (and former board member of the hospital) barge in and have her personal doctor commandeer a room in the maternity ward. If this hospital operates in as confused a state as some of the stories indicate, nobody may be aware of what's actually going on. The end result is that nobody can come forward later and dispute the birth story. Nor can they come forward later and confirm it.
Regarding the ongoing discussion of the tight dress Bristol was wearing in the mid-September 2007 pictures...
Remember the video of Bristol and SP holding TriG in Walmart in mid-October 2008, when it was said that Bristol was about 6 months along? [I was skeptical that it was 6 months, guessing no more than 5 -- and at the time was still holding out that it was a sham :) ] She really didn't protrude very much, but was wearing tight and revealing clothing in much the same way she has in these other pictures (and looking far bigger in the belly even at that stage than her mother, during HER "pregnancy").
Anyway, if you grant that Bristol, by her appearance, was indeed somewhere between 5 and 6 months in October 2008, then in September 2007 -- if she was pregnant -- that belly bump probably wouldn't have been more than 3 months, tops.
In other words, mid-June date of conception, 6 months along just before Christmas, 8 months in mid-February, term in mid-March. The story all along has been that TriG was preemie. That would put his purported birth date in early February. If he were as underweight as preemies usually are, then he -- as Doubting Thomas has already clearly pointed out -- would very likely gain to a 6 lb. 2 oz. weight by mid-April, and his heart, lung, and other systemic problems would have been treated and presumably cleared (at least, according to the scanty information in the CB-J letter).
That's my conclusion, anyway.
Audrey,
love the blog and like many others have wondered when MSM will break this story.
have you thought to add a twitter acct ? so you can tweet your blog posts? all the readers can certainly help make the story go viral.
I have a proud Catholic client who once told me that 2 of his 7 children were born 10 or 11 months apart in 1962. "Two in '62!" was their family slogan.
Then lo and behold, one of those daughters did the same thing in 2002 (Two in '02!), continuing the family tradition.
Possible Palin slogans, anyone?
To: "B"
Thanks for your response! You brought up the one issue I've been trying to get a link to.
Kathleen said she captured Bristol "walking into church" on Dec. 15th! Do you have a link to this?
It was the last time I believe Bristol was seen in public until the GVS show. If I remember correctly, it was a KTUU video.
Thanks, B, I know you will help if you can!
There are numerous reasons that a newborn might be small, or not grow. One of my nephews had a hole in his heart, and stayed a newborns size until after having surgery. After the heart repair, he grew normally and was fine, but you would have sworn he was newborn at 6 months old.
The "camo" dress is not actually camo. It's sort of an abstract animal print -- maybe giraffe? I know this because I have the same dress! The interesting thing about that dress is that it is a true wrap dress in stretch fabric, which can fit a person even if they gain a few inches around their middle. At that time Bristol might not have been able to fit into her other stuff. This dress is forgiving.
I am baffled that the MSM has not picked this story up... Morgan, Patrick, Audrey, and the other people involved in keeping this blog going (thank you, btw!) -- can we expect anything to break in the media, maybe not this week or this month, but at SOME POINT???
I feel like we all KNOW 99.9% that Sarah Palin did not give birth to Trig and she is still acting like she DID. I WANT THE TRUTH TO COME OUT!!!! I need it to. :-|
Amy1, re:Tyree, see Doubting Thomas at 9:04. A friend of Johnny, who was a friend of Bristol.
Ginger,
I found a photo here, but no video:
http://ktuu.images.worldnow.com
/images/9521504_BG5.jpg
Bristol is rightmost. You can see her pregnancy with the dark sweater against the light blue inside of the jacket. The Palins were attending services at WMS.
Another photo supporting her having TriPP is the mid-February Iron Dog 2009 photo at Immoral Minority blog. You see Bristol from the side and the stretched skin of a recent pregnancy. Not the shape of Bristol we see now.
Regarding the tiny Mat-Su hospital that doesn't even allow twin births, it's inconceivable to me that a member of the GINO's family (or, in the unlikely instance, the GINO herself) would deliver there with no patient, family member, or staffer noticing. One Wasilla woman was erroneously quoted as having seen SP in the ward; her indignant rebuttal didn't get anywhere near the attention that the initial, made-up quote did.
My kids were all born at a big hospital in Washington, D.C., and you can bet your bottom dollar that everyone knew when a parent who was "famous-for-Washington" was there. The same goes for the ER in my neighborhood hospital. Once when I was waiting for treatment, a woman came in with minor injuries from slipping on ice, shortly before the wedding of her brother, a U.S. Senator. The woman tried to pull rank and jump the triage line! The nurses, indignant, didn't allow it. They told me that professional ethics kept them from calling the city's then-best-known gossip columnist!
Regarding preemies, one of my sons spent a few days in the NICU, right next to a six-week-old baby, born at 31 weeks gestation, who'd just "bulked up" to four pounds and was about to go home. He looked as "newborn" as my seven-pound-plus son.
RE; The Obamacon said...
After all, she did bring a doctor from another hospital to deliver the baby.
Sorry but she did not bring in an outside doctor.Cathy Baldwin Johnson was still on staff
at Mat-Su Regional at the time of Trigs birth.She quit in June 2008.
Not sure where I read that but I think it was in the so called medical report she wrote
for Sarah.
The birthing center has a private entrance that is open 24 hrs.a day.Visiting hours are
from 8:30am to 8:30pm after that only immediate family can stay.
5 other babies were born on April 18 and since we don,t any of the birth times there is no
way to tell if any of the other 5 babies families may have been in the lobby when Sarah
showed up.
Well I said Trig and 5 other babies were born on April 18, but there could have been more.
The Wasilla paper only had Trig and the other 5 so there could have been some more births
that were not put in the paper.
I always thought it was so weird that Sarah would let the paper announce the birth but
didn,t have a picture of baby on the online nursery.
I mean even if Trig,s picture was online before the Aug.picture scrubbing frenzy why
remove it then.
It just makes no sense at all.
Muah and others - Is this the recent "paunchless" photo of Bristol you were thinking of?
See #9 and #10 in the series here: http://tinyurl.com/ptgaxx
"The most obvious conclusion that could be jumped to is that Palin hired her own personal nurses to assist in the delivery."
Well, no. In 35 years of professional practice, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of patients I have dealt with who did that... and have three fingers left over. The one time I was involved in a governor's family- the governor's mother, it was- she did not have any private staff to provide care- and incidentally, I embarrassed my head nurse because when I got to the unit, I answered the phone, hadn't yet heard the woman was a patient there, and hung up on the governor because I thought it was a prank call.
Once, I had a patient who was very wealthy and had his own private-duty nurses. They sat at the bedside and supervised the care we gave, but they didn't do any care. The hospital, you see, is legally liable for the care the patient receives and that liability does not go away just because the patient hires other nurses.
Incidentally, the other patient I took care of who had private nurses was a Hollywood producer. I have no idea what he produced, but I was told that I would recognize movie titles. I never bothered to look it up. Anyway, he was on home IV meds, and I was a home IV therapist, and went out in the middle of the night to solve his IV problems and wound up replacing his IV. He had a private-duty nurse who basically did nothing, since the IV pumps were handled by us and were automatic. Honestly. It was silly to pay RN wages to have somebody sit at your bedside and do, essentially, nothing, unless you asked for a drink of water or something... but anyway, it was my first glimpse into the Lifestyles of the Rich and Allegedly Famous, and I found it interesting when the private duty nurse called me, and explained that I was NOT to go to the front door, but the trade entrance- the dogs, she added, would show me where it was.
Yeah. Four dogs. Met me at the car. Escorted me to the trade entrance. The Pvt Duty RN told me she'd just figured out how to GET to the front door from inside the house, which was huge and a maze. Go figure.
Anyway, no, I can't really see Sarah paying nurses private duty salaries to assist at a non-existant delivery. Let alone finding nurses with Labor and Delivery credentials in the private-nursing business. Personally, I think that Trig was born in Anchorage, with Bristol as his mother, and under an assumed name. I note that Sarah wasn't seen at the photo-shoot announcing Trig's birth, but her parents were. I think the Mat-Su staff could give us an earful, but won't owing to HIPAA. Sarah would be just the kind to file a complaint, and they wouldn't want to pay a 25K fine.
Can Sarah Palin get around the rule against "outside employment" by donating the book proceeds to an organization...such as her PAC?
Did everyone see that Bristol is graduating from high school? It's on Yahoo's news page. She evidently is planning to attend community college.
Vaughn, you are right. Feb 7 was the last delivery at Mat Su by CBJ, and CBJ left Mat Su on June 1, 2008.
That piece of info is indeed in the CBJ medical letter, which is a pdf in this LATimes article, and says:
". . . I was on active status at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center from 1985 to June 1, 2008. I changed status in order to devote more time to my work in the area of child abuse evaluation and prevention."For those among us (incl me) who think the CBJ letter was altered or created by SP, a major flaw in that view is that second sentence. Why would SP have included or failed to delete this unnecessary point. Although anyone looking on the web can easily learn CBJ's specialty, why include it here? Hmm?
How ironic-I'll explain later ;)
I want to address the pouch or pooch or "muffin-top" whatever you want to call it. It's natural for women and even very skinny women have it. I was so slim (but still size 8, I *literally* have big bones but then had almost not fat, jutting out rib bones and hip bones, I ate like a horse but some people still claimed I was anorexic! But still that darn pooch! I felt so self-conscious about it even when I knew I was loved. I made my new-husband turn off the lights everytime we had sex for the 1st few months. I eventually got over it, mostly because of my pregnancies & thus babies, I had no time to worry about anything other than when does her diaper need changing, and now I have to wash that teether you threw on the floor LOL.
For both my pregnancies, the pooch thing was a different story. I couldn't *wait* for a bigger pooch!! I'd stand in the mirror each day analyzing myself from every side to see if I was any bigger. I'd proudly put my hand around my belly, even when it was teeny.
Fast forward to a few years back before my spinal injuries/chronic pain and I was still a size 8 and skinny despite 2 kids. But I still had that darn pooch, but tiny. When I started gaining weight, it went right there. My pants got tighter, and the dreaded "muffin top" appeared. (The pants are the muffin paper and the tummy is the fluffy top of the muffin that hangs over the sides.) I would NEVER wear a form fitting shirt over pants that gave me a muffin top, and I'm 30 and married! I don't need to impress boys or worry about how I look in a photo that may be seen by many people since my mom is a rising political star.
My very longwinded point is that teenage girls look at themselves in the mirror, nowadays they take photos of themselves (think Miley Cyrus.) I find it very odd that in the green-shirt photo she would have worn form fitting tops and not only that, she is *holding her belly from below.* I think Audrey mentioned she might be wearing a a thicker shirt underneath, but if it was a thick shirt we would not only see wrinkles in the thinner top over it, but she'd look heavier all over, not just in her tummy. She's not hiding her pooch in a dress or flowing top, and there's no way she did not look at herself in the mirror before the photo, she's a teenager! Then to emphasize your tummy by clasping your hands under it, with a cat that ate the canary look...well it leads to more questions for me. Audrey has already proven that the Palins play fast and loose with photo dating, and Sarah suspected Bristol was pregnant at least once before, so who knows?
And the ironic part? For mother's day my husband and kids bought me a couple tops, one is lovely and perfect, light and flowing, my fav color & not form-fitting (picked out by my 7 yr old) and one that is totally me, brown which goes well w/my red hair & is free flowing but needs to be exchanged for a smaller size (picked out by my 10 yr old son,) and a cami top with built in shelf bra, made with a LOT of stretch, labeled a "YOGA" top and completely form fitting (picked by my husband.)I have gained a lot of weight, esp around the middle, and hate wearing tight ANYTHING even at night. But it's a gift, it's hot here and I just spent hours cleaning and swiffering my floor (and I have chronic pain) so I thought I'd change into that, lay down on an ice pack and read Palin Deceptions. I put the top on with some help from my daughter, but said not to pull the tag off since I didn't know if I ws keeping it. I put it on, and it hugs my belly:( I asked if it looks that bad and both my daughter and son said it looked pretty on me. So I cut the tags off, and then my son says, it makes you look only a *little* pregnant. ARRRGGGHHHH!!!!
We women and teenagers (and sadly now even some young girls) are veryattuned to our bodies and how we look. I remember pulling ten million things from my closet to try and find something cute to wear for a normal HS day. There's no way Bristol didn't know she looked like that, and she wore form-fitting clothing, *and* emphasized her belly by holding her hnds under it while smiling. Hmmmmmmm...If she was a celebrity when that photo was taken, her mug would have been plastered all over tabloids saying "Bristol is Preggers!"
Just my 2, or maybe 10 cents :)
And maybe we should all refrain from the "whose logic is better" regarding BX2 or BX1. We're all here b/c we believe Sarah Palin is NOT Trigg's mom, that she has used him as a prop, and engaged in a massive coverup, is a pathological liar and it's just plain scary that this woman might be President of our country in 2012. Lastly we are (at least I am, and from Audrey's statements and other posters comments) are concerned about the welfare of Trigg Palin, as well a Trigg Palin. Levi is being kept away from his kid(s), and Sarah treats Trigg like a sack of potatoes rather than a baby, and passes him off to her 7 yr old daughter who is wearing heels, has not enrolled him in a program that I don't totally understand other than it might help him...and where *is* Trigg?
The most obvious conclusion that could be jumped to is that Palin hired her own personal nurses to assist in the delivery. After all, she did bring a doctor from another hospital to deliver the baby.It really doesn't work like that. The doctor had privileges at Mat Su (although she no longer does). A doctor cannot walk in and deliver a baby without privileges at the hospital, and while you can hire private nurses to assist in your care, they cannot walk into a facility where they are not employed and deliver a baby.
Some of the posters have mentioned situations where a preemie can look like a newborn for a considerable length of time. I am not arguing against that. I am saying that if Trig was born about a month early, then probably about 6 weeks is the longest time from his birth to his newborn pictures. Of course a baby born at 31 weeks will have several more weeks of wiggle room.
However, KaJo put forth a reasonable time line and I think this is pretty much in the ballpark.
That Trig was a preemie has always been speculation, but it could very well be true, especially if DS babies tend to come a month early. So if he was born mid February, Bristol could have been pregnant again April 1st.
I just don't really get a slender young 17 year old getting so pudgy, and pudgy in the face, so early in gestation. Perhaps it is an individual thing.
It's also notable how in the green sweater picture Bristol looks self conscious and unhappy. But - she could have been having a bad day. In both of those pictures, her face looks different than the Bristol we know.
WV: bourg, as in The Palins are Borg. (They stick together.)
"Bristol boasted a 3.497 G.P.A., regretting only that she was "point zero-zero-something" away from graduating with Honors. "
A REAL Honors student would have been able to calculate the actual difference!
A researcher in San Diego claims she's found a new way to spot liars. See if you think her theory applies to the behavior of Sarah Palin.
