Travelgate summary

While Governor of Alaska Sarah charged the state 40 times for travel expenses for her children. 

From Mudflats

Governor Sarah Palin yesterday agreed to pay an estimated $6800 for what she charged the state for her children’s travel expenses and related costs since assuming her role as governor.

This all came about as the result of an ethics complaint filed against Palin by Frank Gwartney, a retired electrical lineman who had had enough of Palin’s hypocrisy regarding cleaning up government, and stopping abuses. The complaint, which was filed in October after new information came out about her state paid family travel, was sent to the Personnel Board and investigator…..(wait for it)…..Tim Petumenos. You remember him. He’s the one that said (despite the Legislative Investigation into the Troopergate ethics scandal, and their finding that Palin was guilty of abuse of power under the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act) that Palin was innocent of any wrongdoing. And the fact that there was contradictory testimony from Palin and Walt Monegan? Well….that just wasn’t worth pursuing in his humble opinion.

So now, after looking at FORTY examples of the state paying for Palin’s children to travel with her, he’s come up with 9 instances where he found the personal benefit outweighed the benefit to the state, and Palin has agreed to pay for these 9 occasions in exchange for getting to say “I did nothing wrong!” and for Petumenos agreeing  not to file a formal accusation or take the case to a hearing. Not a bad deal.  Palin get’s to pay a small amount in order to stop an investigation, and also gets to claim, according to her attorney that she was “exhonorated.”

The charges at issue include the cost of airfare and one meal when daughter Bristol to accompanied Palin to New York City in 2007 for a women’s leadership conference, according to the settlement agreement. State travel forms put that cost at about $1,400.

There’s also airfare and hotel costs for daughters Bristol and Piper to travel with their mother to the National Governors Association meeting in Philadelphia last July. State travel forms say the flights and hotel room at the Ritz Carlton cost more than $2,500.
Other questioned trips were in Alaska, including one last year to the start of the Tesoro Iron Dog snowmachine race, in which Palin’s husband, Todd, was one of the contenders.

So, what were the other 31 trips, where the presence of the Palin children had more benefit to the state than to them, or the governor personally?  I’d like to hear what compelling reasons Mr. Petumenos found, that would make me feel good enough about the benefit to the state of Alaska that I’ll pony up money to send her kids along on the trip.

And what did Palin have to say about this?  What is her justification?

“This is a big state, and I am obligated to — and intend to — keep Alaskans informed and meet with them as much as I can, from Barrow to Marshall to Ketchikan,” Palin said in a written statement. “At the same time, I am blessed to have a large and loving family, and the discharge of my duties should not prevent me from spending time with them.”

So, she thinks that her job as governor shouldn’t prevent her from spending time with her family.  And it shouldn’t keep her from living in Wasilla, rather than the state capital, Juneau. And it shouldn’t prevent her from taking per diem payments to live there and work in Anchorage.   And it shouldn’t mean she has to pay taxes on that per diem, and her state vehicle, and on and on.

Nothing works out like it should for the governor, does it?

The policy found on the official state web site says that travel expenses by a state employee’s spouse, children or companions “are not reimbursable.”  But somehow when applied to the governor, the rules become “dizzying and circular” according to Petumenos.  And the other side agrees as well that things need to be “clarified”.

Palin keeps saying she did nothing wrong.  But when one governor’s actions constantly tiptoe over the line, meaning that ethics rules need to be “clarified” and reevaluated at every turn, and when public opinion sees the obvious lack of ethics that went into the decision making process, then it means they did do something wrong.  Whatever leads a governor to say “It’s OK to charge the state to live and eat in my own home” and

“Sure, the state should pay for my huge family to travel with me everywhere because I shouldn’t have to give anything up like other people do”  shows a basic disconnect, hubris, and a sense that the person feels that they are owed something.

Bristol Palin avoids questions about Mercede Johnston Playboy interview.

Bristol Palin Fields Questions About Mercede Johns

Damn, I don't think Bristol liked this introduction into the world of the LA reality star one little bit.

And you just know she was biting a hole in her lip to keep from responding to those questions about Sadie.

Somebody who has access to her REAL Facebook account needs to monitor is carefully, because I have little doubt she will let her anger out later on today.

It was nice to see that Willow has been allowed to accompany her sister and Tripp on their adventures.  She has been out of sight for such a long time.

(If the video does not play click here.)

UPdate: What is this? Bristol's reality show is a big fake? Say it ain't so!

This may come as a bit of a shock, but, from what can be seen here, Bristol Palin's new reality show isn't very, well, real.Footage taken of Palin, son Tripp and co-star Kyle Massey on their new BIO channel reality show features the trio in a number of Los Angeles-area locales. 

