tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post165668024864977337..comments2023-06-10T08:56:21.354-07:00Comments on Palin's Deceptions: Time for ReflectionAudreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00205515802929831178noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-55541234199936011852008-11-03T18:59:00.000-08:002008-11-03T18:59:00.000-08:00For more on the relationship between Palin's churc...For more on the relationship between Palin's church and the hospital go the New York Times editorial by Dorothy Samuels on October 30, 2008.<BR/><BR/>Here is the link<BR/>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/opinion/30thu4.html<BR/><BR/>Just in case anyone has a problem initiating the free courtesy log-in, here is the full text: <BR/><BR/>October 30, 2008<BR/>Editorial Observer<BR/>The Road From Wasilla: An Old Abortion Fight Revisited<BR/>By DOROTHY SAMUELS<BR/><BR/>Any day now, President Bush’s secretary of health and human services, Michael Leavitt, is expected to deliver a parting blow to women’s reproductive freedom: new regulations further limiting access to abortions, contraceptives and accurate information about reproductive health care options.<BR/><BR/>If that happens, it will be a big victory for the far-right — one, as it happens, that is partly rooted in an old controversy involving Sarah Palin’s church, her former obstetrician and the small local hospital serving Wasilla, Alaska.<BR/><BR/>In 1992, a coalition of some 20 evangelical churches in Alaska’s Matanuska-Susitna Valley — including the Wasilla Assembly of God Church, where Ms. Palin was baptized at age 12 — captured control of the operating board of the community’s Valley Hospital.<BR/><BR/>The new board promptly voted to bar doctors from performing abortions at the hospital with limited exceptions for cases of rape, incest, dire medical necessity or where a doctor documents “the fetus has a condition that is incompatible with life.” The policy change left Alaska without any hospital where a woman with, say, a negative amniocenteses result or other problem not included among the exceptions could obtain a second trimester abortion at a doctor’s discretion. Such procedures account for about 10 percent of all abortions.<BR/><BR/>Dr. Susan Lemagie was by then the only physician in the state who performed elective abortions after the first 12 weeks (incidentally, she delivered the first two of Ms. Palin’s five children). She and the Mat-Su Coalition for Choice sued to overturn the new restrictions.<BR/><BR/>During this period, as incidents of violence against abortion clinics and doctors around the country mounted, Dr. Lemagie’s medical office became the target of anti-abortion protesters. Recalling the fraught atmosphere in a 1997 opinion piece in Newsweek, Dr. Lemagie’s daughter, Sarah, wrote that her mother “no longer talked about managed care and AIDS; she talked about buying a bulletproof vest.”<BR/><BR/>(Around this time, Ms. Palin, who was elected Wasilla’s mayor in 1996, served on another hospital board.)<BR/><BR/>Finally, in 1997, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled 4 to 0 in Dr. Lemagie’s favor, holding that Valley Hospital was a “quasi public” institution because it was the only hospital serving the community and received millions of public dollars. As such, it could not deny a woman’s “fundamental right” to abortion, which is secured by the broad right to privacy embedded in the state’s Constitution.<BR/><BR/>The outcome reverberated nationally. Supporters of reproductive rights felt bolstered. Those opposed seized upon the Alaska decision and like developments elsewhere to call for Congressional passage of the so-called Abortion Non-Discrimination Act.<BR/><BR/>Individual health care providers long had the right to refuse to perform or assist in abortion or sterilization procedures on moral or religious grounds. The bill proposed extending that right to hospitals, H.M.O.’s, insurance plans and an array of other health care institutions. Under the bill, any law or regulation mandating such services was deemed “discriminatory,” and could trigger a loss of federal financing.<BR/><BR/>When the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on the bill in 2002, among the witnesses was Karen Vosburgh, a Valley Hospital board member and a leader of the Alaska Right to Life group. The bill passed the House but was blocked in the Senate.<BR/><BR/>The issue did not fade away. In 2004, a version of the bill known as the Weldon Amendment was tacked onto the spending bill for the Labor, Education and Health and Human Services Departments. It remains in force.