And maybe we should all refrain from the "whose logic is better" regarding BX2 or BX1. We're all here b/c we believe Sarah Palin is NOT Trigg's mom, that she has used him as a prop, and engaged in a massive coverup, is a pathological liar and it's just plain scary that this woman might be President of our country in 2012.Well said, Center Stage Corsetry. A main component of Persuasion (as in, persuading people that your ideas are worthy) is treating others and their ideas with respect-- not by insulting their intelligence. Insults = closed ears. Which has happened with my ears regarding a few of the commenters on here.
But CSC is right. I don't give a damn who's right BX2, PiperX1, ToddX3. . . I just want the truth.
If you can't post without insulting the intelligence of others, you guarantee you will not be heard.
I came across this site Strollerderby:
http://tiny.cc/jsTHd
Among many interesting comments there is this one:
esther said:
I'm from Alaska, and this was a big rumor during her pregnancy. I know several people who know Bristol, and said that she was, in fact, pregnant.
August 31, 2008 5:08 PM
Ocean,
So Bristol and Levi often take care of Trig, according to Sherry Johnston? While teenagers often take care of younger siblings, why on earth would Levi take care of Trig, unless he is Trig's biological father? Or, at least, if Bristol is the biological mother?
Lilybart,
I loved your title for Sarah's book!
Everyone,
Regarding the travel reimbursement, Sarah would seek state reimbursement for travel if it is possible; she would not pay for a ticket if the state would pay for it. However, as many have stated, we don't have access to records of personal travel.
Center Stage Corsetry,
The thing is, though, that we all have different bodies. Most thin young teens do not have a pooch. Some people gain really a lot of weight, and it all goes to the hips and thighs, and still they do not get a pooch or pot belly even though they are overweight. Others get it immediately. Bristol appears to have a more typical teen body and we do see her without a pooch both before and after the pregnancy(ies).
Phooey. Another week to see what if anything the trial shakes out:
Drug Trial of Levi Johnston's Mother Postponed By Lorenzo Benet
Originally posted Saturday May 16, 2009 10:00 AM EDT, people.com
Sherry Johnston, the troubled mother of Levi Johnston, the ex-fiancé of Bristol Palin, has been granted a short reprieve to consider her options.
An Alaskan judge Friday postponed her May 18 jury trial on felony charges for allegedly selling OxyContin. Instead, the judge, Eric Smith, scheduled a May 21 hearing at which Johnston, 42, will have the opportunity to discuss her case with a prosecutor and judge and consider changing her plea.
Johnston had previously pleaded not guilty to charges resulting from a December 2008 arrest for allegedly pedalling the prescription drug in a Wasilla shopping center parking lot. Johnston later told PEOPLE she became addicted to the painkiller after taking it years ago to treat pain from a hysterectomy and several subsequent surgeries.
Johnston's attorney, Rex Butler, did not return calls Friday. Messages left at the district attorney's office in Palmer, Alaska, were also not returned.
Johnston's son, Levi, 18, recently claimed in TV interview that tensions with Bristol Palin and her family have prevented him from spending quality time with the estranged pair's infant son, Tripp. Meanwhile, Bristol Palin, 19, has finished high shool and graduated with classmates in Wasilla on May 14.
Amy1...
I believe the unnecessary point was put into the letter because they knew people had been
looking on the hospital website,not finding CBJ listed as one of their physicians and then
asking how could she have delivered Trig when she isn,t listed as one of their doctors.
I know that you noticed all of the useless information about Trig that was included in
that medical report.None of it had anything to do with Sarah,s health but had all to do
with Sarah Palin really really had Trig.
CBJ has never stated that she delivered Trig and she never will.If she did deliver him
it was to someone a good deal younger than Sarah.
Vaughn said...
First Bristol says on the Greta interview that she told her Mom in the summer.Sarah says in the
People interview that she found out in the spring.
Actually, Vaughn said this at Gryphen's. Good find! Now technically, mid-May to mid-June could be summer break (Bristol) yet the season of spring (Sarah).
OK, maybe we're looking at this "after-birth pooch" the wrong way. Are there photos of *Sarah* directly after or very soon after her "delivery" of Trigg? Let me guess, a 5x mom snapped back into shape like Elastagirl when it takes 1x young Hollywood actresses with personal trainers a few months.*snorts*
Did Truthseeker prove Bristol was hooking up with Levi and no longer Johhny? Truthseeker looked at travel logs and said that Bristol was in fact in Wasilla on multiple occasions where she told Johnny she wasn't. I find it unlikely she was lying to keep them a secret, since she posted things like "I'm a slut." I think there where at least 2 comments on the screen captured comments where Bristol claims she didn't pick up his call b/c she fell asleep, or had her phone taken away, stuff like that. Isn't it quite possible she was lying to Johnny about not being in town and not getting his calls, b/c she was hooking up with Levi at this point?
Also, to address why nothing has come out about their births-HOMEBIRTH. I tried for a home birth with my second baby. Our insurance wouldn't cover-it, but if we had $ like the Palins we would have paid out of pocket. We did the next best thing, a home-birth center. It was a furnished Victorian house with a cushy-bed & linens, with a big whirlpool bath, but equipped for childbirth. We had a doula, mid-wife, a doctor, and paid extra for a pediatrician. Unfortunately, my water broke & I had the worst case of meconium they'd seen in 10 years so I had to be rushed to the hospital. If something had gone wrong they could have rushed Trigg to the hospital, with CBJ saying Sarah was fine and resting. If we throw out the premie birth stuff, the expected dates, etc and just focus on how 2 babies were born w/out any staff at any hospital blabbing, even off record? My guess is homebirth, maybe a midwife, and quite possibly CBJ. Sarah may have rushed home b/c Bristol was in labor. Trigg could have been born at home, then Sarah & Todd could have met CBJ at MatSu. CBJ could feel she was OK in glossing over the truth b/c she was protecting a minor.
And B, totally agree with you. I believe the green shirt photo & dress photos were an "F" you to her mom. I agree it is likely they were trying to replace a baby they lost. It's so sad, I know the feeling of being pressured to give my baby up b/c I was young, but the thought felt like a punch in the gut. Bristol clearly loves both babies. When is the last sighting of Triggybear?
I'm surprised anyone thinks she looks unhappy in the green shirt photo, she seems to be emphasizing her tummy to me. She may have had multiple pregnancies for all we know, each one and each photo cold be a cry for attention. I got pregnant at 19 and I came from a single-parent home, my mom was abusive & severely mentally ill (and untreated.) I am in no way suggesting Bristol was physically or sexually abused AT ALL, but emotional neglect is a form of emotional abuse and causes the person to have less self-worth. One of my closest friends (who has a daughter my age LOL)has a 21yr old (our babysitter till he went to college *sob*) who went to their local school, where both parents work and kids drive Jauguars and Hummers to school (no joke.) You'd think drugs are at lower income schools, well her kiddo told me about the promiscuous sex, the level of drug use (hard core drugs.) It was insane. These kids basically had no parental supervision but gobs of money, and lots of time on their hands. It is so sad about their friend Tyrell in Alaska:( Luckily my friend's son had parents that had time for him, an active church youth group, and he had a strong sense of self. There was A LOT of peer pressure all the same.
I feel very sad for Piper, though she has her big sisters. Unless Sarah is taken to task she'll be parading her kids around the stage like trained monkeys again. I'm sure they'd prefer a quieter life with a mom at home. Though Sarah's egotism I don't think will allow her that.
An aside: Does anyone other than me find it odd they have these two representing teen abstinence? A teen with 1 or 2 babies who said on national TV just recently "abstinence is unrealistic," and an 18 yr old actress that was monogamous with a 30 yr old actor(likely together when she was 17 as well), who had a pregnancy scare which ended the relationship & now she's dating another 30 something? It's bizarre to me. Is the message "Look at me, I'm pretty and having sex, but you shouldn't be like me!" But yes, she has no pooch and is very slim. Her face doesn't look that slender though to me as the June 2007 photos, more like Sep 2007.
wv= semetouk as in "semi-took" a baby
B:
Re the People article mentioning postponement of Sherry J.'s trial:
It sounds like she might be considering a plea bargain. If she and the prosecutor agree on something (e.g., SJ pleads guilty to a lesser offense), then there won't be a trial.
Gryphen a while ago mentioned something related, in commenting on possible political interference in the SJ bust:
4/28/2009
http://tinyurl.com/gryphen-sj-bust
======
"I also heard a strong opinion that Sherry Johnston's drug bust WAS politically motivated and that she is being treated like a common criminal despite this being her first offense. Apparently the DA is insisting on charging her for a class A felony and refusing to knock it down to a class B.
"Is this politically motivated? There are a number of people who believe that it is."
======
I have no idea if the prosecution was politically motivated or not. But the prosecutor charging SJ with a greater offense could also be explained as simple prosecutorial hardball: charge the max, then cut it down if the defendant agrees to plead guilty. If the prosecutor had charged the lesser offense, then there might not have been acceptable pleading leeway.
Vaughn, you perhaps read the endless consideration of all parts and aspects of the MD letter we did on this site some time ago. While there ARE many odd things about it, I think we concluded -- at least I did -- that so long as CBJ does not refute the letter or have to comment under oath about it, there is no real danger to SP from the letter being altered or fake .
I can think of a number of (fairly) ethical reasons why CBJ might not choose to comment, to say it is fake. Even though it is.
But we will never know about the letter until there is some legal basis for challenging it. And now that the election is over, I see none.
Writing the book is another matter. All this will come up again when her story comes out. And again, the people who know can refuse to comment on it.
Isn't it true that lying is not illegal? Only lying under oath.
Welcome, Center Stage Consetry! I loved reading your story. Memories of the agonizing self-consciousness of adolescence helped, believe me, when my own kids entered puberty. I agree completely with your assessment of the BP pix.
On occasion, I catch sight of myself in a store window, in a hurry, and I don't recognize myself. "Who is that old bat?" I ask myself. And it's me! Still, life is a million times better now than being fifteen ever was...
"Corsetry"! I hit the button without correcting it.
Also, it appears that Lorenzo Benet has upped BP's age from 18 to 19.
Amy1,
I'm a little confused on how you concluded that Dr. CBJ last delivered a baby at Mat-Su on February 7, 2008 (which of course is before Trig was "born"). Is this because you scrolled through the births on the hospital web site and found no CBJ-delivered babies after that? Remember, parents don't HAVE TO have their children's births on the site. Couldn't there have been later CBJ-delivered babies whose parents decided not to post? It is an interesting coincidence, however. However, keep in mind that Dr. CBJ is not an ob-gyn.
GOING VIRAL:
did you ever watch the youtube video re sarah's deception which was the rage just as DAILYKOS went with the then-rumor, too?
here's the link to that and his retraction, pretty much based on GUSTY's pic, titled: UPDATE: Sarah Palin is Trig's Mom. Conclusive Pics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyxGh6ywVrE&feature=related
here's the link to the 48-hours-before video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyxGh6ywVrE
the video and narrator is named
AmpersandPilcrow.
the first video was an overnight hit.
question: can one of us do a rebuttal? or even get AMPERSAND to take in on?
i feel YOUTUBE may be the best medium to to reach a larger audience.
RE: The Wild Ride: I cannot remember where I read this, but I distinctly remember learning that Alaska Airlines was “very religious”, I believe it was evangelical connections. Whatever it was, I was left with the impression Alaska Airlines would be very good friends with Sarah Palin and would be careful not to criticize her in any way. I had thought that the ACTUAL flight attendants had said “her stage of pregnancy was not apparent by observation as she didn’t show any signs of distress”. But from the Newsminer article on 4-22-08:
http://www.newsminer.com/news/2008/apr/22/palins-flight-labor-falls-under-scrutiny/
it was an Alaskan Airlines SPOKESPERSON Caroline Boren that said: “Governor Palin was extremely pleasant to flight attendants and her stage of pregnancy was not apparent by observation as she didn’t show any signs of distress.”
My question is this: did anyone actually interview the flight attendants directly? Or just take the word from a spokesperson from a corporation which puts prayer cards in on-board meals proselytizing their religion upon all their passengers? I can’t find the ADN article to review it. I keep finding blank pages. They also, too, protect “their” Sarah.
Regarding the boat (or dock?) picture, I agree that Bristol looks slim overall, and I agree with Audrey's analysis.
But I don't think we can conclude that she's "completely flat in the belly" here, as stated in the original post, without accounting for the wierd white area in the negative space between the two girls' torsos. Is that an object behind Bristol? Or in front of her? Or some wierdness of the image itself? It looks like it may be obscuring part of her black shirt.
I think Audrey's conclusions are right on but the image is a little odd. What do all you other sharp-eyed photo people think?
scenduruI seem to remember reading somewhere early on, but after the election, that CBJ had performed few deliveries recently, maybe only 1, 2. or 3 a year. I have tried to find that reference again but cannot. Does anyone have a link to it?
Many Family Practice doctors deliver babies, particularly in rural areas and it is very appropriate for them to do so. However, it may not be appropriate for a FP doctor who has a recent history of not delivering many babies to do so, particularly in a supposedly high risk pregnancy with an older mother whose water has broken and who is about to deliver a baby with downs syndrome. Telling a woman with a high-risk pregnancy whose water has broken to fly home rather than go to a hospital might also raise problems for a physician. I personally don’t think CBJ told a pregnant woman that it was OK for her to fly under those conditions but it seems that she is not willing to make that statement to the press.
It seems that formal actions against a doctor would have to be made public, even in Alaska. All doctors I have seen quoted about this issue said Sarah should have gone to a hospital immediately when her water broke. (Leaking = water breaking since it raises the risk of infection.)
It is possible that the American Academy of Family Practice Physicians (AAFP) or the Alaska Board of Medicine reached an agreement with CBJ that she would not deliver any more babies and they would not take action against her. Does anyone have the ability to check with the Alaska Board of Medicine or with the AAFP?
CBJ is an important link and IMO it seems as though she is not being held accountable for the actions that she has been reported to have taken.
WindyCityWoman said:
"Couldn't there have been later CBJ-delivered babies whose parents decided not to post?"
Yes, you are right:
--Could have been other unposted deliveries;
--CBJ is not an ob/gyn
--CBJ's letter remains puzzling.
--CBJ's specialty and connection to the Palin family remains puzzling.
Especially in view of the various complicating factors of SP's supposed pregnancy, the fact that CBJ is the only MD who has ever been named in connection with anything remains part of the mystery, since she is a General Practitioner, in Family Practice, and has developed the specialty of sexually abused children and a facility for treating them.
As we have often mentioned in this blog, it would have been really normal to have the following other specialists on board and named: Ob/gyn, perinatal specialist (Mom over 40), DS specialist, specialist for heart condition in a DS preemie, whoever did the amnio, as well as an array of nurses and supporting staff -- none of whom have commented.
But of course the answer to this is the same as the answer to "why not show the birth certificate"?
The answer to all of it: SP DID NOT GIVE BIRTH TO TRIG. Once we grasp that, the answers to all those question become clear.
SP is doing the best she can with that fundamental fact.
Can't offer the BC for Tripp, either, because then people will say "why no BC for Trig?
Don't want a lot of in-hospital photos of Tripp, because then why no similar photo for Trig?