They go in and out of a baby supply store, timed with their cameras to get the shot just right, and take a strangely long amount of time to order food at a burger stand. 

Perhaps the most authentic of the crew? Little Tripp, who had a cute fit when someone tried to pry him off an electric rocking horse. 

(Here is the video of what's described above.)


Fake pregnancies, fake political credentials, fake marriages, fake chins, and now fake reality. Isn't there ANYTHING real about this family?

Sarah Palin and Keith Johnston

A while back I wrote a post about the possibility that Sherry Johnston was the mother of Trig Palin. You can read it here. Anyway the reason I wondered that is because Mercede has referred to Trig as her baby brother which is odd because Trig would be the son of her brother's girlfriend's mother.



I'm also wondering if Trig could be Keith Johnston's son, which would be another reason that Mercede Johnston referred to Trig as her baby brother. If Keith is the father of Trig, who is the mother?

Sarah possibly. She has been known to cheat on Todd in the past. Someone commented on Mercede's blog that her dad and Sarah would be going down.

Of course there is always Bristol, which would be statutory rape. Sickening I know.

Jonathon Capehart talks to the man who interviewed Mercede Johnston for Playboy.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Okay this guy is an imbecile, though I guess I should be pleased he liked my state so much. However he did not answer any of the Jonathon Capeheart's important questions.

However it is interesting to note that, despite what people are constantly trying to imply on this blog, he said that the residents of Wasilla did not consider Sadie a liar.

Too bad he did not ask them if they consider Sarah and Bristol liars.

I've asked that question in Wasilla and guess what? Yeah I think you know the answer to that question.I also think it is awesome that Sadie's Playboy pictorial and interview are getting much MORE media attention than the Grizzled Mama's most recent Facebook rant.Oooh that's gotta sting!

Sarah Palin still has nothing to say about her newborn granddaughter, but about Mercede Johnston's Playboy interview?

Courtesy of the National Enquirer:

Sources say “Mama Grizzly” Sarah be­came so enraged she vowed the Johnston clan would never again see baby Tripp, the out-of-wedlock son of Levi and her daughter Bristol. 

But acid-tongued Mer­cede – who posed nude in “Playboy” – charged that Bristol’s pregnancy “wasn’t an accident. She and Levi planned it. 

They were trying to con­ceive for months.”Protective Palin reacted in a fury – denouncing Mercede as “a little whore,” her entire family as “trailer trash” and Mercede’s mother as “a drug dealer,” say sources. 

You know we can always take the things that NE reports with a grain of salt, but I have to imagine that this time they are undoubtedly correct about Sister Sarah's response.  I have heard about Sarah's tirades in the past and this one sounds very similar.

And by the way that whole threat about how they will "never again see baby Tripp?" Well that is what they have been using to manipulate the Johnston family for two years now. The evidence clearly shows that the Palin family had long ago decided to cut Levi, Mercede, and Sherry out of Tripp's life and they used every excuse in the book to do so.

In my opinion it is Mercede and her family that will ultimately come out looking the best after the dust settles.

In fact they already do.

Update: By the way you all might also like to read this post explaining just HOW Sherry Johnston became a convicted felon.

Sherry herself would NEVER tell you she did nothing wrong, But the circumstances surrounding her arrest are very troubling.  And they seem to have Palin's fingerprints all over them!

Mercede Johnston dishes about Sarah and Bristol in Playboy

From Hollywood Life:

Levi Johnston’s sister Mercede sat down with Playboy and revealed some scandalous new claims about drug usage in the Palin family and why Sarah could never be president!

Sarah Palin‘s presidential ambitions may have hit a major snag now that Mercede Johnston, the sister of Bristol Palin‘s former boyfriend Levi Johnston, has revealed some pretty scathing details about the family – including that multiple family members may have done cocaine!





Mercede tells Playboy of Sarah’s eldest son Track, “He would do a lot drugs. He did OxyContin but mostly cocaine. He didn’t choose to go into the army; he went there because his mom made him, to get him out of the way…” Track did ship out during his mother’s campaign, though it is uncertain when exactly he enlisted.



He may not be the only fan of the drug either as, the interviewer writes; “Someone trying to get my attention makes the incredible claim to have snorted coke with [Sarah] at the Mug Shot (a local bar) and points to the very spot on the bar where said lines were cut up.” This is, of course, to be taken with a grain of salt.



Mercede also labels Bristol as a thief, among other things. When asked what Bristol is into, Mercede says; “stealing her parents credit cards to order clothes. Literally. And chasing after men and partying.”