<BR/><BR/>Now, Mr. Leavitt appears poised to enlarge the Weldon Amendment’s reach, for example, by adding abortion counseling and the provision of accurate reproductive health information to the list of services health care providers may refuse. He also would open the door for providers to decline to make emergency contraception available, even to rape victims.<BR/><BR/>It’s a long way from Wasilla to Washington. Yet, the impact of that far-away abortion brawl is being felt still.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-52814350812075355452008-11-03T01:35:00.000-08:002008-11-03T01:35:00.000-08:00About the anonymous who said the SP's church owns ...About the anonymous who said the SP's church owns the hospital. I'm with Audrey here taking "owns" to be a loose term. My point is a few posters have said it is true...well yes it is, it is also posted on this site somewhere. I'm from the UK and I know the church "owns" the hospital...and I read it on this site, so it's not you needed insider information to know that!<BR/><BR/>DipsydoodlenoodleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-41337745762951718412008-11-02T16:11:00.000-08:002008-11-02T16:11:00.000-08:00Yes, the church "owns" the hospital in the sense o...Yes, the church "owns" the hospital in the sense of controlling it.<BR/><BR/>About anonymous 8:47 p.m.'s post (thank you!), I believe that HIPAA rules do not mean that one cannot speak about a non-event or non-patient.<BR/><BR/>That is, hospital employees and medical personnel could state that Sarah Palin did *not* give birth at the hospital that night.<BR/><BR/>They could not, of course, say who did. <BR/><BR/>Audrey, how about calling the hospital and asking them to verify that a certain person did not give birth that night?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-28244513530937512402008-11-02T13:19:00.000-08:002008-11-02T13:19:00.000-08:00I believe this was brought up before somewhere abo...I believe this was brought up before somewhere about the evangelical churches taking over the hospital and wanting to stop all abortions. Here is a link, wherein it talks about the takeover. Meaning .. what this person has said about the church "owning" the hospital seems in line with the truth.<BR/><BR/>http://www.zimbio.com/Ed+Kalnins<BR/>/articles/8/pastor+clashed+Palin<BR/><BR/>Appalled (yet somewhat revived)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-86153716556016895352008-11-02T12:30:00.000-08:002008-11-02T12:30:00.000-08:00I don't know how to check the IP but I took a look...I don't know how to check the IP but I took a look at your map and you did have a hit from Wasilla. I don't know if it was that commenter though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-191554990889057222008-11-02T12:29:00.000-08:002008-11-02T12:29:00.000-08:00I previously commented that HIPAA violations are a...I previously commented that HIPAA violations are a criminal issue and punishable with fines and imprisonment. But as far as I know HIPAA only covers patient information. If SP didn't give birth, she wasn't a patient, and confidentiality rules may not apply to her. Unless, of course, it was planned beforehand and she was checked in as a patient under some bogus diagnosis. <BR/><BR/>Any HIPAA experts here that can comment on confidentiality of family members?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-31982048063293829992008-11-02T12:22:00.000-08:002008-11-02T12:22:00.000-08:00I did not take "owns" literally. I took owns to m...I did not take "owns" literally. I took owns to mean "controls." And it is clear, even though I have not finished my investigation into this, that the ties between the ultra-conservative Christian community, the board at Mat-Su, and Sarah Palin are close.<BR/><BR/>The poster has not contacted me. I do not know how to check an IP address of a poster via blogger. If someone else knows how, please advise me.Audrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08911932560736764365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-1815153744324057742008-11-02T11:53:00.000-08:002008-11-02T11:53:00.000-08:00anonymous said...I work at Mat-Su and Bristol is T...anonymous said...<BR/>I work at Mat-Su and Bristol is Trig's mom. I was working that night and assure you that Gov. Palin did not give birth, but she did come in to see her daughter. Palin's church owns the hospital and they are covering for her. We put births up on our website and trig is not listed at all, because the doctors did not want to violate ethics rules by placing him up and changing the mom's name.<BR/><BR/>November 1, 2008 8:47 PM<BR/><BR/>Audrey, Thank you for asking this poster to follow up privately. I am assuming since you are the blog owner that you can & have checked this poster's IP address? (does a blog owner have that capability?) here is a link to a reverse IP address checker: www.ip2location.com Using that, you should be able to ascertain whether the poster is actually in the Anchorage/Mat-Su valley vicinity. Good luck & thanks for all you are doing!