After first noticing Sarah Palin, I decided to look into "The Superwoman". To be honest, I wasn’t impressed by her stories and wondered if she was stretching of the fabric of truth to make them fit. I started reading her notable press releases, vetos, campaign babble and what-have-you. What I discovered wasn’t exactly the truth as she is pitching it through the mainstream press.
• Sarah’s “corruption reform” movement started before she had the power to create it. In fact, she was a candidate for governor when the FBI raids went down on the state politicians and the oil company. I surmised that from the 9/01/2006 press release from her campaign which responded to the raids. However, listening to all the hoop-la about Sarah, I had mistakenly thought she was responsible for single handedly saving Alaska from the likes of evil politicians, and here I find out the FBI went ahead investigated without her advice. Silly me.
• In an “open letter” to Alaska on 10/11/2006, Sarah stated that, “I will manage fish and game resources for abundance, including using science-based on predator control.” I guess hunting from the air is “science–based predator control”.
• Ah yes, The Jet! The fancy jet that newly elected governor Palin swore she not would set foot in. Well, it may be a good thing too. According to a 12/12/2006 speech, given in Juneau, she said, “The purchase of the jet was impractical and unwise and it’s time to get rid of it…” In confirmation that the jet is impractical, Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan said, "The jet doesn’t meet the Department of Public Safety's mission profile due to the requirement for long, paved runways.” Nothing like owning a plane that you can’t land safely on short runways. Maybe Sarah was smart about that, but the eBay sale would have not been anything special to the state of Alaska. The state had already used eBay to sell several planes and a ferry. In fact, it already was the State's surplus property disposal policy to use eBay for items that are high cost and that need a broader market to get the best price. It sounds great in the speeches, but, Sarah is confused about whose idea it was.
• Sarah the environmentalist, “clean coal” and strip mines in the salmon rivers. The Alaskan Department of Natural Resources already has accepted a permit application that would allow over 7 million gallons of mine waste to be dumped each day into the salmon fisheries of the Chuitna River. Under this permit, Governor Sarah’s staff would allow a mining company to strip mine a thriving salmon stream. One think that after fishing for salmon and being the calico maiden that she is, Sarah would know that coal dust and slurry is not exactly good for fish or her states salmon industry.
• Books and more Books. What is disturbing is that Palin pressured the Wasilla City Librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons with her inquiries about banning books. Mayor Sarah skirted the issue and back peddled when Ms. Emmons did not back off from existing policy. The issue was well documented in the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, December 18, 1996 edition. Ms. Emmons eventually left the city job. I wonder how many others have “left” their government positions when they faced Sarah on the issues?
Sarah Palin is full of small government politics and she is indeed more of the same. I guess that's fine if you like where we've been, for the last eight years.
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Palin tried to fire city's librarian
By Rindi White
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
Sunday, Sep. 07 2008
WASILLA, Alaska — Back in 1996, when she first became mayor, Sarah Palin asked
the city librarian if she would be all right with censoring library books
should she be asked to do so.
According to news coverage at the time, the librarian said she would definitely
not be all right with it. A few months later, the librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons,
got a letter from Palin telling her she was going to be fired. The censorship
issue was not mentioned as a reason for the firing. The letter just said the
new mayor felt Emmons didn't fully support her and had to go.
Emmons had been city librarian for seven years and was well liked. After a wave
of public support for her, Palin relented and let Emmons keep her job.
It all happened 12 years ago and the controversy long ago disappeared into
musty files. Until last week. Under intense national scrutiny, the issue has
returned to dog Palin. It has been mentioned in news stories in Time magazine
and the New York Times and is spreading like a virus through the blogosphere.
The stories are all suggestive, but facts are hard to come by.
In December 1996, Emmons told her hometown newspaper, the Frontiersman, that
Palin three times asked her — starting before Palin was sworn in — about
possibly removing objectionable books from the library if the need arose.