Mercede goes on to say that she could bring any number of men to meet the interviewer and have them show some of the nude pics Bristol has sent them.



There is much, much more in the interview and you can check it out when Playboy hits stands August



Damn Mercede! As if Sarah's summer couldn't get anyway worse, and she is going to be having a very bad fall when Joe's book comes out.

Is the stress from all of the recent bad news starting to get to Bristol Palin?

Courtesy of the Daily Mail:

She has certainly had a rough time of it late. 

And it appears the strain of recent events, including the claims made by her former boyfriend’s sister about her family, have taken their toll on Bristol Palin. 

The Former Dancing With The Stars contestant was spotted at W valet in L.A. yesterday and appeared weary and tense. 

Well I guess one would have to imagine that keeping all of those family secrets hidden, and attempting to put on that "We're the perfect family" facade, would wear just about anybody down.

A year and a half ago I might have felt badly for Bristol, but after what I have seen her mother and her do to the Johnston family I am just all out of sympathy.

Oh by the way for those who have been wondering, you can find a preview of the Mercede Playboy pictorial  here.

New tidbits leak out from Mercede Johnston's Playboy interview. Oh, the Grizzled Mama is NOT going to like this very much! Update!

Mercede and her mother Sherry. Palin victims no more.

Courtesy of TMZ:

19-year-old Mercede Johnston (above left) just WENT OFF about the entire Palin crew -- calling Sarah Palin a bad mom who's "never there for [her kids]" ... adding, "She doesn't make her kids go to school.

She'd rather parade them around and put on a show, at book signings or conventions."

As for Bristol -- "Everything is about her, her, her. She has to have her own way. She'll be supersweet and then she turns into the most evil person I've ever known ... Honestly, she is the meanest person."Mercede adds, "I didn't know someone could be so vindictive and evil ...[She's] a sociopath. She doesn't think anything she could do or does is wrong."

Mercede also claims Bristol and Levi PLANNED their pregnancy -- saying, "They were trying to conceive for months." 

And for good measure ... Mercede explains why Sarah would have been a TERRIBLE president saying, "I think she'd have had a mental breakdown if she was elected [president] ... She can't even answer Katie Couric's questions." 

Just when you think Sarah's day could NOT get any worse.

You know I waited with bated breath for this summer (and the fall) to finally arrive, but even I did not realize just how many things were coming down the pike to help put an end to Sister Sarah's career as a political hatemonger.

Numerous tell-all books, a damning documentary, Michele Bachmann stealing her thunder, a painfully poor propaganda piece that failed to ignite her political career, unexpected grandbabies, a Playboy interview that reveals unflattering truths about the Palin family, newly discovered pictures proving she was not pregnant with Trig, the list just goes on, and on, and on.

Don't the Germans have a word for this? Schadenfreude if I am not mistaken.

(I looked it up for you Palin-bots so that you would not hurt your tiny little brains. Just click this link.)

Update: It looks like Hollywood Life has a few more tidbits:

Mercede tells Playboy of Sarah’s eldest son Track, “He would do a lot drugs. He did OxyContin but mostly cocaine. He didn’t choose to go into the army; he went there because his mom made him, to get him out of the way…” Track did ship out during his mother’s campaign, though it is uncertain when exactly he enlisted. 

He may not be the only fan of the drug either as, the interviewer writes; “Someone trying to get my attention makes the incredible claim to have snorted coke with [Sarah] at the Mug Shot (a local bar) and points to the very spot on the bar where said lines were cut up.” This is, of course, to be taken with a grain of salt. 

Mercede also labels Bristol as a thief, among other things. When asked what Bristol is into, Mercede says; “stealing her parents credit cards to order clothes. Literally. And chasing after men and partying.” 

Mercede goes on to say that she could bring any number of men to meet the interviewer and have them show some of the nude pics Bristol has sent them.

Okay I knew about the stolen credit cards, the boy chasing, and partying, but the nude pics of Bristol are a new one on me.

Not that I would have been interested if I had known about their existence.

Update2: More from Hollywood Life:

She is furious about Sarah’s treatment of her brother Levi, who is the father of Sarah’s grandson, Tripp. “Not once did Sarah contact us and say, ‘Is this okay?’”, about her decision to take Levi into the spotlight, when she became John McCain‘s running mate in 2008. 

After all — Levi was only 18 at the time and hardly able to stand up to the powerful Governor of Alaska. “She literally took Levi from a hunting trip and flew him to the Republican Convention. He didn’t have a choice. I don’t blame John McCain — this is all Sarah Palin. She didn’t have to announce on stage that Bristol was pregnant. She doesn’t care, as long as she’s going to the top. But it’s screwed my whole family up. Levi was a prop, and once they didn’t need him, he was out the door.” 