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-50449973909322179342008-11-02T11:24:00.000-08:002008-11-02T11:24:00.000-08:00When I read the post from Anonymous, it looked lik...When I read the post from Anonymous, it looked like a troll's joke to me. Kind of like the Sarkozy phone call. Let's not get too excited about it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-20883738538177265472008-11-02T11:10:00.000-08:002008-11-02T11:10:00.000-08:00People are providing you with misinformation again...People are providing you with misinformation again. Don't be gullible (like Sarah Palin thinking she was speaking with the President of France). Mat-Su Regional Hospital is not owned by Palin's church. <BR/><BR/>http://www.chs.net/company_overview/index.html<BR/><BR/>It is part of a national hospital chain. Community Health Systems (CHS) is one of the nation's leading operators of general acute care hospitals. The organization's affiliates own, operate or lease 118 hospitals in 29 states, with an aggregate of more than 17,000 licensed beds. In more than 65 percent of the markets served, CHS-affiliated hospitals are the sole provider of healthcare services.<BR/><BR/>Mat-Su used to be owned by Triad Hospitals, Inc., but Triad merged with CHS.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps some of the board members of the hospital are affiliated with Palin's church, but to say the hospital is owned by the church makes you look ill-informed (sort of like Palin herself talking to "Nicholas Sarkozy").Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-9291460147400489542008-11-02T10:47:00.000-08:002008-11-02T10:47:00.000-08:00I don't buy what anonymous said about working at t...I don't buy what anonymous said about working at the hospital and knowing that Bristol gave birth to Trig for the simple reason that the poster said "her church OWNS the hospital." <BR/><BR/>Any real employee would know what the actual relationship, if any, is between the hospital and a church, but in any case the church doesn't OWN a hospital. Thre is some relationship there, but ownership is absurd. This sounds like the writing of a high school kid IMO.GraceRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00537320480290715460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-15614965055407517152008-11-02T10:41:00.000-08:002008-11-02T10:41:00.000-08:00What kind of journalism do they practice as ADN? A...What kind of journalism do they practice as ADN? Accept the nonsense from politicians without confirmation?<BR/><BR/>First, they mistate our assertions then use those misstatements as a basis to dismiss our valid conclusions. Then they repeat the bogus, unsubstantiated nonsense from the McCain campaign as absolute facts, without the documented contrary evidence, much of it from their own publication!!<BR/><BR/>We cannot count on ADN to do anything to pursue the truth in this. They probably have commercial reasons not to rock the boat in Alaska, since newspapers are a business after all.<BR/><BR/>We've seen the belly, too, and she was certainly NOT 7-months pregnant when she announced. Unless they have some naked pictures of Sarah Palin pregnant, and an unequivocal statement from the doctor, who is MIA, saying she delivered the baby and Sarah was the mother and has the records to prove it, they have no evidence at all.<BR/><BR/>DangerousAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-88632515385983997702008-11-02T10:09:00.000-08:002008-11-02T10:09:00.000-08:00To: Anonymous at 8:47Don't even think of settling ...To: Anonymous at 8:47<BR/>Don't even think of settling for anything less than 200K, seriously! It is worth that much.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-39764418240546486792008-11-02T07:58:00.000-08:002008-11-02T07:58:00.000-08:00Mom for Truth writes Sadly, I'm sure there is a go...Mom for Truth writes <BR/><I>Sadly, I'm sure there is a good chance you would lose your job over this - but you may eventually come out of it working for a place that doesn't require you to check your values at the door.</I><BR/><BR/>The consequences are much worse than just losing your job. Violating privacy laws are criminal actions. From <A HREF="http://medicaleconomics.modernmedicine.com/memag/Young+Doctors'+Resource+Center:+Practice+Management:+HIPAA/HIPAA-Consult/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/154635" REL="nofollow">Medical Economics</A> Does the law require any other specific punishment for violating HIPAA?