I'm assuming for the sake of this post that there really is a Tripp, but I don't actually care. Tripp or no Tripp, those non-pregnant photos of SP tell the whole story, which is supplemented by all the circumstantial details that prove nothing but certainly are telling, as well as consistent with the conclusive (to me) photos.
Now we have the book deal, which I'm sure you have read is partly financed by some right-wing outfit. I think that means for sure that the fiction will continue.
On February 3, 2009 in “Once and For All…” the “green sweater bump” photo was analyzed by Audrey, and many times I have gone back over her analysis. I just do not agree that it was taken in 2006, given the additional information and pictures that have been discovered since Audrey’s analysis.
Audrey, I think the world of you and you are deserving of an outstanding citizenship award of the highest order! But I feel you were wrong with the dating of the green sweater bump photo. Your analysis rested solely on the campaign pin that Tod was wearing in the other photo, assuming that Tod would not be wearing that campaign pin on his jacket for a full year. Jeanie at 5/10/09 at 4:13 am said she was one of the people who originally saw the photo dated 2007, and then the date was mysteriously changed to 2006. I have seen comments of others that also saw the original date of 10-23-07 and remarked that it changed. The ADN has clearly been on Team Sarah’s side, and have certainly accommodated her in many ways like “archiving” previous articles, ending the publishing of birth announcements beginning 1/1/09, etc, and I believe this was another one of ADN’s favors for Sarah by changing the year from 10-23-2007 to 10-23-2006 on the green sweater bump photo. Now that we have the 9-14-07 official first family photo dated conclusively, by multiple sources and additional pictures from that date, Bristol looks EXACTLY the same in the green sweater bump, her hair, face, height and belly. Our poster “questions and answers” put together this flickr to compare the faces:
http://tiny.cc/Ii8Jk
IMHO, I think this is one of the best set of pictures. Thank you “questions and answers”! Where are you lately?
Audrey, you did not have all the information on 2-3-09 that you have now, so do you think you could at least amend your conclusion that the green sweater bump MAY be Fall of 2007? In your post, you used the words “suspicious” “likely” and “apparently”, and it seemed you did not sound very convinced yourself when you said: “In spite of the "suspicious" date change on Anchorage Daily News, I believe that the date of 10/23/06 is likely for the shoot. (Or perhaps a day or two before... 10/23/06 is the day the ran the article initially, apparently.)” ADN pulled one over on you. Not an easy feat.
I have found another picture that I feel is very helpful. Look at the two pictures at the end of the page at this site:
http://tiny.cc/rhIN2
“Kids don’t grow backwards, not even in Alaska.”
I feel that the “green sweater bump” photo was taken approximately two weeks after the 9-14-07 “Official First Family Photo”.
jwc said...
Regarding the boat (or dock?) picture, I agree that Bristol looks slim overall, and I agree with Audrey's analysis. But I don't think we can conclude that she's "completely flat in the belly" ***
Good point. I believe the white stuff is behind the girls and we are seeing the whole T-shirt. But as I study it now, the way the Tee bends with Bristol, it is rounded. That could mean that even when thin she had a rounded middle, or it could jsut be the fabric with flat skin under it.
Ms Corsetry,
Re the green sweater, well, perhaps not sad, but doesn't she seem a bit disconnected from the family? Someone said she looks like the cat who swallowed the canary. I can see that. A bit of a Mona Lisa smile. Nonetheless, a bit uncomfortable.
Homebirth would certainly help us out, but not everyone is up for that.
I'm looking again at the camo dress picture, and I think what might convince me more than anything that she is pregnant there is the size of her breasts. Look at them compared to the boat picture. That just doesn't happen.
Is it odd about the abstinence schtick? Not odd at all, it's a perfect match. Candies is a totally hypocritical organization, and the Palins are fundie hyprocrites. Candies is pedaling sex to teens and/or pictures of girls in very sexy clothing being extremely teasing toward sexually ready males. Someone on another site gave a couple of links to their pictures and called them soft porn. Not promoting modesty and circumspect behavior which is required if folks are to remain abstinent.
Also, Bristol is getting PAID.
She said her comment about it being unrealistic was taken out of context. Apparently, she does not know what that expression means. It wasn't taken out of context at all. Everyone, including her recent interviewer no doubt, watched the video in which she said it; it was clear enough and Greta asked her about it, upon which Bristol clarified that all the teens in her world were like, totally having sex.
To JWC at 5-17-09 at 12:51 pm,
The white object you questioned is behind Bristol and the other girl. If you look at the black half circle tube where the other girl’s shirt says Washington DC, you can clearly tell that black tube is in the background but in front of the white object behind them. The white object in the background sure helps to see how very thin Bristol is in this 6-10-07 photo. You can even see the fold in her shirt. Nothing pudgy or paunchy about her at that time.
Hey, folks. Thanks to Audrey, the research team and ALL of y'all who regularly post on this blog.
Lately some people have speculated that Trig could have been born at home. This just "doesn't wash" for me because of Piper. Yes, I know the Palin kids are "farmed out" regularly to various relatives. But in the case of a birth, how would you explain to a 6-year old that "you're going to Grandma's" in the middle of the night? (I'm sure Sarah could've come up with something, but still ... )
As others have stated more eloquently than I, the most logical sequence of events for me is that Bristol had Trig anonymously in an Anchorage hospital where he was probably in NICU for several weeks. (Piper would be none the wiser since Big Sister was living with Auntie anyhow.) (Wouldn't it be great if one of the tabloids could research all the maternity names in Anchorage hospitals from, say, mid-Feb. on to see who might've had a premie and was only there for one night? Bet they could find -- and track down! -- most of the names on such a list. Then there would be just that "one" that couldn't be matched ...)
Then after the Wild Ride, Todd & Sarah picked up Trig and Bristol and all whizzed to the Mat-Su facility and -- BAM! -- Trig was presented at the Gov's new son the next day. And the Gov and Trig went to the office on Monday. Riiiiight ...
Again, thanks to all of you for all you do!
re: Sarah's book and whether it constitutes "other employment."
Answer: NO.
In legal terms, contracting to write a book and then receive proceeds off of it is not "employment." Employment is determined by a set wage or salary for a set performance.
What Sarah has done is made herself an Independent Contractor. That is, she has contracted with something larger than herself (a publishing house) to facilitate her aim (publishing a book). Sarah will/has receive(d) an advance, which is contingent upon proceeds from the book. If the book doesn't make money, Sarah has to give back the difference from her advance.
Sarah cannot receive benefits from the publishing house, she cannot apply for unemployment compensation, workman's comp, and at the end of the year she will not receive a W-2, she will receive a 1099.
I only know this because I work for a real estate company (in the legal department) and in this economy several of our agents (who as you might imagine have experienced a serious drop off in business) have applied for unemployment compensation. However, they are not eligible, because they are not employees. We have shot down each and every one of their claims because they never signed an employment agreement form, they signed an Independent Contractor Agreement, which specifies that we are not their employer.
So, sorry to burst everyone's hopes....I wish it were true, as I'd love to see her get in even more trouble....but there's nothing to forbid her from doing this, legally.
jwc
Its just my opinion, and I know others will disagree, but I see a pooch in the boat picture. Its pretty clear to me.
"the wierd white area in the negative space between the two girls' torsos."
Kinda looked like an outboard motor to me.
Ivyfree,
I thouhgt it might be a motor also, too.
Headtrip Honey -- I have never heard of any writer needing to give back an advance because of poor sales -- only for failing to deliver the manuscript.
Barry Goldwater made a legal precedent when he received a $65k advance for his book, then delivered something the publisher didn't like. They demanded the return of the advance, and Goldwater refused, claiming they had bought a book and he had delivered a book, and if they didn't like the contents, it was too bad for them. He prevailed after all the usual legal to-ing and fro-ing.
So it is my understanding that SP will keep her advance if she delivers anything reasonable (broadly defined, and almost moot because of the ghostwriter presumably provided by the publisher, who would presumably be responsible for said ghostwriter's competence). The advance has not yet been disclosed but the numbers, if you Google, range up to $11M, her alleged original asking price. This high range seems perfectly believable to me, especially in view of the participation of the radical right-wing outfit in the contract.
To me, that dual participation (which I have not noticed before in any other politician/celebrity's high-priced book advance) suggests that this could be a way for Rep Religious Right fat cats to deliver some dough to their protege, for legal or other expenses, regardless of book profits. But I do not doubt that her book will sell, and sell well. Even if it contains little of substance.
ProChoiceGrandma said...
RE: The Wild Ride: I cannot remember where I read this, but I distinctly remember learning that Alaska Airlines was “very religious”, I believe it was evangelical connections. Whatever it was, I was left with the impression Alaska Airlines would be very good friends with Sarah Palin and would be careful not to criticize her in any way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You are correct!
http://tinyurl.com/o7p24a says
""I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing praise to your name
O most high."
-- Psalm 9:2
No, that's not your captain speaking, it's your breakfast tray, which includes not only the usual assortment of cups, containers and wrappers, but an inspirational notecard with a snippet from the Old Testament -- a company custom since the mid-1970s. Alaska Airlines is well-known for unusually gracious passenger service, and its catering seems to come with its own holy blessing:
"I will praise God's name in song, and glorify Him with thanksgiving."
Hey, and for an upgrade I'll baptize myself in the lav and spend a weekend digging latrines at a Guatemalan orphanage. For better or worse, I figure there's no shortage of Americans willing to hear out a prayer or two if it means some tastier food and a wider seat.
If you're inclined to send a complaint Alaska's way, be prepared for the following:
"The meal prayer card has been a simple tradition on our flights for over 20 years. The quotes have application across many Judeo-Christian beliefs and are shared as a gesture of thanks which reflect the beliefs of this country's founding as in the Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Address, Pledge of Allegiance and every U.S. coin and dollar you handle. Alaska Airlines is an international carrier with very diverse customers, and we have no intentions of offending anyone or their beliefs. An overwhelming majority of our customers have indicated they appreciate the gesture, and those who don't are not forced to read it. We do appreciate hearing from you, and look forward to welcoming you on board another flight in the future."
The mistake here isn't the card, but the flavor of justification for it. The carrier takes a fully defensible gesture and promptly makes it as offensive as possible by coupling it with nationalistic ideology. Maybe it's just me, but when I see the words "Judeo-Christian" in the same sentence with "Declaration of Independence" and "Pledge of Allegiance," my blood pressure begins to soar. Alaska Airlines has the right and privilege to hand out prayer cards, rosary beads, ACLU membership forms, or the biography of L. Ron Hubbard if it so chooses (some of you, doubtless, will contest this right, but I'm sticking to it). However, I'm greatly disheartened to see the matter of religion dragged, yet again, onto the stage with patriotism and the alleged essence of what it means to be a true American.
An airline spokesperson tells me a less-loaded communiqué is in fact the "official" response to prayer-card protesters but was unable to share a copy."
Can someone remind me who "announced" that SP's water broke? Thanks. I seem to remember it came out of Alaska. Maybe Sarah orchestrated this announcement ahead of time, and the person announcing confused PM with AM, or maybe the confusion had something to do with the time difference between Texas and Alaska.
Amy1:
Ah, I see.
My explanation of the advance was based on my own knowledge of advances in the real estate world. In that case, a real estate agent will have to repay whatever amount of the advance their subsequent commissions do not cover. I assumed it was the same for publishing. :)
In that case, the title "advance" seems a little strange to me, since I associate advances with "we will ADVANCE you this money because you are due to receive money in the future"....but again, this is based on my real estate experience.
But my argument about employment stands. Writing a book does NOT constitute employment. :)
I have had several people say to me, "Tell that to authors who write for a living!" Well, to that I say, just because you can make a living off of it does not mean that you are employed, in the legal sense. I can make a living selling crap out of my basement, but I would still be "unemployed" in the eyes of the law. :)
@patstevens: the announcement of the water breaking came from Chuck Heath, SP's father. He was in Alaska and could not have witnessed it. SP did not deny it in a follow-up interview.
I just posted a correction on another site where a commenter indicated that SP had been examined by a physician before "the wild ride." All of those circumstances have been so buried at this point that many people don't remember the circumstances (or refuse to believe them).
wv = tyrher (like trig truther?)
My comments and observations on the Bristol-On-Boat picture, which I finally got around to looking at closely, after a few others saw a "pooch" of stomach under Bristol's T-shirt:
I have to admit, I do too.
Not a very big one, and not exactly the same shape as the one seen in Bristol's September 14th '07 picture, but it's there. It's even more obvious when you adjust the contrast on the picture and reverse the image to a negative.
http://tinyurl.com/ryguu
Also (too!), Bristol doesn't appear to have a lateral bulge, which would show where the other girl's hand has hugged Bristol. She's sticking out mainly in front.
One more thing: I think that's a sweatshirt or another T-shirt behind the two girls, and it's on a person who's at the console of the boat.
-------------------
Audrey, re: your Bristol comparison photos where you've put the 6/10/07 and the 9/14/07 pictures side by side...
The two pictures are even more startling to compare if you take the 9/14/07 picture and flip it horizontally, so that Bristol is facing the same direction in both photos.
http://tinyurl.com/q53a4o
The difference in her arms, wrist, hands, breast area and upper torso really jumps right out at you when they're presented this way.
Alaska Airlines no longer inserts Bible quotes into its means... in part because they no longer serve meals.
I fly in Alaska Airlines regularly and it's been years since I saw one of those fliers.
I complained to the airline once, telling them that religious quotes on an airplane don't fill me with confidence in the abilities of the pilots. I also got the form letter, but it seems that times have changed.
Thanks, Doubting Thomas, for reminding me about Alaska Airlines' biblical passages! Talk about time-traveling: I saw one some years ago and thought, what the heck? And if AA quotes anything from the New Testament (which I believe my breakfast tray's quote back then did, from Ephesians), it's not "Judeo-Christian," it's just plain "Christian." We Jews don't study or quote from the New Testament during services or prayer. The airline held a press conference at which the spokespersons claimed that SP showed no discomfort during her flight back to Alaska. I did not read of any direct quotes from the flight staff.
patstevens, if I'm not mistaken, it was SP's dad Chuck Heath who initially started the "water broke" and "wild ride" story.
A month old, but I just saw this well done write-up on the story that SP is sticking to.
That could explain why she "waited" 10 hours to give the speech. The "water-breaking" announcement maybe was supposed to happen two hours after her speech would be given, not 10 hours before.
"Can someone remind me who "announced" that SP's water broke? Thanks. I seem to remember it came out of Alaska."
As I recall, it was SP's father, and this story was later confirmed by Sarah.
"(I'm also told, that she rushed into the (book) deal in order to get money to pay off Levi and his family in return for a commitment to not talk about anything to do with the Palin family, special note was made including the question that the Johnston's may have something to do with Trig and the question of parentage.)" see full article here:
http://syrin.vox.com/library/posts/page/1/
Have you all read Syrin's Blog from Wasilla? If not, read now, and think! There is a reason she is doing book deal now. Will the Johnston's still talk? Or is the money enough to shut them up?
This is curious. Or weird. Or both.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22681.html
"In an unusual attempt to forge an alliance between two of the most prominent families in American politics, John Coale [husband of Greta Van Susteren], a Washington-area Democratic donor and onetime adviser to Sarah Palin, urged the conservative Alaska governor to use her political action committee to help retire the presidential campaign debt of Hillary Clinton."