Emmons told the Frontiersman she flatly refused to consider any kind of
censorship. Emmons, now Mary Ellen Baker, could not be reached for comment.
When the matter came up for the second time in October 1996, during a City
Council meeting, Anne Kilkenny, a Wasilla housewife who often attends council
meetings, was there.
Kilkenny said Palin asked Emmons, "What would your response be if I asked you
to remove some books from the collection?"
Emmons replied that she "would absolutely resist all efforts to ban books,"
Kilkenny said.
Palin herself, questioned at the time, called her inquiries rhetorical and
simply part of a policy discussion with a department head "about understanding
and following administration agendas," according to the Frontiersman article.
June Pinell-Stephens, chairwoman of the Alaska Library Association's
Intellectual Freedom Committee since 1984, said she had no evidence that any
books were banned.
Four days before the exchange at the City Council, Emmons had received a letter
from Palin asking for her resignation. Other city officials got similar
letters.
Palin told the Anchorage Daily News then that the letters were just a test of
loyalty as she took on the mayor's job.
Emmons survived the loyalty test and a second one a few months later. She
resigned in August 1999.
Kilkenny, who is not a Palin fan, is on her own small path to fame. She sent an
e-mail last week to non-Alaskan friends and family answering the question: "Who
is this Sarah Palin?"
Kilkenny's e-mail ended up on news blogs. Now she is scheduling interviews with
national news media and got her name on the front page of the New York Times,
even if it was misspelled.
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The jet also never sold on ebay.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7607039.stm
FOUR MORE YEARS!
Palin team stocked with Bush veterans
Jonathan Martin
Wed Sep 10, 1:32 PM ET
...
This new team of aides and advisers brings years of experience in Republican politics, and includes many who worked for President Bush in the White House and on his two campaigns. They will bring a similarly aggressive mindset as campaign chief Steve Schmidt, also a veteran of the disciplined Bush-Cheney effort. In this, they’ll move to get off defense, a position Palin has been in since her unexpected announcement, and try to keep her on the offensive, using her to launch ever-more sharp attacks against Barack Obama and Biden—attacks that will present the challenge of responding without being labeled sexist.”
Some have been dispatched to Alaska to handle issues on the ground there relating to Palin’s background as mayor of Wasilla and governor, while others will join her on the road or work on her behalf from the McCain campaign’s headquarters in Virginia.
Their first priority: getting Palin ready for her first network interview since becoming John McCain’s running mate.
Newly hired aides are briefing her on likely questions and topics when ABC’s Charlie Gibson sits down with her later this week in Alaska.
The intensive prep session includes staffers going through footage of previous interviews by the "World News Tonight "anchor, according to an aide.
McCain aides declined to say whether they’re readying Palin by asking mock questions.
“We’re preparing her for the interview as you would prepare any principal,” said this aide, noting that Palin prefers concise briefing material and topics addressed on notecards and in bulleted fashion.
“She has clearly given a lot of thought to a wide range of issues,” added the aide. “She has engaged everybody who has briefed her.”
Numerous McCain aides are involved in the preparation, and staffers stressed that all under the McCain-Palin umbrella were operating as one unit.
Traveling with her and working with the press are Tracey Schmitt and Tucker Eskew. Each is taking a leave from private sector public relations-related jobs to work the final stretch.
Schmitt worked on both Bush campaigns and ran the Republican National Committee communications shop before leaving a year ago to work for a biopharma company. Eskew is a longtime GOP strategist who was a top aide in the first Bush campaign and later worked in the White House before co-founding his own public affairs firm.
They’ll be joined at times by Nicolle Wallace, the former White House communications director who has served as a senior adviser to the McCain campaign since spring. Mark Wallace, Nicolle Wallace’s husband and another veteran of Bushworld, will lend a hand to Palin by prepping her for the lone debate against Biden, Oct. 2 in St. Louis.