<BR/><BR/>A: Any person who knowingly obtains or discloses protected health information is subject to criminal and monetary fines under HIPAA. (Fines begin at $50,000 and prison terms at one year, depending on circumstances.) Criminal sanctions are enforced by the US Department of Justice. As covered entities, physician practices must have appropriate sanctions in place—and be ready to apply those sanctions—whenever a staff member violates either a practice's privacy policies and procedures or the privacy rule itself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-54205799137213953162008-11-02T07:44:00.000-08:002008-11-02T07:44:00.000-08:00What is the "Lisa Demer's interview" that the adn ...What is the "Lisa Demer's interview" that the adn referred to? Did Baldwin-Johnson give an interview?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-65745839172439109862008-11-02T06:34:00.000-08:002008-11-02T06:34:00.000-08:00Anonymous at 8:47, if what you say is true, you ca...Anonymous at 8:47, if what you say is true, you can make about $50,000 by calling the National Enquirer and repeating your statement. <BR/><BR/>If you can give us any details about what happened that night, it would be much appreciated.<BR/><BR/>I think that at least some reporters at ABC and NBC are totally pissed off that Palin never came through with any records. Kate Snow has been reporting on the no-news almost every day and Brian Williams reported the non-disclosure on his national broadcast. Unfortunately, there is apparently nothing they can do about it.<BR/><BR/>My thinking is still that every other reason (mental illness, breast enlargement, abortion) could easily have been covered up by releasing other medical records. Any other condition would only appear on a few of her medical records. It would still allow the great bulk of her medical records to be released. The only thing that could not be covered up by releasing the bulk of her medical records is Trig's birth. People would have immediately noticed that it was missing if she put out anything that did not include it. The refusal to release any medical records is another strong indicator that Trig is not her biological son.Jay Raskinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13895996467533233549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-5821727332946513082008-11-02T06:30:00.000-08:002008-11-02T06:30:00.000-08:00In today's ADN.48 HOURS LEFT . . . As we wind down...In today's ADN.<BR/><BR/>48 HOURS LEFT . . . As we wind down to the election, supporters on both sides get nuttier by the day. On Thursday, editors and reporters at your Favorite Good Morning Newspaper arrived at work to find dozens of e-mails, and even some phone calls, from Obama supporters all over the country imploring us to "do the right thing" and quit suppressing an "investigative report" on the "mystery" of Trig Palin. Groans could be heard across the newsroom as people signed on to their computers and discovered the spam, which resurrected an Internet myth that surfaced, then thankfully died, right after Sarah got nominated for VP.<BR/><BR/>According to the anti-Sarah mythology, Trig is not her baby. She faked her pregnancy to cover up a Bristol pregnancy.<BR/><BR/>The list of reasons why this story is stupid are legion, starting with Sarah obviously feeling no need to hide a Bristol pregnancy. The myth also ran into gestation issues when Bristol's actual pregnancy was announced, but conspiracy theorists never seem to let facts deter them. They assure us the current pregnancy is fake.<BR/><BR/>Ear usually refers such callers to Lisa Demer's interview with Sarah's doctor, who delivered Trig but, alas, this too rarely works.<BR/><BR/>On Thursday, an exasperated reporter was heard shouting into the phone: "We saw the belly!"<BR/><BR/>Personally I don't think this proves anything except that the ADN has closed ranks to make sure this story does not get out.<BR/><BR/>But it is seeming less, and less, likely that they will release the story.<BR/><BR/>Cajunboy may simply have to out his source at some point.Gryphenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356503547155430235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-26483261845963911712008-11-02T06:02:00.000-08:002008-11-02T06:02:00.000-08:00If the poster who says she works at Mat-Su really ...If the poster who says she works at Mat-Su really is who she says she is...I sure hope you will find the courage to contact the ADN or the Seattle Post-Intelligence(iTeam@seattlepi.com). <BR/><BR/>Sadly, I'm sure there is a good chance you would lose your job over this - but you may eventually come out of it working for a place that doesn't require you to check your values at the door.