...
"Palin was amenable to getting acquainted with the Clintons but was skeptical of using her PAC to help the former first lady.
"She expressed concern to aides about Coale's request that weekend and a few days later directed Meg Stapleton, an Alaska-based campaign aide, to tell Coale that she would not help retire Clinton's debt."
patstevens: here's where the wild ride story started:
Audrey's transcript of a video I can no longer find.*
It's worth reading the whole thing.
Reporter: So did your water break?
Palin: Well, if you must know more of those type of details, but, um . . .
Reporter: Well, your dad said that and I saw him say it so that’s why I asked.
Palin: Well that was again if, if I must get personal, technical about this at the same time, um, it was one, it was a sign that I knew, um, could lead to uh, labor being uh kind of kicked in there was any kind of, um, amniotic leaking, amniotic fluid leaking, so when, when that happened we decided OK let’s call her.
________
*As I was poking around in the old parts of this blog just now, it seems there are now so many links to external sources that no longer work. It could be just the routine deletion of material over x weeks old, but I doubt it.
SUGGESTION: Whenever any of us finds a link we want to save, let's also make a quick screenshot (and somehow put BOTH up here in the blog). Our sources are drying up on us. I Wonder why?
There are a number of reasons to do the book deal now.
The first person to do the big-time book deal has the best chance of getting the most money, press, razzle-dazzle. Remember this great song? exactly appropriate right here! Sure she was rushing, because Levi/sherry could do a book deal too, which would to some extent pre-empt SP's book deal, if there then was one. Wasn't that the purpose of the interviews? If Bristol can do interviews, Levi can also do interviews. If Sarah is thinking about a book deal, Levi can be thinking about one too. Just establishing a little leverage, we were, to smooth out the child visitation issues -- and all the other issues.
This is a good time to start the book for looking presidential, like Obama, later on. A good time for all the stories to be about the book deal rather than -- ahem -- other matters. Remember the new shiny object strategy? It's working fine. Seriously, play the song linked above and think of SP: amazing fit! ("Back since the days of old Methuzeleh, everyone loves the big bamboozelah!" "Razzle-dazzle 'em and they'll never catch wise." and so many more that fit SP like a glove.)
Sure the money will talk. Put yourself in Levi's place: Give him a modest income dependent on keeping his mouth shut, ditto Sherry, and it can look like the magnanimous Grammy SP subsidizing her extended family's education and welfare. But the money evaporates if one steps out of line. Yup, get em by the balls, and their hearts and minds will follow.
Another reason to do the book deal, as we have noted in this blog, is that there might not be other options for SP, depending on how/when the truth comes out, how much of it, and what kind of spin is put on it. It might work out great -- most of the truth at some point, and it re-makes her as the fallible sinner who has repented and confessed, and we can all love her all over again.
But it might go south, and SP knows it, so it will be good to have a stack of cash if she has to get out of Dodge fast.
I'm still thinking it's about $7+M, and a $2M advance upon signing would be consistent with that. It's enough money for a new start if all else fails.
""(I'm also told, that she rushed into the (book) deal in order to get money to pay off Levi and his family in return for a commitment to not talk about anything to do with the Palin family, special note was made including the question that the Johnston's may have something to do with Trig and the question of parentage.)" see full article here:
http://syrin.vox.com/library/posts/page/1/"
It's possible that the Johnstons are blackmailing her; but they're leaving themselves open to legal penalties if they are. The simplest explanation, to me, is that she's doing the book because she'll get money for it, she'll get publicity, and she likes talking about herself.
WOW, thanks KaJo!
much more persuasive when seen this way.
and, YES, i, too, see the bump beneath the t-shirt.
it all makes sense....
perhaps this pair of pics can do what SP's phony-bump ones have not.
Ivyfree,
There is an audio of a press conference with SP, where a female reporter is quzzing her about the wild ride. She ALMOST avoids the question, but then the reporter says something like, "Well yeah but your DAD [Chuck Heath] told me that your water broke in Texas..." and that's when the tone of the interview changed to AWK.WARD and when the story just gets too weird to believe, an aide steps in to wrap things up.
HERE is the link to the transcript.
I've always wondered if that reporter was Lisa Demer of the Anchorage Daily News. She's the reporter supposedly assigned to find out the truth about TriG once and for all,,, but didn't.
... re Syrin's blog....
so maybe the book deal is truly not income for Sarrah, as she has to give all of the money to the Johnstons?!
For Amy1 and others, the story that Sarah is sticking by was updated so here's the link that works:
Sarah Palin's Amazingly Short Pregnancy [Updated].
Re: Bristol's bump in boat pic
It's small but there, suggesting:
The green sweater belly bump is normal for Bristol.
The 09/07 pics show great weight gain all over since the boat pic a few months prior, consistent with pregnancy.
punkinbugg, thanks for posting the transcript in which SP and TP tell the "wild ride" story. In the months since I first read it here, what completely jumped out at me was SP's ummm-laden admission that she didn't really think she kinda hadda hide her pregnancy, for the airline and all...
WTF? When my eldest was born, I was one of my ob/gyn's youngest patients (and not so young at that!). Many of the others came in for a check-up so they could fly, say, on business to London on the Concorde in their eighth month. For this, they needed a doctor's note to board the plane! In all my pregnancies, my doctor advised me not to take even a five-hour car trip to visit my in-laws, once entering my third trimester, without having her look me over first.
Also, note in the transcript the extraordinary amount of hemming and hawing SP did about taking a "maternity leave" from the office!
Pooch? I see no pooch on that earlier BP photo. I do, however, see t-shirt bunch.
She's clearly pulled her t-shirt up high on her waist and is leaning slightly forward, so it creates a roll at her waist and a couple of side bunches.
She looks flat as a board and small boned to me in the boating photo; almost delicate. She looks much broader and fuller in the dress photos.
reading the wild ride story leaves me pretty speechless. the Palins are morons and liars at best, and probably worse than that. CBJ is not an OB/GYN that has delivered hundreds of babies, is she? They make me vurp.
@ KAJO,
I can't get your link to work on your enhanced picture of Bristol in the black tee shirt, and I'd really like to see what you've got. Could you check that and post it again? The link to the two pictures with one flipped works fine -- good idea.
Thanks!
Haven't posted in ages, but am reading as regularly as sin!
Anyhow, I do think the lack of maternity leave time is VERY interesting. Maybe she figured it would add to her cred, but the more likely reason is that she was worried about taking time off for a non-maternity maternity. Course, she usually doesn't worry about such ethical "quibbles" but maybe that time, since she knew she had a dark secret to hide, she decided to play by the book.
You know-- you usually surf the web and dis your work at work, but the day you decide you're dipping your hand into the till, you work your butt off so they don't suspect anything. Okay, bad analogy perhaps, but I still think there is something there.....
How much time did she take off with Piper? That'd be interesting to compare.
WV: braditem. (Trig is a brag item?)
oh... can I post this wv too?
Nylier......... NY liar? As in, the NYC trip???
Amy1 said about Palin's book deal, "I'm still thinking it's about $7+M, and a $2M advance upon signing would be consistent with that."
I don't think so, Amy. To put things in perspective: Bill Clinton got around $7m, but he had been president for 8 years and actually had a lot to say. Sarah's potential audience is much, much narrower. Plus, the publishing industry today is HURTING.
You need to look at this the way the number crunchers in NY do: a typical book contract gives the author 10% of hardbacks and 8% of paperbacks. This means that on a $25 book, Sarah would need to sell 400,000 hardcovers to earn out even a $1 million advance. Sarah is extremely unlikely to sell any more than that, and will probably sell far less. To give some comparison, Ann Coulter's latest book has sold about 200,000 copies, and most analysts see Coulter's books as having a broader audience than a Palin autobiography.
With books of this sort, most of the sales come in hardcover; she'll only get about 50 cents per paperback.
The "advance" is what the deal is for. If she sold the book for a $2 million advance, she would get typically 1/3 on signing the contract (believe me, they haven't even written it yet, let alone signed it! These things take months of back and forth-ing), 1/3 on delivery of the book, and 1/3 on publication. Her agent will take 15% of that. The contract would include a royalty clause, meaning that once she sold enough books to "earn out" her advance, then she would earn royalties on any subsequent books. But a $2 million advance would require her to sell 800,000 books before she started earning any royalties. That's not going to happen.
Thanks for linking the transcript. Nevermind about my theory about miscommunications between father and daughter.
What SP says in the transcript makes it seem like she gave a cock-and-bull story to her dad at the hospital about her water leaking, and he said it to a reporter before this interview! She thought she could get away with just talking about Braxton-Hicks, but the reporter cornered her but good.
Even if you think everything she says is true (which everyone's pointed out to the nth degree is ridiculous on pretty much every point), it's hard to square the Gusty photo with the Santa Claus belly and her statement that no one could tell she was pregnant on the plane. SP: when everyone said you didn't look pregnant (as you mention in the interview, to explain why the flight attendants didn't notice you were pregnant), that was before you announced your pregnancy. I wouldn't think people were saying that on the day those Gusty photos were taken!
Just have to put this up because I've never had a good one before!
WV: Junos (as in the city in Alaska + the pregnant teen)
Headtrip Honey: I have seen your point corroborated elsewhere, too: that the book advance is an allowed kind of income even though she is getting it while governor.
One condition is that she may not use government resources (office, staff, etc.) on work related to the book.
(And you are right, "advance" is a misnomer since it is not refundable in publishing as the Barry Goldwater case establishes in terms of the publisher not liking the manuscript; certainly the advance to the author is independent of whether the book sells. If it sells MORE than the advance warranted, the author can get royalties, all specified by contract.)
I bet that's what the PAC is for, in part. To cover all those miscellaneous book prep costs (among other costs) that SP is racking up.
Re Johnston blackmail: why use such a problematic term for things. It's not blackmail if I give you an unsolicited income out of the goodness of my heart, and we have a sort of unspoken (certainly unwritten, certainly not quotable) agreement about what the right thing to do about family secrets might be. But even without any such agreement, if I give you an income out of the goodness of my heart, I can certainly stop giving you that income for any reason whatever. And you certainly would know that.
I think the connection of the Johnstons re the paternity of Trig is that they KNOW. As how could Levi not know, when he was so close to Bristol all that time, helping her though her pregnancy with Tripp, and helping her with Trig as well.
Yup, it would be good to give him and his unemployed Mom an income -- solely because they are almost relatives now, of course. For no other reason. But if it were me, I would certainly not deliver that money in a lump, in case there is any misunderstanding about the unspoken terms, which don't exist, of course. Just a little dribble all the time, just enough to make a difference, just enough to be really inconvenient if withheld, probably under the table in some fashion.
midnightcajun: I am thinking that the addition of the right-wing participant to this book deal makes it a different deal than, say, Clinton's book.
Because, theoretically, a publisher can (and used to) offer anything they like for a particularly hot property, irrespective of formulas, balance sheets, profit potential, multipliers, etc. They have in the past shelled out big advances they knew they never would recoup (like loss leaders) just for the status of having signed that author. Admittedly, those were in plummier days. But I would like to know how much of the advance the religious right partner, Zondervan, is putting up. As I said before, it is possible that a deep pockets zealot company could overpay on a book deal in order to funnel cash to a protege and call it a business loss, and no problem.
While your info sounds just right for most books, a couple of things I disagree with in this case.
--The deal is, in fact, signed; that's why the "terms undisclosed" phrase kept popping up. There would be no terms at all if it hadn't been signed. NYTimes says it's signed. in its headline.
--While "write it first, then sell it" is correct for fiction, usually, it is not typical for non-fiction, where many books are sold based on a proposal and perhaps a few sample chapters. In the case of celebrity bios, there is rarely anything written before signing. I believe few, if any, of Barnett's clients write first, then sell. (Okay, no cracks, please, about whether this bio should be classified as fiction or non-fiction!)
-- I thought I read that she got $2M for signing (I'm looking and not finding that cite -- perhaps I imagined it), so I figured the total deal would be some multiple of that.
--I think the market for SP's book is way different than for Coulter or Clinton. More like a comic-book market. Ooops! who said that? Didn't that bad bio of SP that we all talked about sell a surprising lot of copies?
Remember, Papa Joe Kennedy helped JFK win the Pulitzer for "Profiles in Courage" by buying up LOTS of copies to bring it into the best-seller league. Why wouldn't a Zondervan do the same for its current pet?
The genius in this deal is that SP can do a tell-all (a true one), a tell-a-little, or a rehash, depending on how things look in 6 mo when she has to deliver. She might be best off looking presidential at that point, if nothing more has been revealed about her many sins, so she produces a ho-hum book. Or if it's all falling apart, she can do true confessions (at any of a number of depths), depending on her strategy at that point (the penitent sinner, the dignified unpretentious Mom, etc.).
KaJo: I can't get this to work:
http://tinyurl.com/ryguu
You are sure right about an obvious discrepancy when BP is facing the same way, the way you show it here. Wow!
I just love how our synergy works on this site!!
For jwc (May 19 @ 12:44 PM) -- here's the URL that really does work for the Bristol-on-Boat picture that I turned negative (when I copied-and-pasted, I accidently left off the last letter of the URL -- sorry!)
http://tinyurl.com/ryguuw
Response to HEADTRIP HONEY...
Re: Palin being required to return book advance if sales don't earn out the advance money.
I see that Amy1 and midnightcajun have already addressed this point, so I’ll just add my concurrence with them as someone who worked for a major book publishing house in NYC for over 10 years: I've never seen a book contract that required the return of advance money paid.
Re: Sarah's book and whether it constitutes "other employment."Yes, it does, per the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act, which precludes "the head of a principal executive department of the state" from engaging in "outside employment."
Then on page 7 of an attachment to said Ethics Act, there's this clarification of what constitutes "outside employment":
3. What does "outside employment" include?
• Any employment for which you are paid, but not your state employment.
• Examples: a job with another employer, work as an independent contractor, and work in your own business.
Celtic Diva has a very clear, informative post about this subject, dated 5/13/09 and entitled, "Sarah Palin's Personal Puppet Show -- The Department of Law," which I find compelling. You might want to take a look.
http://www.divasblueoasis.com/
Thanks.
Ivyfree, Amy1, Punkinbugg and others: Thanks a lot for bringing up the press conference from 21st April 2008 again. That was a key moment, because that's when everything started, including Audrey's suspicions about the pregnancy.
Fortuntately, this press conference is very well documented. Apart from the transcript we also have the full audio, which can be downloaded as a MP3 here:
http://www.box.net/shared/zbok63zyah
And apart from the highly suspicious water breaking story, the Gusty pic from 13th April 2008 (as helpful as it was for SP in September 2008 in order to "kill" the fake pregnancy rumors ...) simply cannot be reconciled with SP's statement on 21st April 2008 that she "didn't really look pregnant".