No matter what your political persuasion you have to admit that Mercede’s accusations have a ring of truth when it comes to the Palin treatment of her brother. 

For good measure, Mercede also calls Bristol — “the most evil person I’ve ever known” and a “sociopath” and claims that she , Mercede, has been virtually excluded from baby Tripp’s life. 

Now, we all know that Sarah Palin can dish it out against her political opponents … and Katie Couric. She’s even been accused of inciting violence against Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords by placing her district in crosshairs on an “attack map” that she featured on her facebook. 

Do we really need a “Pitbull in lipstick” or a Mamma Grizzly ( Mercede calls that Sarah nickname “retarded” ) leading our country now? A woman who’s instinct is to attack even the father and aunt of her “beloved” grandchild, rather than reach out and make them a part of her family? 
  
Damn! Sarah and Bristol really screwed the pooch when they pissed Sadie off!

I actually don't know everything that Sadie talked about in the Playboy interview because she signed a non-disclosure agreement and was not supposed to talk about it. Technically I was not even supposed to know about the pictorial, but she did not want me to find out from anybody else.

P.S. I almost forgot to say that I also heard that story about the cocaine use by Sarah at the Mug-Shot. And no it was NOT from Sadie.

Palin e-mail "hacker" transferred to halfway house, will finish his sentence on November 23rd.

Courtesy of PC World:

David Kernell left a fenceless minimum-security federal prison in Ashland, Kentucky, where inmates are put to work on landscaping and building maintenance for between 12 and 40 cents per hour for the halfway house, according to a Tennessee television station. 

Kernell was convicted last year of breaking into to Palin's Yahoo e-mail account during the 2008 presidential election. He outsmarted Yahoo's password reset system by correctly answering questions using information about Palin that was easily available on the Internet -- a technique that criminals continue to use to break into those accounts. 

Apparently it took Kernell minutes to look up her birth date, ZIP code, and where she met her husband Todd (Wasilla High School).When they don't make any money from the crime, it's unusual for first-time hackers with no criminal records to get a prison sentence, but Kernell's case wasn't exactly typical. Palin and her eldest daughter Bristol testified during the trial, and prosecutors argued that a stiff sentence would deter further hacking during presidential elections.

This is, of course, a complete travesty of justice. And just another example of how the Palins leave a path of destruction wherever they go.

The ONLY reason that this kid, who by the way did not "hack" anything, was given such a stiff sentence was because Sarah and Bristol perjured themselves when asked what kind of impact the guessing of the password to the Yahoo account had on their lives.

The simple truth would have been that Sarah was freaked out that the world had discovered what an imbecile she was to use private Yahoo accounts to conduct state business, but THAT was glossed over in the testimony.

As I said back in April of 2010, Palin was extremely lucky that the person who guessed her password information was just some harmless college kid pulling a prank and NOT some political operative or foreign spy looking to find some damaging information on Palin that they could have used to REALLY hurt her, and potentially the people of Alaska.

Personally I hope that once David Kernell finishes his sentence that he gives a couple of interviews and tells people his side of the story, and how aggressively Sarah Palin worked to destroy his life in retribution for daring to reveal her ignorance.

Mercede Johnston bares all concerning the Palin family in soon to be released Playboy interview. Update!

Courtesy of the New York Post:

Mercede posed nude for the September issue of Playboy and gave an equally revealing interview to George Gurley. Asked what kind of president Sarah Palin would be, she responded: "I think she'd have had a mental breakdown . . . As governor she quit on us. What does that say about her?" When Gurley asked what percentage of Wasilla residents "can't stand Palin," Mercede responded, "I would say 70 percent."
 
Mercede also claims the Palins are so polarizing in the small Alaskan town that she can't work. "It's hard to get a job in this town because of the Palins," she tells Playboy, adding, "People say, 'Oh, Mercede Johnston, I don't know if people are going to come in if she works here.' "

Regarding Bristol's relationship with Levi, she claims Bristol sent a text message to Levi after she found out she was expecting son Tripp that read, "Ever since the moment I found out I was pregnant, I prayed to God you weren't the father."

Mercede -- who had claimed on her blog that "Levi never liked [Bristol] to drink since it just made her more promiscuous" -- also told Gurley that Bristol, who's since become an advocate for teen abstinence, wanted to get pregnant: "Bristol's pregnancy wasn't . . . an accident. She and Levi planned it. They were trying to conceive for months."