<BR/><BR/>(Mom For Truth)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-52626997636249888052008-11-02T05:33:00.000-08:002008-11-02T05:33:00.000-08:00I'm beginning to think that Palin had a tubal liti...I'm beginning to think that Palin had a tubal litigation a few years ago and it would be nearly medically impossible for her to be the mother of Trig. This would be so damaging to her career that she has to keep it quiet. If made public, the question of WHO is the mother would put her daughters in the spotlight.<BR/><BR/>At this point we will never know. <BR/><BR/>In the future, all candidates for all elected office should have to publish at least a letter from a medical professional dated in the prior 12 months. Let's remember that Obama's note is undated.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-11473231728609234902008-11-02T05:06:00.000-08:002008-11-02T05:06:00.000-08:00Audrey, your instincts are right regarding the hos...Audrey, your instincts are right regarding the hospital-church-doctor connection. In fact, wasn't Baldwin-Johnson nominated for the prestigious American Assoc. of Family Physicians national award in the early 2000s? the first Alaskan to get this award. Mary G.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-73313148964204717112008-11-02T04:46:00.000-08:002008-11-02T04:46:00.000-08:00To Anonymous at 8:47 pm, please write to me privat...To Anonymous at 8:47 pm, please write to me privately.<BR/><BR/>To all my other posters, I will caution that this is an anonymous comment. I have rejected a few comments that have attributed Trig's birth to utterly bizarre and unsubstantiated sources. (Like kidnapping.) I let this one through but desperately hope that the person who stated this will contact me.<BR/><BR/>In addition, I am still working on the connections between the various churches in Wasilla / Palmer and Mat-Su. I have discovered, for example, that Cathy Baldwin-Johnson's husband was on the board of Mat-Su in the early 2000s. The statement about the connection between the church and the hospital is one factor that made this a bit more tantalizing. <BR/><BR/>Hopefully I will have more for everyone soon.Audrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08911932560736764365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-41245379508806074132008-11-02T04:12:00.000-08:002008-11-02T04:12:00.000-08:00Good suggetion Audrey. Nice to see that perhaps at...Good suggetion Audrey. Nice to see that perhaps at least one MSM outlet is still willing to openly question the Republican machine's shinannigans.I beleive a little pressure in sending requests for these record, can't hurt. Hopefully all the lies will be revealed after Tuesday, and will expose this woman for what she is, and send her packing, although I'm betting Alaska won't be welcoming her back with open arms! Thanks again Audrey for all your hard work, and faith that,"...the truth will set you free."<BR/><BR/>Penny in ParadiseAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-48259658753439218322008-11-02T01:27:00.000-07:002008-11-02T01:27:00.000-07:00Again, Andrew Sullivan is one of the few who ask w...Again, Andrew Sullivan is one of the few who ask where are the promised medical records.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/11/palins-medical.html" REL="nofollow">http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/11/palins-medical.html</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-44577773267670487172008-11-02T01:05:00.000-07:002008-11-02T01:05:00.000-07:00Well, here's one more possibility about the CB sit...Well, here's one more possibility about the CB situation...<BR/><BR/>Either CB himself or someone CB trusted, decided to pull a bit of a bluff. They believed/hoped that ADN was sitting on a Trig story. They hoped that by acting as though the story were really there, that ADN would be smoked out and would be pressured into running the story. I am told that Drudge uses a similar technique to force out a story.<BR/><BR/>However, here, the bluff failed because ADN is not in fact investigating the story (or, ADN didn't allow itself to be pressured into releasing a story it didn't feel comfortable with).<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, CB's unhappily glib explanation makes him seem a bit more like a co-conspriator in this attempted bluff, rather than a victim of an over-enthusiastic source.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4091845104881454109.post-74039899422772401802008-11-02T00:07:00.000-07:002008-11-02T00:07:00.000-07:00Glenn Greenwald at Salon reports that ABC's Kate S...Glenn Greenwald at Salon reports that ABC's Kate Snow asked the McCain campaign about releasing Palin's medical records every day last week, and got nowhere, of course:<BR/>http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/11/01/steyn/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com