However, we are much more advanced now than we were at the beginning of the investigation, when this press conference was one of the only pieces of evidence. Our research has confirmed over and over again, including confidential conversations with people in Alaska, that SP is not the mother of Trig. And this is precisely the reason why no lawyer has ever knocked on our door and told us to shut up - and why we are still waiting for the angry email from Bill McAllister.
Midnightcajun, thanks a lot for your insights into the publishing industry. It will be interesting to see what happens with the book deal once the full truth about SP has been revealed. Will Sarah change the title to: "I lied and I am sorry?"
And I have the feeling that we will see new developments very soon.
*** Alex said...
Yes, yes, yes, tabloid chick. I totally agree with what you say about poor and inappropriate choice of clothing for Bristol in a state, official photo. A chunky girl's body can be minimized tastefully. You're right when you say her outfits are arrows pointing right to the problem spots. I always took the camo dress and green sweater choices to be a big f*** y** to her mom-- consciously or sub-.***
Especially because in so many other pix, she opts for clothing that can be very concealing (all those hoodies, even the boat pic with a loose t-shirt and cargo-style jeans that don't hug the body). She may be naturally a bit round in the middle, but it's hard to see in the boat pic, since that pose would make a little tummy pop forward anyway. Any roundness in that photo is nothing like the overall weight gain just three months later. Pregnancy adds more than just in the belly (too bad no one told SP!!).
*** Punkinbugg said...
Another blog I check occasionally is "Gosselins without Pity", comprised of well-meaning viewers who were up to here with the fakeness, child exploitation and product-placement in the reality series Jon and Kate plus 8.
Turns out they were right: It's amazing how the house of cards came falling down when family members -- Kate's brother Kevin and his wife "Aunt Jodi", as well as the brother of Jon's apparent new lover -- started to blab.
Even though there are LITTLE KIDS involved... doesn't matter... People Mag, US Weekly, etc. are ALL OVER IT.***
This is another good example of an open secret being held back for quite a while... these ugly stories have been floating, and until US went large with it, no one else did, due to the lawsuit threats from the family's team. Now that US made it 'safe,' look for more and more info to come out; you've already seen other mags putting the story front and center. Lawyer threats keep a lot of info out of the press...
*** Ginger said...
How interesting! Sherry J. is now saying the Media made it out to look like a war between them and the Palins.
I've said all along the Palins/Johnstons were working this together. No one can deny Mercedes attack against Bristol on T.V. and Sherrys blaming the Media?
Everyone feeling so sorry for Levi and now he can see the baby anytime and take him anywhere!***
Both families, two big groups of trashy liars, have been using the press very effectively. I don't think they've been working together as much as they're using each other; the Johnstons want the drug charges gone and money, and the Ps want Trig and money. I have my doubts as to the size of SP's advance (the numbers being floated are ridiculously large) but it wouldn't take much money and a promise of charges dropped to get the Johnstons to shut up. I think the delay in Sherry's drug case is directly related to behind-the-scenes dealings over a distribution of wealth from the advance (I'm not in book publishing but it's usually paid out in thirds, with the agent getting a cut right away).
What is it with People magazine acting as Sarah Palin's mouthpiece? The latest edition has Bristol in her cap and gown holding Trigg. See it at
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20280071,00.html
It's full of the usual Palin lies. For instance:
"Her mom may be governor, but there is no nanny in the Palin house. Bristol gets up – usually twice during the night – to feed Tripp, who sleeps in a hand-me-down crib in her bedroom, and she says she has tapped out at least one school paper with her son crying in the background. She breastfed her baby for a month, pumping milk before class and rushing straight home to feed him. And she worked two part-time jobs to help pay for the diapers and formula her parents otherwise supply."
Okay, we KNOW the Palins have a nanny. They've named her, we've seen her in the GVS interview with Trig, and in the background of photos with Palin. We also know Bristol didn't actually attend classes, so the business about pumping milk before class and rushing home to feed him is more BS (the Palins do love to talk about breast pumps!). And what two part-time jobs is she supposedly working? This is the first we've heard about that. Wasilla residents?
I love this blog because of the interaction (kept nice and civil) which keeps leading to new awarenesses.
The now-you-see-it-now-you-don't pregnancy photos put together with the early interview are beyond convincing for me.
I'm a little puzzled by the embrace on the blog of Levi and the Johnston family. I can't say that I see Levi as a totally sympathetic character. He gets a sort of smirk whenever someone asks him a question that is ironic. He seems to be walking through a role devised for him by someone else and every now and then his somewhat inactive brain perceives that irony and he feels silly and maybe()? embarassed about what he's saying. The interview where he's in the truck with Mercede is a good example of that. I guess the appealing aspect of Levi is that at least he has that sense of uneasiness unlike everyone else. And he does seem to have genuine affection for both babies. But I've seen sentimentality like that expressed by people I'm close to and also seen that you can't hang your hopes on it because it takes more than sentimentality to be a good parent and babies grow up and aren't so cute. I would feel more respect for Levi if he seemed to be actually doing mature things like getting a job that he had earned. He wants the baby on his own terms but I would be willing to bet he wouldn't want full responsibility. Same for Sherry. Sentimentality is all I see.
Looking at the Palin's and the Johnston's makes me feel so sad for the children--such a poverty of spirit. The fact that both families turn to tabloids to tell their stories says it all.
haha my wv is shint. no comment!
Looks like Tina Fey got $7M for her book, so why think SP will get far less:
Tina scoresVanity Fair, in its much buzzed-about cover story on Tina Fey, says she snagged $5 million for her book. But the info may have been a little off.
Several sources told Media Ink that $5 million was only the opening bid price. As Fey's impressions of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live" caught fire with the public, they ignited a frenzy among publishers to land her book deal. By the time it was done and Little Brown had emerged victorious, the advance had reached $6.9 million, according to a well-placed publishing source.
Her agent at Endeavor, Richard Abate, has declined to comment and Little Brown didn't disclose the size of the advance."
Since this is still very much a Bristol Palin blog topic:
I followed a couple of links in surfing around HuffPo, etc. this morning.
A young Tulane student named Heather wrote on her blog early this month "Bristol Palin: Why I feel for her".
She goes on to compare Bristol's "affect" in the Greta Van Susteren video versus the Good Morning America video where she's promoting herself as an abstinence advocate.
Heather seems to see the same things most of us on the various progressive blogs have seen: a young girl who's nearly an automaton, she's been so inculcated with her family's ideology.
Heather points her readers (via the second link below) to what she calls "an even better analysis of Bristol Palin's decision to become an advocate". From the comments, progressive blogs in Alaska aren't the only ones critical of Bristol Palin's flip-flopping (sooooo like her mother!).
http://heatherleila3.blogspot.com/2009/05/bristol-palin-why-i-feel-for-her.html
http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2009/05/08/bristol-palin-teen-pregnancy-warning-sign/#more-13356
ThinkPlease:
I read Celtic Diva's post on the legalities of SP's book deal, whether it violates AK state ethics laws or not. BTW, here's a direct link to that particular post:
http://www.divasblueoasis.com/diary/608/sarah-palins-personel-puppet-show-the-department-of-law
I wasn't as convinced as Celtic Diva is, that the book deal violates the statute. Principally, for the reason that Headtrip Honey has already explained at length: "employment" is a fairly well defined term, for legal and tax purposes, and does not include producing a book under contract.
Labor law very clearly specifies how companies can determine whether people providing services are "employees" or "independent contractors." Why is this? Well, the government has an interest in making sure that companies treat true employees as "employees" and not try to get away with calling them "independent contractors." A company that is treating a person as an "independent contractor" whose role is indistinguishable from another person who is an employee, is cheating the government out of payroll taxes and is cheating the person out of benefits owed to them.
So when the statute says:
"...you may not be engaged in outside employment. We construe "employment" to have its ordinary meaning."
That should allow the book deal, since it's not "employment," right?
But wait...another part of the the statue says this:
"3. What does "outside employment" include?
- Any employment for which you are paid, but not your state employment.
- Examples: a job with another employer, work as an independent contractor, and work in your own business."
So now "employment" INCLUDES work as an independent contractor--which is contrary to pretty much all "ordinary" meanings of the two terms.
In other words, the statute is internally inconsistent. How can this be resolved? Probably by research into legislative intent, and/or into what precedents have been set by rulings in prior cases.
But all of this is pretty much moot now, in spite of the issues Celtic Diva has raised. For SP has gotten a ruling from the state allowing the book deal:
"The law department has looked into whether the governor having a book contract conflicts with the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Acts, including its prohibition on accepting outside "employment for compensation.
"The department concluded a book contract isn't employment, because it's not regular work for a salary or wage. State employees are allowed to provide services for their own financial benefit as long as it's on their own time, does not conflict with their official duties and does not involve using state equipment or resources, said the legal opinion, signed by deputy attorney general Richard Svobodny.
"A book publication project is compatible with your position as governor so long as it does not interfere with your official duties," Svobodny wrote to Palin."
@ midnightcajun
re: the People article
I agree with you about the dubious comments. Makes it sound like there's only one baby crying in the house, only one childcare/nanny issue. Who's taking care of Trigg? Are the two boys not being raised together in the same household? Is the refrigerator in that sports complex style kitchen full of jars and bottles neatly separated, marked "Trigg" and "Trip" -- I don't think so. They're practically twins. It must be very weird for Bristol to be pretending she has only one baby.
BTW it's the top of the hood of an outboard motor -- it's sideways because as usual when you dock, you tip up the engine so the propeller is out of the water.
SG - I wouldn't put too much faith in that reading by the law dept. on SP's book deal. SP tends to hire loyalty over competency, which for instance resulted in her AG telling state employees that it was "optional" to comply with their Troopergate subpeonas.
Amy1,
Of course it is not against the law to lie. Otherwise, not only would almost all politicians be in jail, but a good deal of the rest of the population, as well.
sg: Thank you for clearing that up. In addition, I would say that the team of lawyers who cooked this deal up would surely have thought about whether SP would be able to COLLECT the money.
And if Svobodny's quote is recent, you know it took some time to pull it together, so all this has been cooking along in the background, all this time.
It reminds me of the old quote: "The dogs bark (that would be us!) but the caravan moves on (that would be SP and her plans)."
Patrick, Audrey, et al., I sure wish you would find a way to release those confidential quotes without violating confidentiality. There must be a way.
If you are sure of their accuracy, repackaging them to remove identifying features and reporting them as a roman a clef, or some other kind of fictional piece would not be slander, since it would turn out to be true.
Or aggregating them so no individual contribution is able to be recognized, and putting them out as a simple paragraph or two about what they reveal or confirm.
Names, dates, attribution, events attended, or any other identifying features could surely be omitted: just to have the info out there -- out HERE! -- would be so helpful. I bet other things would pop out of the woodwork then. Or someone's sharp yes would independently see a new connection.
I am certainly not suggesting outing any confidential source -- but just saying there must be a way to get that info out without violating anyone's confidence or anonymity.
Could someone please cut & paste the two family pix together: Bristol in the black dress and Bristol in the green sweater? And also do this with Piper in the two family pix? If Piper looks very different, then it we'll have a better idea of the date of the green sweater picture. Surely a young child will change and grow a lot in a year.
Amy1 said on May 18, 2009 9:57PM: "As I was poking around in the old parts of this blog just now, it seems there are now so many links to external sources that no longer work. It could be just the routine deletion of material over x weeks old, but I doubt it.
SUGGESTION: Whenever any of us finds a link we want to save, let's also make a quick screenshot (and somehow put BOTH up here in the blog). Our sources are drying up on us. I Wonder why?"
This is a good reminder to send important information that might "disappear" to Audrey instead of posting. I believe that SP's friends/employees/family are following blogs like this one and SP REACTS to our observations and evidence. For example, I think Bristol's interview with Greta, in which the first glimpse of Tripp given, was a reaction to observations and questions about Tripp's birthdate.
Can you feel the momentum growing? More people talk openly about SP's hoax and Bristol's two babies. Bristol provides more conflicting stories also, such as saying in the recent People article that she worked two part-time jobs to buy diapers. The records show that she worked two part-time jobs in 2008, before Tripp was even born! I've seen no evidence that the 18 year old Bristol worked two jobs in the past 4 1/2 months since Tripp's birth!!! (All the while caring for a NEWBORN, "attending" school, making up missed courses, etc.) More "mish mashing" of pregnancy/motherhood stories of Trig and Tripp.
The momentum for disclosing the hoax continues to grow.
So, I've been thinking about the attitude that Bristol seems to project in the family photos where she looks proud of her condition. I put on my Sociology major hat which is a little aged but sometimes helpful! Bristol's mom has gotten a lot of celebrity and power from her portrayal of the conservative version of Earth Mother. That last phrase gave me a shiver but that's what it is, I think. In the Palin world there is a lot of prestige from having a large family.
I remember reading about young girls in disadvantaged communities having babies because of the status it provides. They also were hungry for love and imagined that a baby would provide that. They would become important in at least the baby's world and they would achieve status as a mother among their peers. Perhaps this is what motivates Bristol?
Education is a just a semi-necessary evil in the Palin world. Look at the priority they give to school attendance! So only motherhood would elevate Bristol to her mother's level and require some respect from her mother and family which she may not have been getting. After all she was a built in baby sitter for many years, which brings no status at all--more like invisibility. Why not have your own baby and get noticed?! I think it worked for her.
Lynn: re sympathy for Levi and Sherry. In my case, it's because he is reputed to have had ADD as a child, did poorly in academics, was home-schooled (by Sherry, I suppose but do not know for sure), and I know what huge havoc learning disabilities can have on a child (and his all-important self-confidence that he is able to do good things). Ditto the torture for a Mom to see this as it unfolds, unable to "fix" it, as all us Moms want to do at some point and some level for whatever hurts our children.
So whatever flaws these two humans might have, I see them in the light of their having gone through some really hard stuff, that I have gone through myself, and I know it has been the hardest thing in my life, even though I have a lot of resources -- and they did not.
I also don't think we should put ourselves in the position of judging the other characters in this saga. SP, yes. We have to judge her, because she has told us she wants to lead us. But judging the others is just plain wrong. Someone criticized an innocent comment of Bristol's awhile back, about her just missing the honor roll by a gazzillionth of a point, and the comment here, in this very blog, was "if she were really an honor student, she would know by how much of a point."
This kind of nit-picking and hostility is not good. Ditto her hard-to-swallow association with the vile Candies people. We have no right to do it. Levi's lack of education and lack of employment are undoubtedly not something he would have chosen for himself, if he had had a better offer and if he had he not been caught up in the SP votex. I can imagine a scenario for Sherry J: took oxycontin for pain, sold some to (perhaps) fellow pain sufferers, got nailed by SP. Maybe she sold to kids. I really don't know the realities of that kind of life, and I am unworthy enough in my own life to know I should refrain from judging others. Correction: I DO do it myself, but it's wrong.
So my plea is that we stick to SP, and only minimally comment on BP, only as really needed to make the case.
Lynn: our posts crossed, but I agree with your soc-major-hat analysis. Completely.
As of now, the ADN link in which staffers reacted with shock to SP's "pregnancy" doesn't appear. I don't know how to make tinyurls and tinys, so Audrey's Army, here's your challenge: Save as much as you can!