Mercede also tells Playboy that Track Palin, Sarah's 22-year-old son who is an Army reservist, used drugs. She claims, "He did OxyContin and mostly cocaine. He didn't choose to go into the Army; he went there because his mom made him, to get him out of the way so when she was at the convention they wouldn't know he does drugs and would think he was a patriot." A Palin family rep declined to comment.

Let me remind all of you that Playboy has an average circulation of over 3 million, which is substantially more sets of eyeballs than have ever perused either mine, or Sadie's blog.

That means that many, many more people are now aware of just how duplicitous, and polarizing, the Palin family is considered even in their own home town.

And for those of you who are so quick to pass judgement on Mercede for taking off her clothes, and using her body to get the information out, just ask yourself how she could have done it any more effectively?

And then ask yourself what sacrifice YOU have made to let the world know about the potential harm that Sarah Palin poses to this country, and the harm she has done to those around her?

Personally I am proud of her, but of course she already knows that.

Update: I just received a clarification concerning the text from Bristol from Sherry.

It came after Lanesia dropped by to give Sadie and Sherry flowers for Valentine's Day (Something she does every year.).  Apparently Bristol heard about it and a few minutes later, called and yelled at Sherry for letting her come over, and then sent that text to Levi about wishing that Tripp was not his son.

Classy right?

Remember this was all while refusing to let the Johnston family see Tripp, and a few months before Levi, Mercede, and Sherry went public on the Tyra Banks Show to tell their side of the story.

Update 2: Oops, I forgot about this clip!  Dennis Zaki just reminded me.

Right Wing gets all worked up because Department of Health and Human Services will now offer free birth control to women. Because you know that is just abortion BEFORE conception. Tricky liberals!

Courtesy of the Daily Beast:

Starting in 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday, insurance companies will be compelled to cover a wide range of women’s health services, from testing for gestational diabetes to counseling about domestic violence, without requiring a copayment. But it was HHS’ inclusion of free contraception in the slate of services to be classified as preventive care that grabbed all the headlines.

The news comes shortly after the Institute of Medicine issued a report recommending what services should be offered without extra cost to female patients. Even those in the reproductive-health community who have long advocated for free birth control as common-sense policy were surprised at the haste with which HHS announced the adoption of the IOM’s recommendations. The idea of free birth control for all falls in the rarely acknowledged gray area between boring old medical regulations and the promise of unrestrained sexual ecstasies—or at least so I’m told by some of the angrier pundits on Fox News—and the department’s quick turnaround allowed it to sidestep an opposition that was just starting to heat up its arguments. Still, Bill O’Reilly did manage to squeeze in one memorable statement, claiming that free birth-control pills wouldn’t work because women who get pregnant are too drunk to use their birth control when they have sex. (No one on O’Reilly’s show bothered to correct his false assumption that you have to take the pill during sex for it to be effective.)

Apparently O'Reilly does not realize that most women take their birth control pills in the morning, nor does he seem cognizant of the fact that if women did not some times drink until their judgement was impaired that he would likely have NEVER gotten laid. 
  
Personally I think this is long overdue, though I also hope that DHHS continues to stress the importance of using a condom, and to avoid the allure of wine coolers and a damp tent.


And speaking of Bristol, I don't know why the Right Wing is so upset about free contraception since it will undoubtedly only help their numbers grow while diminishing the number of liberals born in the coming years.

I mean let's face it the kind of intelligence it takes to remember to take the damn pill seems to be beyond the capabilities of certain segments of the population.

In other words this new access to birth control will certainly NOT keep any more Palins from being born into the world. As a matter of fact I understand that the newest Palin progeny should be entering the world any day now.

I imagine the Mat-Su school district shudders with anticipation.

Bristol Palin addresses her bizarre weight gain during DWTS in her book of excuses and outright fabrications. Oh THIS ought to be good!

I actually thought I would never revisit the DWTS weight gain issue again, but Bristol's ridiculous excuse for why she gained weight on the show is too stupid to leave unaddressed. (I can't believe the Palins think they can say such outlandish bullshit and never get called on it!)

Here is the actual page from her book:

 I know it is small and hard to read, but I wanted to give you an actual screenshot in case anybody thought I might be exaggerating.  Below I have typed out the pertinent portions.

The ironic thing about this whole thing is that my critic was a self-described public advocate against bullying...as long as she agrees with the victims politics, I guess. After a prominent gay suicide, she went to the airwaves and criticized bullies...while at the same time publicly stating that a 135 pound girl like me was obese. But because I was  already active and fit, the show's schedule wasn't new to me. I did gain five pounds over the course of the show, but I was still thinner than a lot of girls my age.