Offering policy counsel will be Steve Biegun, a seasoned foreign policy specialist who did stints as a senior member of Bush’s National Security Council and as national security adviser to former Sen. Bill Frist, when he was Senate majority leader. He’s taken a leave from his position as a government affairs executive at Ford Motor Co.
Also helping on the policy front is Joe Donoghue, a longtime McCain aide who has worked for years in the Arizonan’s Senate office. He’ll travel with Palin and serve as a liaison to the campaign headquarters on issues.
Joining the road show is a loyalist from Palin’s inner circle, Kris Perry. Also a native of Wasilla, Perry managed Palin’s gubernatorial campaign and is her closest aide. With her familiarity of her boss’ record and background, she’ll help answer questions that arise about Alaska.
Back at the campaign’s Arlington, Va., headquarters, Maria Comella will work with reporters. She worked for Bush’s reelection campaign in 2004 and was a top spokeswoman in Rudy Giuliani’s primary effort. Another Bush veteran and press aide, Ben Porritt, is largely focused on going after Biden, but will also assist the Palin effort.
Also detailed to the mothership will be a trio of staffers tasked specifically with responding to the sort of viral attacks that have been popping up about Palin’s background and record in Alaska.
These aides include Mark Paoletta and Edward O’Callaghan, both Republican lawyers, and Brian Jones, a former top RNC aide who served as McCain’s communications director until a campaign shake-up last summer.
The public face for this pushback, though, will be woman Republican politicians, a “truth squad” team designed to highlight attacks on Palin and draw sympathy to her side.
Then there is the campaign’s Last Frontier satellite: Taylor Griffin, another Bush administration veteran who had been focusing on doing press on economic issues, has been detailed to Alaska to oversee the campaign’s operation there as reporters from across the world descend on Anchorage, Juneau and Wasilla to probe a political figure who is turning out to be anything but an ordinary vice presidential nominee.
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Palin billed taxpayers for time at home
Orlando Sentinel, The (FL) - September 10, 2008
Author: The Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has charged her state a daily allowance, normally used for official travel, for more than 300 nights spent at her home, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
An analysis of travel statements filed by the governor, now John McCain's Republican running mate, shows she claimed the per diem allowance on 312 occasions when she was home in Wasilla and that she billed taxpayers $43,490 for travel by her husband and children.
Per diem payments are intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business. State officials told the Post her claims -- nearly $17,000 over 19 months -- were permitted because her "duty station" is Juneau, the capital, and she was in Wasilla, 600 miles away.
Palin spends little time at the governor's mansion in Juneau, especially when the Legislature is out of session, and instead prefers to live in Wasilla and commute to her office in Anchorage.
Palin's spending and record in office are coming under intense scrutiny as she is presented to the nation as a champion of ethics reform and frugal use of tax dollars -- a leader who put the state jet on sale on eBay and drives herself to work.
The Post's analysis shows her husband Todd and their daughters were reimbursed by taxpayers for many trips between Wasilla and Juneau as well as for a variety of other travel that was also listed as state business. Palin's aides said travel by Alaska's first family is part of the job.
But it's not clear when children's travel expenses should be covered. State finance director Kim Garnero told the paper the government covers the travel costs of anyone conducting state business and, "I can't imagine kids could be doing that."
Palin took her daughter Bristol to New York in October for a conference on women and leadership, a tour of the New York Stock Exchange and various meetings, the analysis shows. Travel costs included three nights in a hotel room costing more than $700 a night.
Democrats have good cause to panic. America is in love with Sarah Palin and none of the false smears by Democrats or their liberal media partners will sway us from that. Most of what was written above, esp. the false claims of censorship, have been investigated by factcheck.org and found to be false.
As for travel costs and per diem rates, no one travels more extravagantly than US senators. Where is the story about the cost of Biden and Obama's junkets abroad?
We have seen one decision by the candidates so far, the VP choice. McCain showed he is a change agent. Obama picked more of the same.
It's over folks. Put a fork in Obama. He's done.