People says Bristol breastfed TriPP for one month. That would be till Jan. 27. People says that at least part of that month Bristol went to school.
Sherry on Tyra on April 3 said something about plans falling through for her to watch TriPP when Bristol went back to school, perhaps the week before. I can't remember. Was this recorded a week earlier, making Bristol's return to school mid-March?
If so, the two timeframes don't overlap for TriPP born 12/27, but might if he was born a month later.
Perhaps one of you remembers what Sherry said about Bristol's school.
In addition, when was Mercede's statement that Bristol wasn't in school? If Feb. then that timeframe doesn't fit either.
Reading on an earlier post about Bristol saying that her comment on abstinence being “unrealistic” was taken out of context, I remembered another comment she made about abstinence during part two of the interview which wasn’t as easily picked up, but it was clear what Bristol was saying. Towards the end of part two of the interview Greta is talking about it being difficult talking about abstinence with Tripp there and she says “talking about abstinence sounds, it sounds” and Bristol says “It sounds naive”.
Maybe what is more interesting is that I went to the Fox website and looked at their transcript of that interview and Bristol’s “It sounds naïve even though the “naïve” statement is not in the transcript. It as though Sarah uses the word “naïve” first although she was really trying to talk over Bristol. I wonder if that language was in the original script or if it was changed later. Does anyone have a copy of the original transcript?
Here is the link to the video but the page is a little confusing. The correct video is the second one down that has Sarah bringing in Tripp even though the story is about part one. http://tiny.cc/9d958
Here is the link to the transcript. http://tiny.cc/dGnvc
Amy1:
I disagree with the notion that we should only "minimally" comment on Bristol.
Bristol chose to put herself out in the spotlight. She has been on national TV several times, which was her own choice, and now she got her own "exclusive" cover-story in People-magazine.
The subjects she is typically discussing in the media are: Her baby, abstinence, sex, motherhood...and her baby (as far as I can see).
And from what I have read, Bristol is apparently earning a lot of money with it (not that I have any inside information). The Palin's surely have a good instinct where cash and other nice little goodies could come from...it seems to me that this is their main and only talent. Hell, they even let their supporters pay their bills! How clever is that!
Bristol is not some innocent, fragile teenager. And it was her own choice to become a national celebrity. It is fair game to discuss Bristol and the issues which are connected with her media appearences. If someone chooses to become a celebrity and as a consequence is happy to receive the benefits from it, then such a person cannot be "off limits". No way.
Amy1 sez: So whatever flaws these two humans might have, I see them in the light of their having gone through some really hard stuff, that I have gone through myself, and I know it has been the hardest thing in my life, even though I have a lot of resources -- and they did not.
I also don't think we should put ourselves in the position of judging the other characters in this saga.***
I'd say that anyone who appears to be abetting SP's fraud, AND is of age, has put him/herself in the public spotlight in a BIG way (Larry King ain't a small step), and sounds like a liar, hypocrite or both, need not be protected, coddled, or condescended to. This lack of "resources" you assume the Johnston's suffered...how do you, Amy1, or any of us know that to be the case? As you say, you don't know the realities of "that kind of life." The Johnston kids don't seem deprived to me. Alaska is not some developing nation with nothing to offer a child with learning disabilities (which I've never seen confirmed regarding Levi). For all we know Levi has consciously and deliberately chosen to not be employed or educated. I think they're all, including LJ and BP, pretty cunning and savvy and fully capable of participating in the fraud we're trying to uncover.
Could one of Bristol's part-time jobs be taking care of Trig? Sarah could be paying Bristol when the nanny is not there.
Also, in Ohio we have a high school program called Occupational Work Experience during which students attend school for a few hours each day, then spend time at a school-approved and school-supervised job. It's conceivable that her job assisting the swimming coach was a school-supplied, school-paid job which also allowed her to earn graduation credits. Maybe someone in Alaska could comment on this possibility.
My opinion is that Bristol Palin has accepted her “role” in this “Who is Trig’s mom?” charade. Whether Bristol is the “real” mom of Trig or if it is someone else doesn’t matter to me anymore. At this point, a cover now, Bristol is controlling what is put out there in the media and she should take the good, bad, and otherwise that comes from it or Bristol needs to go hide out somewhere; she’s good at that, right? Bristol Palin is NOT innocent in this charade.
Bristol Palin is not an innocent in the Sarah Palin charade. She may not be Trig's mother, but she
probably is, and all of the publicity she is now receiving seems to do nothing but make Trig's existence a forgotten episode. Trig is no longer mentioned as the toddler (that is, if he walks yet) in
the Palin household. None of the snarky comments
following the People cover piece mention Trig, but perhaps that's because one of that magazine's staffers wrote that puffy book on SP and her Wild Ride, and any comments to refute that legend are scratched. Are we being so inundated with Bristol and Tripp that we cannot sustain the patience or interest in finding out the truth about Trig? Someone says that Bristol's People cover is a first step in the 2012 campaign for her mother as President. I'm not sure this game can play on that long. Come on, Huff Post, Come on, Vanity Fair!
Here is another tidbit that might or might not matter…I waited a long time to post about the MySpace of Mercede’s boyfriend that was a public account. Nothing happened for awhile and then the MySpace posts regarding mainly Bristol and now…all the pictures that I commented on in regard to Mercede’s boyfriend’s MySpace account…SCRUBBED…off the internet. Why would these be scrubbed when no one but me really commented on this blog about them? Just saying…curious!
This is a country where the under aged can go to prison and the mentally ill can be executed.
I agree with Mel.
Anyone who is abetting SP's fraud, AND is of age, in NO WAY deserves to be coddled. Co-dependency is for losers. The sooner all the enablers let go the better for all, including Bristol.
Bristol has said she doesn't pay attention to what others say anyway. If she was smart she would pay some attention and possibly save herself and her baby or babies.
I'm thinking one of the "part-time" jobs is the paid work she's doing for Candies. And maybe the other one is being a part-time nanny for her "brother", as speculated by Ohio Mom. One-two.
Hi there, first off thanks for your still fighting the good fight against the loonies of Wasilla.
After this straight to the point, I've been brwowsing through the pics over at punditkitchen.com and the following picture struck me as odd:
http://punditkitchen.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/political-pictures-sarah-palin-piper-palin-tiara.jpg
If this is from the RNC last year (which I think probably is the case because GINO wears some "fine" clothes) and the girl on the Dude's right side is Bristol then why in hell doesn't she look pregnant at all? I've been reading this blog for months now and never saw the picture and perhaps I'm totally wrong, but somehow, as I already wrote it, something about that pic just don't seems to add up.
Just listened to Sherry on Tyra. Her babysitting TriPP fell apart when Sadie returned from Florida. I don't know when that was. On Jan. 7 Sadie talked about the trip being planned. So Bristol could have returned to school sometime in January. No proof of a false birthday, or a true one, after all.
I saw again the message on 9/1/08 on Mercede's page from Mellissa Wilfong in Florida:
"love the pic of sara and the new member of the family."
She saw the Sadie, TriG, Sara photo on MySpace. Sure sounds like TriG is a new member of Sadie's family. Could be Sara's.
TruthPatrol, When was that, the MySpace Mercede boyfriend? Are there any screen captures? Which Mercede boyfriend?
They will always scrub everything possible.
Won't the family jobs be listed on the next expense form? When will that happen?
*** midnightcajun said...
What is it with People magazine acting as Sarah Palin's mouthpiece? The latest edition has Bristol in her cap and gown holding Trigg. See it at
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20280071,00.html
It's full of the usual Palin lies. For instance:
"Her mom may be governor, but there is no nanny in the Palin house. Bristol gets up – usually twice during the night – to feed Tripp, who sleeps in a hand-me-down crib in her bedroom, and she says she has tapped out at least one school paper with her son crying in the background. She breastfed her baby for a month, pumping milk before class and rushing straight home to feed him. And she worked two part-time jobs to help pay for the diapers and formula her parents otherwise supply."
Okay, we KNOW the Palins have a nanny. They've named her, we've seen her in the GVS interview with Trig, and in the background of photos with Palin. We also know Bristol didn't actually attend classes, so the business about pumping milk before class and rushing home to feed him is more BS (the Palins do love to talk about breast pumps!). And what two part-time jobs is she supposedly working? This is the first we've heard about that. Wasilla residents?***
Again, also too, I think they're getting their babies mixed up! TRIPP got hundreds of gifts from well-wishers, per People's January story; why a hand-me-down crib? And BP's two part-time jobs were during 'someone's' pregnancy with TRIG. And if money's an issue (snort), why use formula and not just breast milk?
I can't wait to see if this cover sells...
TruthPatrol said...
Here is another tidbit that might or might not matter…I waited a long time to post about the MySpace of Mercede’s boyfriend that was a public account. Nothing happened for awhile and then the MySpace posts regarding mainly Bristol and now…all the pictures that I commented on in regard to Mercede’s boyfriend’s MySpace account…SCRUBBED…off the internet. Why would these be scrubbed when no one but me really commented on this blog about them? Just saying…curious!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lanesta's page has totally been scrubbed as well.....
wrefoveiAmy 1, I appreciate your points on Levi and his possibly having untreated ADD. My son and I both have ADD and I sure know about the struggle. What we came to realize is that feeling sorry for someone with ADD doesn't really help them. We do need understanding but coupled with a can do attitude and although ADD causes problems it isn't all bad. People with ADD are extra good at being pioneers, artists, inventors and so many other things. Just like people with OCD can be highly productive! My son and I tried medication but decided we'd rather just be ourselves and learn to cope the old fashioned way. Why oh why do they call it Attention Deficit when it's really the opposite! I really like other ADD people!
Hey, Al Bino, that's Willow behind Piper with the tiara in that pix.
Al Bino - The picture is from Dec 2006, when SP was being sworn in as Governor. Here's a link to other pictures from this time on Alaska Stock: http://tiny.cc/wFR3Z.
This recent media blitz by Bristol leads me to believe the Bx1 theory. Obviously she's not camera shy as they previously claimed. Why was she nowhere to be seen during the campaign (besides some hastily snapped, unclear pictures and a video that appeared AFTER the birth).
Why did it take 2 months for a photo of Tripp? The Palin's obviously have good relations with People. And Sarah loves the attention. Waiting does not seem in her nature.
There was a comment a while back at 10:36 on Audrey's December 9th posting which was reposted from politicalbase.com
I heard the key was a large payment to a nurse at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, who was very worried about her safety. They are going to nail Dr. Cathy Baldwin-Johnson for insurance fraud and some other stuff (medical ethics, faking documents... I got this over the phone, I'm not up on medical crimes).The comment had some other interesting speculation indicating Bx1. Another comment suggested the supposed adoption they had planned to set up fell through. Possibly around the time of the church fire, destroying medical records? I was hesitant to link Palin to that but at this point I think anything is game. No news about the church fire means nothing indicating it was an attack against Palin. Otherwise she would have been sure to capitalize on that as further proof of her victimization.
leu2500, the tiny url didn't work for me. It just links to the Tiny Url homepage. I do agree with you that the picture is from Sarah's 2006 swearing in ceremony.
Windy City Woman said @ May 20, 2009 10:10 AM
"Could someone please cut & paste the two family pix together: Bristol in the black dress and Bristol in the green sweater? And also do this with Piper in the two family pix? If Piper looks very different, then it we'll have a better idea of the date of the green sweater picture. Surely a young child will change and grow a lot in a year.I don't know if anyone will come up with some better ideas, but here you go, Windy City Woman.
All the pictures are sized-matched as close as I can estimate (I don't have the professional tools our since-departed photographic expert used).
First, there's Bristol in green, and in animal print
http://tinyurl.com/qq822o
Then, same two pictures, in different order: Bristol in animal print, and in green
http://tinyurl.com/q2n6dz
The following two pictures are of the Palin family in the two group pictures
view 1 http://tinyurl.com/r43der
Willow in 9/14/07 pic is placed next to her self in dusk picture
All are height-matched to Todd Palin's height. I'm assuming Sarah Palin is wearing lower-heeled shoes in the 9/14/07 picture than in dusk picture.
view 2 http://tinyurl.com/qwl4u7
Again, all are height-matched to Todd Palin's height. Same comments otherwise, except Willow is in her original place in the 9/14/07 picture, and that picture is flipped horizontally, to better match the poses in the dusk picture.
------------
My opinion? I think these two pictures were taken within 3-4 months of each other.
If Piper was standing right in front of her mother in the 9/14/07 picture the way she was in the dusk picture (with SP actually holding her close), and with her head held up instead of chin-tucked-down, I think she would seem to be the same height in both pictures.
Willow very clearly has braces on in the 9/14/07 picture, but until someone comes up with a better-resolution copy of the dusk picture, who can tell?
I think ALL of the women in the family except Piper had their hair trimmed and brightened between the two pictures.
I think SP was wearing her f-me boots in the dusk picture and/or lower heeled shoes in the 9/14/07 picture.
MomME, I just saw your post with the photo of Bristol.
http://tinyurl.com/ptgaxx
That is the background and time of the photo that I saw. It is not the same shot.
What I saw was a side view and you could see she was flat. It left no doubt that she had lost the baby weight. It was very clear and no sign of a paunch-pooch or whatever.
The camera was further back. You could see more of the stage. Bristol was center but there were people in the background. They were standing where the backdrop ended.
T in Canada, Hayden P may have been in the background but it was not one of the photos where they were posing together.
From today's Publishers Lunch (an email newsletter from Publisher's Weekly):
"Memoir
Sarah Palin's memoir, "a wonderful, refreshing chance for me to get to tell my story, that a lot of people have asked about, unfiltered," on both her personal and political life, from "her childhood in Alaska and last year's campaign to her political beliefs and her family life, including the pregnancy of her teenage daughter," to Brian Murray at Harper (which will co-publish with Zondervan), with Adam Bellow editing, on an exclusive submission (said to be "first and fervent in pursuing this project" by Barnett), for publication in Spring 2010, by Robert Barnett at Williams & Connolly (world)."
to muah – I posted this back on February 19, 2009 – you can look back thru and see other comments if you want that I posted about the same time like I’ve always felt that Sadie Johnston’s court case had interesting timings and judges. (Anyone else out there find it odd that pictures on Sadie’s newest boyfriend’s MySpace public page picture comments that the happy summer pictures have comments on them that say GENERALLY oh when did you go there and who took those pictures Sadie’s mom or Bristol. Also in the early pictures of the young couple Sadie is sporting a ring on her LEFT ring finger and then in later October pictures of the young couple Sadie is not sporting a ring on her left ring finger.) The boyfriend Corey’s MySpace account is still public and Sadie is in a few of the pictures still but the ones I commented on were all there until Audrey did her MySpace posts. Oh and I’m in the minority on this blog, I do NOT believe in Bristolx2!
Doubting Thomas, Lanesta? Did you mean Lanesia?
Did you mention that Johnny Chandler moved out of state? Is he no longer a possible baby daddy?