Bristol continues in the next paragraph:

So let me address this issue head-on. I'm not skinny and I'm not fat. I'm a girl like everyone else who lives in this era of airbrushed photos who's trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. And do you know what? I'm succeeding. Everyone talks about how strenuous the Dancing with the Stars workouts are, but they're nothing compared to any high school basketball practice. Though one contestant famously lost forty-one pounds, I have to assume it was because she was not too active beforehand. Because I was an active kid before I started, this show actually took my activity level down a notch. That meant I was not going to be seeing rapid weight loss. Which was fine with me.

Okay rather than simply pick apart what Bristol is saying I think I will let the pictures, which surely she knows are still available on the internet, do my talking for me.

First let me point out that the weight Bristol brought with her to DWTS was NOT the weight gain left over from having Tripp, as evidenced in his May, 2009 picture taken while she was promoting the Candies Foundation.

Bristol May 6, 2009

And as for her so-called athletic lifestyle before DWTS, Bristol did not attend regular school after the beginning of 2008, and was certainly not on any basketball teams since then. She went back for a short time and graduated from Wasilla High, on May 15, 2009. (Once again NOT participating in any organized sports during that time.)

And as evidence of her rather sedentary lifestyle (Or perhaps something else) here is Bristol in May of 2010.

Bristol May 5, 2010

So I think it is pretty well established that Bristol was NOT engaged in any rigorous sports activities directly before starting with DWTS.

Here is a picture of Bristol's very first rehearsal with Marka Ballas on September 2, 2010.

DWTS first rehearsal September 2, 2010.

I am not going to make any disparaging comments about her weight, other than to say that for a nineteen year old she is NOT in what I would consider athletic condition. Anyone disagree?

So taking this rather out of shape nineteen year old and having her compete on what has been called "more of a weight loss competition, than a dancing show," one would logically expect Ms. Palin to start toning up and dropping some lbs.

But instead this is what she looked like a twenty six days after she started working with Mark Ballas on the dance routines.

Bristol September 28, 2010.

And here she is in October.

Bristol in October, 2010.

And again in November, at the end of the show.

Bristol November 23, 2010.

Now I am not going to claim I am an expert on female weight loss, but I WAS a personal trainer and I can tell you that what these pictures demonstrate is physiologically impossible. Unless Bristol has some very dangerous thyroid gland problem, there is simply NO reasonable explanation for this weight gain while practicing dance steps for up to eight hours a day. None.

And by the way, just to spike the ball a little here, DWTS also had as contestants gymnast Shawn Johnson, football player Emmet Smith, figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, basketball star Rick Fox, speed skater Apolo Ohno, just to name a few of the athletes that appeared in past seasons, and they ALL demonstrated an increase in their overall conditioning and a decrease in their weight. Are we to believe that THEY led sedentary lives before they started rehearsals?

In fact as far as anybody can tell, EVERY constestant on DWTS lost weight and got into much better shape due to the strenuous rehearsals involved, with ONE notable exception.

Bristol on the View November 24, 2010.

So Bristol perhaps you should have just left this topic alone, because bringing it up in this book is only going to have people talking about what they believe was the REAL cause of your bizarre weight gain on DWTS.

Bristol at 32 weeks pregnant with Tripp

Celebrity website mocks Bristol Palin's plastic surgery.

A website called Wonderwall has posted a number of celebrities before and after pictures and asked their visitors to rate them. They feature Madonna, Heidi Montag, Ashlee Simpson, Pamela Anderson, etc.

Some of those featured actually looked better after their surgeries, and ALL of them are in show business which makes their obsession with their appearance somewhat understandable.

But then they also featured Bristol.

Here is the before picture that they used.

And here is the after which also incudes how the visitors mocked her attempt to improve her looks.

Having over half of the people taking a survey say that your new looks, which you paid good money to improve, should be categorized as a "fail," cannot feel good for anybody.

When asked about why people should support her mother's possible run for the GOP nomination, Bristol often cites her ability to run her household and raise her family with good Christian values, as "proof" that she can run the country.

So using the very yardstick that Bristol bizarrely claims proves her mother's competence, what are we to make of an unmarried teen mother's choice to mutilate her face with plastic surgery, lie to the press that it was from "jaw surgery," while in pursuit of a reality show career?  What does that say about Bristol's self esteem, and what exactly does THAT say about Sarah Palin's child rearing abilities, and how that relates to her abilities to run the country?


I can say as a father, that I would NEVER place my daughter in a situation where she could be mocked or humiliated, just to further my carer or aspirations. Never. And I doubt that most good parents would.