Wow. That is a nice attitude, Maria.
But, honey, when the mayor or the governor starts asking the staff how they "feel" about book banning, that is going where we, as a nation, don't want to go.
Not only is that intimidating to staff (not to mention, really poor judgment to link it to a "loyalty test" of a resignation request), it is stepping into the realm of constitutional rights... something Palin should be highly aware of as a governor and NRA member.
Here is the link to the local paper:
http://www.frontiersman.com/articles/2008/09/05/breaking_news/doc48c1c8a60d6d9379155484.txt
I think that her aggressiveness with staff, particularly non-political staff is uncalled for and very non-professional. Loyalty Test, pluzeeeee. Is that how professional staff is supposed to be treated? What a thing to put staff through.
As an Alaskan, I can tell you Sarah is not a tax cutter (she raised oil industry taxes and sales taxes) and she's business as usual when it comes to water quality and salmon protection. In fact, her agencies approved a 2007 permit to Chevron to just about triple the toxic waste dumped in salmon fisheries in Cook Inlet, Alaska. Tomorrow, I will get - and so will every other man, woman and child - a check for $3300 - because we have so much oil wealth in this state. So, Sarah has never been in a tough economic climate and could not find pakistan on a map if her life depended on it.
If you are the director of a city department under an executive mayor system, you ARE a political appointee. Like any other executive mayor, Palin was obligated to ensure the loyalty of her department heads. That's the way the executive mayor system stays responsive to constituents.
The librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, was fortunate that Palin kept her onboard as a department director. Ultimately, two months into Palin's SECOND term, Emmons resigned on her own accord. No book bans were ever requested and no books were ever banned.
Dear Ruth,
I never said that she banned books. I said she was inquiring and intimidating.
Political appointee or not, to intimidate staff with your power, stinks. It is a form of bullying to ask for a resignation and then say "okay, you passed the test".
That is the issue with the county here. To much emphasis on loyalty to the politicians and not enough emphasis on serving the public.
Politicians need to separate staff duties from the politics of the office. A librarian's job is not a political one. It is administrative and management oriented in nature.
To be honest, I cannot think of a section director's position in the county or city here that should be political in nature. The staff should be experienced as well as educated in their specialty and not appointed because they are your cousin, or because they fund raise well, or stood on a corner with a campaign sign. Professional staff is a gift from God to the community.
Miamigal-you want to see staff get ridiculed and harassed, go to one of our county commission meetings. They get ripped to shreds.
Does Hillary Travelgate come to anyone's mind???
Vote them out of office. Recall them. Demand that your elected officials act like the professionals that they should be. They represent YOU. Is that how you treat your employees and co-workers? I hope not.
The community, whether it be state, local or federal will get what it will accept. If no one calls the elected officials on their attitudes and behavior, you will get more of the same. Just like children, you set the standards and you time-out them if they don't behave. (The voters have to vote and care about professionalism or nothing happens.)
Putting your elected people on time-out should be unnecessary as they are supposed to be professional administrators in the real world... It makes me wonder how they treat their families and friends when they are off the dais.
All that being said, I feel bad for the staff who are mistreated by the elected officials and the public, as well. The public can be abusive too, and that is a shame. To me, all this rudeness reflects poorly on the state of our community.
maria s. has one thing right - no matter how many facts or press reports of hypocrisy emerge, a large segment of the population (like maria s.) will not be swayed. Palin can eat baby wolves at this point and it wouldn't matter - they'd say it was the liberal media's fault that she was hungry.
What does matter is how the rest of us feel about the outright lies (not "distortions or misrepresentations" - lies) McCain and Palin spew about their records and toss at Obama and Biden. maria s. also says "Americans" love Palin, implying that you're not American if you don't - typical Repug smear.
The press has finally stepped up - unfortunately driven by the hopes of finding more tabloid crap like the stuff about her pregnant unwed kid - but at least we're learning something about who this person is.
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