I was told part of his family is from California and they moved back. His mother may still be in Alaska and that is where he spends most of his time. Last April, via a friend of Bristol, Sarah released that B was seeing him again, I don't get why S would want that connection to Johnny. He seems a slacker, more childlike than Levi, he can't even get his snowboarding gig together? What a tragedy about his friend, however, that doesn't detour their clique from repeating the pattern. Now all the public display and bull about Bristol as Ambassador and in Wasilla she has become a shut in with 2 jobs. Who is allowed in the house to see her?
Ohio Mom et al - Sorry about the incorrect link. (I have problems with Tiny URL). I've double checked and this should work. http://tinyurl.com/qk834r
Note that Bristol looks more consistent with the Jun 2007 than the Sep 2007 pictures.
muah said...
Doubting Thomas, Lanesta? Did you mean Lanesia?
Did you mention that Johnny Chandler moved out of state?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry, Yes I meant Lanesia. Her myspace page has disappeared.
As far as Johnny (and most of the parting Wasilla teens) it seems they move out of Alaska, then move back to Alaska on a regular basis! It makes a person pretty dizzy to try and track these kids with everywhere they travel (seemingly alone most of the time too) for months at a time.
Palin Pregnancy Truth,
You say Bx1. TriG or TriPP?
Bristol appeared pregnant
at the RNC
at SNL in the makeup room
at WalMart on Oct. 12
at the store on election day
at the school/church in Dec.
and postpartum at the Iron Dog
as well as still heavy with Greta.
The WalMart video and stills are quite clear and multi-directional.
The postpartum shots are at theimmoralminority.blogspot.com
if you search for
"bristol iron dog"
She may have been padded at the RNC to look further along to make the timetable work, especially considering her slim appearance that summer, but I for one don't doubt that she was pregnant. I believe TriPP's muddled roll out was because he was born in late January rather than December.
muah said...
Last April, via a friend of Bristol, Sarah released that B was seeing him [Johnny] again ***
Are you talking about last month?
Or April 2008 when TriG was "born?"
Why do you say Sarah did it?
This is interesting. Just want to understand what you mean. Thanks.
AKPetMom: re "The Palins are the same as the Johnstons": I thought SP's father was a high school teacher, her Mom had a career in banking that started as clerical/secretarial but grew to a significant management role. And SP has her college degree, worked as a TV sports broadcaster. ?
Great job on the photos!
Did I say "comic book" in an earlier post? Check out this piece on Adam Bellow + Palin (read the comments) and look at this: 96 pages!
And here's someone supporting the idea of deep-pockets religious right cash infusion to SP making a big difference: Rupert Murdoch Has Plans for SP..
RE: the Christmas photo: No one knew Bristol was pg until after the shoot and then when they saw the photos, oops!
Who takes care of the babies when Bristol is in School? is Todd Mr. Mom? REally?
Oh wait, Sarah has a nanny. So we are to believe that this nanny is not allowed to help with Tripp?
I am sick of them and when the truth breaks, I will be happy to go back to a quiet life where I don't hae nightmares about President Palin any more.
leu2500, thanks for the link to the Alaska Stock images. When I got there, I searched Sarah Palin 2006 and got the pics from her inauguration as governor.
This photo of the family and Bristol, http://tinyurl.com/o3xwo5 is interesting because all but Bristol has their heads bowed, eyes shut during the prayer. Bristol is looking at someone in the audience and flashing them a hand sign.
I suppose she could be looking at a cousin and the sign could be a V for victory, but the image shows a very different Bristol than the seemingly shy, reserved Bristol we saw during the 2008 campaign.
I have given up trying to date pictures by looking at Piper. It's very strange, but she just doesn't change much. Also, it's hard to judge her heighth becuase we never know what shoes the other Palin ladies are wearing.
I think Audrey dated the green sweater picture as a year earlier because in a related picture taken the same day, Todd has a gov campaign button on his jacket. I'm beginning to think he just left the button on his jacket and the pic is from fall, 2007.
It makes my head spin to realize that I have spent so much time and effort looking at pics of this crazy family. I can only imagine how Audrey and her crew must feel.
As someone who works closely with teenagers, I am amazed at how much these Alaskan teens travel. They're in Florida, they're in Hawaii, they're in California, one dies in Pennsylvania. I know that every Alaskan gets that tax-free revenue check from the state. Do you suppose that parents just hand these checks over to the kids to use as they please and their culture is such that everyone uses it to travel out of Alaska?
Think about that tax-free revenue check for a minute. None of us in the other 49 states get a gift like that from our state government. Instead of using at least some of that money for state projects, Alaska gives it all away, then stands in line for money from the US gov't, getting more back than any state except Louisiana, which is still recovering from Katrina. What a sweet deal!
When one considers Bristol and Tripp's recent appearance on the cover of People, along with all the inner photos, and then compares it to the LACK of photos of Tripp in the spread People did after his alleged birth, a December 27 date looks all the more suspicious.
Of course, I heard that People wouldn't pay for photos in December unless Sarah was in them, and there was concern that Alaska law prohibited that. Two things have changed since then: Sarah strongarmed a ruling that lets her do whatever she wants, and Bristol has become a celebrity in her own right thanks to her role as roving "abstinence advocate." Although how getting paid to pose with your cute little baby on the cover of a national magazine is supposed to dissuade anyone from following your example is more than I can see.
I also find it ironic that she claims caring for Tripp is the reason she's given up her dream of becoming a nurse. Sorry, Bristol, but I've known single moms who managed to get nursing degrees. I suspect the real reason is that having missed the last two years of high school, there is simply no way Bristol could make it through college level math and science--if she could even get into a program. Unlike her magical GPA, her SAT scores are probably pretty abysmal. Having mommy as governor doesn't do you any good there. I am so tired of these people lying in my face.
Palin has hired her ghostwriter, who works for a Christian Conservative magazine:
blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/archives/169258.asp
Larry King has acknowleged a son born after he and his first wife split up. Will this make him more interested in identifying the true parents of children in the future?
Gryphen posts about Palin vetoing energy stimulus funds for false reasons, and expresses his frustration that he has hit a wall in his search for the TriG truth. Maybe after Sherry's court day on Tuesday things will move again.
Everyone, please have a peaceful, reflective Memorial Day weekend.
Here's what I want to know: why is Bristol crying poor mouth when her grandfather insisted that HUNDREDS if not thousands of boxes of baby items had been donated by loving men and women throughout the country while Sarah was busy running for president?
Er... vice-president. Yeah, that's it.
Anyway, where are all those diapers, toys, baby clothes and other things that shouldn't be costing her a dime even though the Palin clan seems determined to make Levi out to be a deadbeat?
And, after being older sister to two younger siblings (now, theoretically a third), why is anyone buying her BS about being surprised by how hard it is to raise a baby and how often they cry?
Was she too busy attending beer busts to notice Willow or Piper crying? How about Trig? Did they keep the poor kid drunk on brandy and breast milk during all those photo ops and long trips?
@ Ohio Mom
"I know that every Alaskan gets that tax-free revenue check from the state. Do you suppose that parents just hand these checks over to the kids to use as they please and their culture is such that everyone uses it to travel out of Alaska?"
You need to do a little more research before posting your assumptive statements. I am a third generation Alaskan and this "revenue check" is NOT TAX FREE. It varies from year to year, based on the investment of oil revenues, and is fully taxable on the federal return for each individual. And I'm getting tired of the old "hand over the pork" song and dance. You need to do some research on Alaska, its infrastructure and its geography, for starters, to get a grasp on this very complex subject.
As an Alaskan, I'm getting a little tired of being bashed because of Sarah Palin, and over a whole lot of misconceptions and outright misrepresentations of living here.
Sorry to sound grumpy - it's just getting to be like a game of "Rumor" to hear about my own state from people who have never been here. Sorry to hijack the Christmas discussion, and please just remember to "Check the facts, Ma'am".
Per the ADN, Sherry Johnston has reached a plea agreement. Guilty to 1 felony; Rex Butler is trying to get her time served as home confinement due to her medical issues. http://tiny.cc/ZAT9M
Comment from adn.com:
Worker517 wrote on 05/22/2009 04:34:13 AM:
Not to excuse her criminal behavior, but if I thought I was going to be related to the Palins I might seek some way to dull the pain too.
SJ has just done a plea agreement - I guess we will NOT be getting any new info out of her...
FWIW: My wv is 'ovation' ...
Sled Dogs Rule,
I am always glad to hear from Alaskans and to learn about your state from your point of view. We get misconceptions when Alaskans are silent. We all share some frustration, let us know more.
Sled Dogs Rule, sorry I didn't mean to offend anyone or hijack the discussion. For kids, is the refund taxed at the parent rate or do kids have to file federal tax forms on their own? It still amazes me how much and how far these teenagers travel. Air fare is expensive and it's logical to question where they get the money.
I live in Ohio where this Great Recession has been going on for more than five years. After Michigan, Ohio is the hardest hit state and we will never get back the jobs that were lost when the steel industry folded and now the auto jobs are gone, too. During my adult life Ohio has always gotten back less from the federal gov't than we've paid in. Ten years ago our governor infuriated a lot of people when he put excess state tax revenue in a rainy day fund instead of agreeing to a reduction in state income taxes. Of course, that rainy day fund has long been depleted and the state and local municipalities and school districts have no money.
When Sarah Palin grabbed national headlines, it also put Alaska and how the state operates in the spotlight. Before Sarah, I don't think most of us down here knew or cared much about finances in the state of Alaska. I understand that part of the philosophy behind the revenue check is to assist residents with energy costs and also with travel costs because Alaska has very few roads. But I'm still amazed that a certain set of Alaskan teens seem to travel frequently to far-off locations, and I wonder how they can afford it.
This past winter I sent money and care packages to Native Americans in Alaska who had no money to buy food because their energy costs are so high. Before Sarah Palin, I had no idea that this problem existed. It infuriated me when she visited the native villages and took them prayer and cookies. I don't know enough about Alaska to really understand the history and dynamics of this situation, but I certainly question why the state and the local communities aren't doing more to help them. Is the need so great that local food drives can't provide enough, or don't the locals have food drives because the dire situation isn't publicized?
Again, I apologize for offending you. I should have realized that the federal gov't would never miss a tax opportunity! I hope the time comes soon when we all can stop focusing on Alaska, Gov. Palin and her family.
Sled Dogs Rule - I have to pipe up here. Nobody actually needs to go to Alaska to read the stats on taxes there. The oil revenue checks *are* tax free - not from federal income tax, but they certainly are not subject to state income tax. And this is because Alaskans pay NO state income tax. As much as I do acknowledge that there are some complex issues concerning the oil revenue checks, etc., the bottom line is that the state of Alaska does not ask Alaskans to pay any state income tax, yet Alaska is right there asking for federal money - so much federal money, in fact, that it gets more back in federal funding dollars than it pays in federal income tax.
I live in California, in Los Angeles, where we pay a 9.25% sales tax (7% which is a state tax, not county or local). Alaska's state sales tax? Zero. I know some Alaskan counties and cities do charge sales tax, but again, nothing to fund the state. California state income tax is one of the highest in the nation. I believe #2, in fact. And, despite all of this ponying up that we do in-house, we are a Federal Tax donor state - in 2005, in fact, we were ranked as the #1 donor state, putting in far more tax dollars to the federal government than we get out. I believe the figure is we get about .78 for every federal $1 of taxes paid. Alaska? Alaska gets about $1.40 back in funding for every $1 paid out in federal taxes.
This honestly seems preposterous to me that *any* state, certainly not just Alaska, that does not levy a state income tax on itself, or even a state sales tax on itself, would turn around and ask the federal government for large amounts of federal tax dollars. Doing this while simultaneously giving these enormous oil revenue checks out to individual citizens just takes it to an even higher level of absurdity. Regardless of the complexities, this just isn't right. If Alaska is so fiscally sound that it doesn't need income or sales taxes, and it can afford to pass out oil revenue checks to each citizen, then it should step up and help out the rest of the nation, and be a donor state like California.
Bristol Levi work out custody:
today.msnbc.msn.com/id/30889856/
Sherry and Bristol both say the families weren't "at war," i.e., reading from the same script.
To: NY tabloid chick
Thanks for the comment and your wording, regarding the Palins and the Johnstons, was much better than mine..."using each other!"
Can you just imagine the tension between these two families? Everyone needs each other to keep the facade up. What stress!
What do you think of the possibility that Bristol's being an advocate for abstinance has been in the works for some time?
I've been wondering if this was part of the deal the RNC used to convince Sarah and Bristol to go along with the "Five Months PG" story.
The rumors bothered Sarah until she faked the PG and then, assuming everybody would believe what she told them, they didn't seem to bother her so much.
However, the RNC didn't like what was on the internet. Hence, the PG story. What a strategy that was!
The thoughts of Bristol being a "celebrity" and making money in the field of entertainment, must have really intrigued the "aging" Sarah.
Of course, there was one problem. Bristol wasn't PG. Now, they needed her to be for the campaign and she needed the baby for her advocacy gig. When your mother is the Gov., they have handlers that take care of these things.
These are just my opinions and I know the majority are Bx2. I wish the pictures of BP looking PG convinced me...but...they don't!
Not Tax Free Money as I owed $960 tax on my $3269 dividend from AK last year as I'm in the 30% tax bracket. So, state gave $3269 and I got to "keep" $2309 of it.
Still, it's free money and that $2300 does pay a house payment so we get a month for free in our home this year.
Kids do travel a lot in Alaska as they generally go out to warmer places for high school and college spring break. Most of us up here go to Hawaii or Mexico in the winter at least for a few weeks.
Quite a few of us have condos in Hawaii as it's only a 5.5 hour flight from Anchorage so it's a great way to beat the winter blues and get a tan.
You have to realize we are quite a ways up from the rest of the USA and sometimes we do get away just to keep sane; quick shopping trip to Seattle, sun in Mexico or Hawaii. It makes winters bearable.
Also, many of us grew up in other places and have to visit family each year. My husband and I have to visit both DC and Colorado each year and we also take a vaca. to our home in Hawaii. Alaskans generally travel frequently.
As far as the dividend money goes, there is an Alaska College Fund that many choose to place their children's state dividend money into as it gains interest and can be used for education if their parents are in a situation to need to supplement college funding for their children.
Audrey: I do not believe Palin birthed Trig,photo evidence was enough for me.
Ijust watched Bristol interview [again] with GVS.
The first part of the interview Greta asked her about telling her mother she was pregnant." It was so horrible I don't remember most of it".
The second part Greta asked Sarah about that and Bristol replied they were all surprised. palin quickly brushed that aside.
First it was so horrible.
Second they were all surprised.
Sounds like two babies to me.
Go have a look at the tape ,maybe I am reading it wrong.
muah said...
Last April, via a friend of Bristol, Sarah released that B was seeing him [Johnny] again ***
Muah, please explain. (You are ususally right.)
http://tinyurl.com/pt4y6n: This is a link to a story in today's NYTimes about Levi Johnston and his purported desire to write a tell-all book. It appears to me that Rex Butler is taking another shot across Sarah's bow, saying Levi knows a lot and he just might put it all in print. Is this to insure no actual prison time for Sherry, or to guarantee that the Palins continue to treat Levi fairly? Who knows? - it's a mystery to me.