Which I guess means I will never be labeled a "Papa Grizzly" now will I?

Just what kind of reality show is Bristol Palin filming in Wasilla? Update!

A little (very well connected) bird told me that Bristol is currently filming some sort of reality show around Wasilla, as well as in Anchorage and up toward Denali, from July 26th to August 3rd.

Apparently she also purchased a home on Lake Lucille (Doesn't she already have a place to stay on Lake Lucille?), to use for the show.

The film company involved is called Helping Hand Productions, and I am told they are from Los Angeles.

Currently that is all that I know.  I will keep you posted if I learn anything new, including whether or not this is connected to her reality show in LA with the Massey brothers. Or if this is INSTEAD of her reality show with the Massey brothers.

It kind of seems odd that she would buy a house on the same lake as her mother, if she was going to be living in LA in the near future don't you think?

Update: My source contacted me again and confirmed that Helping Hands is definitely working with Associated Television International, the same company producing the reality show with the Massey brothers.So that clears up that mystery.

Brief snippet from Dr. Drew's "interview" with Bristol Palin.

There is so MUCH bullshit in this small portion of the interview that it is jaw dropping.

For one Bristol did not "make a mistake." She virtually forced Levi to impregnate her, or risk losing her, and is now claiming that he "stole" her virginity and ruined her life. I believe that takes the definition of "bitch" to an entirely new level.

For another thing the arguemnt that getting pregnant took anything away from her is demonstrably untrue as NOBODY would have given her a second thought if she had not become the most famous teen mom in America.  Does anybody really thing she could have made the money she has, made the television appearances she has, and been asked to write a book like she has, if she had NOT gotten pregnant?

As for Levi, I just so happened to have been around during those initial days when Levi and Sherry, and Mercede were doing their television appearances, and the ONLY thing on their minds was figuring out some way to force the Palins to share Tripp with them and not cut him out of their lives.

Now something definitely happened after that, and whatever it was it was somehow orchestrated by Bristol and her mother for their nefarious purposes.  Bristol wanted to be seen as a "single mother" and that is what she got.

What she did to make Levi back off and let her drag his name through the mud, while continuing to withhold his son from him, confuses me to this day.  (And yes, I have considered that he may have been bought off.)

It is not shown in this clip but during the interview Dr. Drew tried multiple times to coax Bristol into sharing her TRUE feelings about certain incidents in her life and she absolutely refused to do anything except keep that huge plastic smile plastered to her face while continuing to spout the Palin party line about how wonderful, and close, her family is.

By the way Dr. Drew Pinsky is really only an MD and clearly does not have a great deal of skill in recognizing when he is being manipulated, which is a very important skill set for a real therapist to have in their possession.

Dr. Drew is a phony, but since Bristol is one too I guess this was an interview that was destined to take place.

Remember how everybody just assumed that Track Palin married his girlfriend because she was pregnant? As it turns out everybody is pretty damn smart.

So to bring you up to speed on May 19, I wrote a post about Track and long time girlfriend Britta Hanson tying the knot up at Hatcher Pass.

My assumption at the time (and the assumption of every other rational person with at least two brain cells they can rub together), was that based on the history the Palins have with marriage and pregnancies, Britta was undoubtedly "in the family way."  However nobody was absolutely positive such was the case.

About two weeks later I received a tip that Britta was indeed pregnant and that fellow students in her nursing classes were all talking about it, and the family was afraid it would soon come out. Then not much later I received yet ANOTHER tip saying that Britta was definitely with child and was avoiding certain casual friends so that the word would not get around and embarrass the families.

Yet it was still all hearsay and I did not feel it was enough to say definitively that the quickie marriage was due to the impending birth of yet another baby into the Palin family.

That is it WAS all hearsay until I received this picture in my email inbox of Britta opening up gifts at her.....wait for it.....baby shower. (Apparently the shower took place just a couple of days ago at the Palin compound in Wasilla.)

So based on the tips mentioned above, and this photographic evidence, I think we can safely move this story out of the rumor category, and into the "no shit" category.

So what have we learned here today kiddies?

Number One: That there is a 90% probability that any rumor you hear about the Palin clan will turn out to be true. (Even the crazy ones.)

Number Two: That Bristol is the world's WORST abstinence spokesperson since she could not even convince her own brother's girlfriend not to have premarital sex. ("Stop! Stop it right now, Track! Dammit I'm telling Mom!")