The article does say that although no one has seen an actual book proposal from Levi, Tank Jones has been overwhelmed by press and publishers trying to get in touch with Levi. All of this must be making Sarah very nervous. However, given the Palin's well-deserved reputation for over-the-top vindictiveness, I believe the Johnstons should be very careful.
Back to teenage travel - I think it seems so outlandish to me because no one in Ohio has or has had any extra money to do anything. Even people with good jobs are just holding on because they've seen too many other people with "good jobs" suddenly have no jobs. In Ohio we also pay state and local income taxes, state and local sales tax, and property taxes. We are also a "donor state" in terms of federal tax dollars.
Thank God our governor took 100% of the federal stimulus funds. The money earmarked for education saved my daughter's job, at least for two more years. My other daughter (also a college grad) has not been able to cash her last three paychecks. We hope she can cash one next week before her mortgage payment is more than 10 days overdue.
AKPetMom-maybe you feed your 'dog team' caviar but where I live in Alaska we are lucky if our table scraps amount to aged spam, dry fish aka salmon skins, maybe some bare game bone your are not supposed to share....I mean comparing the average Alaskan teen to the hot to trot Palin gals is far-fetched. The teens and young adults I know in villages as well as larger Interior communities from various demographics aren't whizzing off on their piper float plane to catch the next flight to the weekend cottage or condo! They aren't having an annual retreat to Hawaii with the folks as if it is a hop and a skip away. They aren't trading the slopes at Alyeska for those of Vail either or Cancun beach bumming. Now the Palin crowd pre and post McCain may be a different story. And look where their lifestyle landed their family in so many categories. Poster for healthy family values they are not. So that mall strip Anchorage suburbian lifestyle some have is not what most have or how PDFs are used by some who treat them with respect and gratitude, thanks Gov. Hammond.
At the Palingates site there is tracking of all the family members travel to Fairbanks at a crucial April time period. So anyone in touch with midwives and the small birth center who serve private home birth proponents? There are lots of home schoolers and those with religious reasons for doing both in that area. A wild ride to Mat-Su to present the illusion of a baby popping out of Palin there by the odd excuse for a (special needs) pregnancy doctor may have happened.
I always wondered why Palin claimed she never told her husband and immediate family that she was pregnant for the majority months of 'her' pregnancy.
What healthy woman wouldn't tell her own family when you already have four kids, happy marriage, financially stable and die-hard advocate for keeping all pregnancies? Why not promote the fertile, fecund image of the hot, youthful Governor?
I just don't 'get' not telling Todd. She has publically said she didn't for a long time. Too odd, unless she didn't know she'd have to create a Guinness Book of Records quickie pregnancy scenario. Green sweater, Giraffe camo tells all. Bristol sure knows how to put a monkey wrench in the career track of her mom.
Here's an interesting article from the ADN, 12/2/2007, about Rex Butler's partner, private investigator Tank Jones. BTW, Gryphen has a good picture on his web site of Tank accompanying the Johnstons (Sherry, Levi, and Mercede) into the courthouse last week.
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/crime/story/770331.html
Choice quote:
As a private investigator, Tank Jones sees what isn't meant to be seen, hears what isn't meant to be heard, knows what is supposed to be secret. He's pretty sure, for example, that a client's boyfriend who ducked out the door at 5:30 for an early-morning run didn't mean to be videotaped indulging in a little side-dish activity on top of a picnic table in Elderberry Park.
"In the beginning, I used to say, 'I can't believe they did that, ' " Jones said. "I don't say that anymore."
Thanks, Ohio Mom, for the NY Times article: http://tinyurl.com/pt4y6n.
It made my day.
The Rex Butler quotes are intriguing:
“Believe me, it’s a hell of a story.”
“Quite frankly, I think it could affect 2012.”
Eileen said at 5/24 at 4:40 am:
"At the Palingates site there is tracking of all the family members travel to Fairbanks at a crucial April time period."
Eileen, could you be specific as to where you saw this at Palingates? I usually read everything there, have not seen it before and I could not find what you were referring to. Thanks much!
Madame X,
Chicago has Los Angeles beat. We pay 10.25% sales tax! And I think it's even higher for downtown restaurants, but I'm not sure about this.
Eileen,
Sarah didn't tell Todd for months that she was pregnant (with Trig) because she wasn't pregnant.
Eileen said, "I just don't 'get' not telling Todd."
I don't get telling us, the public, that she didn't tell Todd.
Windy City Woman: you are so right: even us die-hard true believers get caught up in these tricky questions, because we forget, for a moment, that absolutely SHE WASN'T PREGNANT.
Why no birth certificate: Because she wasn't pregnant!
Why no baby photos: Because she wasn't pregnant!
How could she fly back from
Texas, a 10-hr flight, before birth, leaking or not: Because she wasn't pregnant!
Why didn't she look tired, puffy, uncomfortable, and/or sway-backed, at least some of the time: Because she wasn't pregnant!
How could she be so perky in showing off Trig a couple days after his "birth": Because she wasn't pregnant!
Why were all her associates dumbfounded when she announced her 7-mo-along pregnancy: Because she wasn't pregnant!
Why didn't she tell Todd or her daughters about the pregnancy: Because she wasn't pregnant!
Why didn't she prepare her family for the Down Syndrome reality: Because she wasn't pregnant!
Why did she have such a small array of maternity clothes: Because she wasn't pregnant!
Why doesn't any MD, esp not Dr CBJ, support her claim to pregnancy and delivery: Because she wasn't pregnant!
Why so many photos of SP looking way too thin in the 2 mo before Trig was "born": Because she wasn't pregnant!
Did I forget to add about 15 other items that we've puzzled over in this blog and (first) independently, in the privacy of our own brains? I bet we could add more -- but why bother.
And as we have also said many times on this blog, we can imagine altruistic reasons (okay, partially altruistic reasons) for the hoax initially, but now that SP has been quoted so often as as saying she DID give birth to Trig (apart from the implication, all during the campaign, without the direct lies about it) she's building the trouble.
It's the public lying on this family-values-loaded issue that is the second big problem, apart from the hoax itself. A hoax of unprecedented amazingness as far as national politics go.
Can there be any doubt that that's the "hell of a story" that could "impact 2012" that Butler is referring to?
Or is Butler referring to Levi's unique and fascinating perspective on his life so far? I don't think so.
Anna nother thing: raise your hand if you see the connection between no press for this hoax, the right-wing Republican party's dying gasps, SP's charismatic crowd appeal, and deep pockets (like Murdoch among MANY others) supporting SP, funding her book, getting her invited her to those big-time-appearance dinners, etc.
Bristol, at the RNC looking strange, sutffed. Can I ask for people to look at hte back of her dress, especially when her hair is out of the way. It jus tcuahg tmy eye for the first time tonight, it looks like there's padding or something over her shoulds and the back...like very wide padded somethings. Inidication of an empathy belly type unit. The pics in that grey/black dress have always bugged me, somethign doesn't look right and now I see this. She's wearing some contraption underneath?
Couldn't pass up my WV, it fits Gino so well.
husla...........
'We' all know the Gov wasn't preggers and she is such an inept liar.
She had alot on her plate:she had to keep up with whatever activities her daughter is getting into with boys and deal with the results, remember her layers of lies which are just as confusing to her as to some of us and put on extra pounds to appear pregnant-but still vain enough to fail at that and resort to scarfs.
But why say you kept every single person in your immediate family clueless until mid-"pregnancy" about an upcoming addition to the family? That alone and the whopper of a Texas tale wild ride story is enough to raise rational eyebrows of all/MSM.
Her belief system purports to revel in LIFE and accepting what God had given. LIFE as in "Pro-life" and family values; more the merrier(my parents have 7). Not being concerned with the nuances of how perfect that life may be.(waiting for a test before telling)
So does anyone have a link to Palin ever stating she told Todd she was expecting in first few months or such? I remember reading over and over that she kept it a big fat (ie:really thin and trim scarf hidden) secret.
She didn't think that statement out clearly. IF she was pregnant- I could see not announcing to press and legislature, Gov. office staff, public and younger members of family- BUT, 'opps, I did it again' just doesn't fly when bragging you didn't tell family too. My 10 year could create a fib better than her.
That ommission raises red flags that point to- a stranger but true story lurking underneath...
Bristol's official portrait not-so-camo dress.
Either way- dragging your family into a big public lie/charade or a cover-up after is so despicable that it is unforgivable.
Maybe Chuckie and Piper are the only clueless ones. Trig and Tripp know whose voice they listened to for 8-9 months.
Following this ever-widening newsworthy story is exhausting but worthwhile. Keep connecting the dots.
I thought she was nursing Trig during the time of the RNC. I don't have a picture handy but is it possible she was wearing a nursing bra?
I just discovered that it was GVS who invited the Palins to the big DC Correspondents' Dinner that Sarah backed out of, so that Todd attended alone with GVS. Maybe everyone else knew it, but I didn't. Interesting.
And yes, Amy1, I agree that there are huge machinations that go on behind the scenes, positioning people like Palin and Jindal. It takes MONEY to run a campaign. Sarah attracted the backing on certain factions of the Republican party way back when she ran for mayor. They ran her for lt. governor, and even though she lost, they gave her the oil and gas position to up her credentials, did some other maneuvering, and ran her for governor. Then they ran her for vp. I know it sounds tin foilish, but I've seen them do the exact same thing with Jindal here in Louisiana. We like to think we have a democracy. It's really a plutocracy.
I was intrigued by what stapleit said about Bristol at the RNC looking odd. I totally agree. I've never seen someone look pregnant that way regardless of what month it is. Her chest looks sort of like a formless pillow and her belly is so strangely uplifted. If you look at the device called "empathy" online you can see it is much more natural looking. Then I stumbled onto another site selling a different getup that looks like a more likely candidate. The person selling these devices at one point worked as a fisherman in Alaska according to the website. To see this website put the phrase trixiepixgraphics into the google window and look at the fake pregnant heading to see what I'm talking about.
Here's a link to the fake belly:
http://tinyurl.com/c5lnm7
Maybe we're forgetting the "template" that Sarah was following, created by Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes over the birth of Suri. We tin foil hat wearers were all over that one three years ago and they got away with it. According to us, Suri was born three months earlier than her announced "birthday" in an LA hospital in May on the same day as Brooke Shields's daughter Greer was born. No pictures of Suri (plenty of pictures of Greer) available for another three months and those were cleverly staged to conceal all but her cute little face. That was to cover up the fact that Cruise was not the baby daddy (might be Chris Klein.) There are pictures of Katie sporting different sized bellies during the latter part of her "pregnancy," sometimes almost laughably fake looking. (She had lost all her baby weight and looked ridiculous with this massive belly.) Now, three years later, Suri looks like a three-year-old and, in time no one will really care. Mission Accomplished. That's why it is so important to keep this inquiry going - even if the MSM press ignores it - or is afraid to touch it. Another question: if Todd and Sarah slept together and presumably saw each other naked, if Sarah was really pregnant, wouldn't he notice it? Duh. Doesn't say much for their level of intimacy during her "pregnancy." And, if the other rumours about her infidelity are true, wouldn't that have been a major problem? We all know the answer, but it's fun to ask the question.
More cowbell said, " I thought she was nursing Trigg during the time of the RNC."
I can't imagine a girl her age and in her situation breast feeding a baby she is supposed to be pretending is not hers. Even if she wanted to, the logistics prevent it--nursing is a full time job and takes commitment and being available for the feeding times. Maybe she might have nursed him during the first months if it were easy, but if the baby was a preemie and had DS it wouldn't be easy. I suspect she wouldn't have the determination to go to all the effort to express milk for Trigg and deal with any problems he might have with the process.
Anyhow, also, too, she had mono, right!! wouldn't have wanted to give it to Trigg?!! ;>)
I've always been of the opinion that Sarah Palin did not give birth to Trigg, and wondered if perhaps the reason there were no medical records released was because she had a tubal ligation--which makes perfect sense, she'd already had four children, and obviously is career driven.
Once upon a time, when I was preggers with my first born, I didn't show in my tummy until 5 mos, (however, my breasteses got huge, the family made jokes about me being Dolly Parton) so I honestly don't think the spectulation about how far along Bristol was or was not based on the size of her bump really holds any water. I remember seeing Sarah P during the run-up to the election, and she was wearing a WHITE blouse--something I thought was odd for a nursing mother--you just never know when you'll experience "leakage" and that could prove embarrasing when white becomes wet, and therefore sheer. Of course, I nursed my babies over 25 years ago, so perhaps nursing bras have improved since my day.
Anyway, if Sarah did not birth Trig, I honestly doubt we'll find out about it anytime soon. Don't forget, she was John McCain's running mate, and if it's found her pregnancy was a deception, it ultimately will be a reflection on HIM, his vetting process, and his callous disregard for the safety and well-being of the American people. He and the Republican party will do anything they can to suppress that info rather than become even more of a laughing stock and media fodder.
Fingers crossed, people, that Sarah never gets anywhere NEAR the office of the President again.
Oh, PS to my earlier post: Sarah didn't even tell HER HUSBAND until she was far along in her pregnancy? Even he was surprised? Did Todd never see his wife naked? For goodness sake, at the very least surely HE would have noticed SOME change to his life-long partner's body! None of this story washes!
Quiet1: if I believed that Palin was no longer a threat to me, I wouldn't care whose baby that was.
But this site has proved to me that Palin did not give birth to Trig. Proved it with photos and the mysterious lack of photos.
I don't know who did, but I will keep participating until this threat is neutralized!
Amy1, thanks for that great list!!
another oddity I found....I saw a photo of newborn trig...he didn't look obviously like he had DS with his eyes half closed. So how on earth could Willow have known right away as claimed, that the baby had DS??
On the topic of nursing Trig, I think we were all misled by two things: 1) Sarah constantly talked about nursing Trig and breast pumps, and 2) Bristol's bolster at the Convention looked like it belonged to a nursing mom .
I don't believe anyone breast fed that baby. DS babies are hard to nurse even for a mother with the time to devote to it. That description doesn't fit either a governor or a teenager who is pretending she isn't her baby's mom. The Palins talk about breast pumps so much it's creepy. I think it's just a smoke screen; they're always walking around clutching bottles. Bristol claims she only breast fed Tripp for one month (although we have no way of knowing she did even that). Any woman with the determination to breast feed a "hidden' DS baby for five months (especially a premature one!) would have fed a normal baby she openly acknowledges as hers for much longer.
Plus, while it's possible to get pregnant while nursing, it's far less likely. I think B's weird appearance at the RNC was to make her look more pregnant than she really was. Compare it to the way she looks to the picture of her at the governor's picnic just weeks before. Sarah had spent six weeks faking a pregnancy; I'm sure it occurred to her to "augment" Bristol's appearance. That dress she wore was obviously chosen deliberately to make her look as big as possible.
Plus, as someone said, nursing mothers leak. It's embarrassing and scary. I can't believe someone in the public eye as much as Sarah, or who was pretending she didn't have a baby like Bristol, would have risked that. It's all just part of the Palin Ubermother nonsense.
tubal ligation...hmm...methinks that is something to consider....
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