Number Three: That the Palins simply DO NOT get married unless there is a fetus and a loaded shotgun involved. Sarah's mother, Sally Heath, was pregnant when SHE got married, so was Sarah, and then Bristol (Who did not even bother to get married.), and now Britta.  Apparently it's a family tradition.

Not that there is anything wrong with that of course. Well that is unless your future mother-in-law is constantly pimping herself out as a family values fundamentalist Christian savior of America, and your husband's sister is a famous abstinence spokesperson. But whose crazy ass family does that descr....oh yeah, almost forgot!

Well anyhow I wish both Track and Britta nothing but good luck with the new addition to their family.

Based on what we know of the rest of the family, you're going to need it.

Not that I had any respect left for Jay Leno, but after this pathetic Bristol Palin interview I kind of wish Conan O"Brien would find him in an alleyway and kick his ass. Is that wrong of me?

In my opinion the ONLY true host of the Tonight Show was the late, great Johnny Carson. (Steve Allen and Jack Paar were fine, but Carson was the king!)

Leno has never able to ever come close to filling that great man's shoes.

And this interview did almost as much to make me dislike him as when he threw Conan O'Brien under the bus to satisfy his need to feel relevant, and to feed his gigantic ego. (Gee who does THAT sound like?)

Part One:



Bristol does not waste one second before trotting out her first lie, this one being about why she had her chin done. (Bristol fails to mention that she had undergone procedures to have the fat sucked out to make her face look thinner a few times in the past. And when she says that it is NOT an implant, I don't think even Rickles buys that load of moosecrap.)

"I wanted to be candid in the book?" Really? Then why weren't you?

Quickly. of course, the slams against Levi begin. Essentially Bristol claims her parents never liked him, and knew he was no good.

The idea that Sarah never liked Levi is undoubtedly accurate, she really does not like anybody besides herself. But she DID have him to living in her house, and running errands for her. Not to mention that he was one of the VERY few people allowed in the hospital when Sarah "gave birth" to Trig.

That does not exactly sound like he was despised.
Leno asking Bristol about her mother running for President: "Is there any reason she SHOULDN'T run?"

Rickles: "Cause she could lose."

This inspires the crowd to erupt in wild applause, which clearly causes Bristol to become very uncomfortable.

Leno: "Do you want her to run?"

BP: "I think so, yeah." Careful Bristol you almost told the truth there.

Again Bristol's version of how she learned that her mother had been tapped as McCain's VP choice does not jive, in any way, with the version that Palin wrote in "Going Rogue." I think they are going to need another visit to the re-education camp family meeting.

Now the only intelligent remark that Leno makes during the interview is to say, after Bristol trots out the "lawsuits" excuse for why her mother quit as Governor (By the way , those were ethics charges, NOT lawsuits.), "That happens with every Governor. Everybody gets lawsuits, its all part of the job." (Again these were ETHICS CHARGES!) However Bristol has been trained well, and insists that her mother did it "for Alaska."

Bristol also says that her mother is not building a house in Arizona. I never heard that she was "building" one but I am unsure if Bristol was denying that she had purchased one or not. Because, you know,  THAT would be another lie, which good "Christian" girls should never tell. (Sorry I made myself choke laughing at that one.)

Part two:



Bristol talks about her reality show and Rickles provides the appropriate unimpressed response. ( I am beginning to warm up to Rickles, who keeps reaching over to touch Bristol's hand which is clearly freaking her out a little.)

Then Leno decides to attack Levi concerning his upcoming book by essentially saying he "dislikes this guy" because he divulges too much private information that the public does not need to know.

Now just absorb THAT for a moment.  Essentially Leno believes that LEVI is airing too much dirty laundry, as if HE was the one to accuse Bristol of getting him drunk and stealing his virginity. Apparently that giant head of Leno's is an "irony free" zone. 

Fucking idiot!

A recent picture of Trig and Tripp

From Laura Novak's blog

Trig Palin and Tripp Johnston

I see Palin in Trig but I also see a lot of Levi Johnston as well.  As for Tripp he looks a lot like Bristol and Chuckles aka Sarah's dad Chuck Heath but no Levi in him at all, except for the blond hair.  Levi was blond when he Tripp's age.  Trig is 3 years old but he looks closer to four and Tripp looks like he is almost three and not two and a half.

Sarah and Bristol Palin prove we learn what we live.

Are there any among us who doubt that THIS...

has EVERYTHING to do with this?

When we are raised to believe that appearances are everything, and it feeds our insecurities about ourselves, is there ANYTHING that we would not do to feel comfortable in our own skin?

Bristol's book tour is a bust

The Mall of America was the venue where the most people showed up, and that was only because her mother was there.  Most of them were gawkers.

In Birmingham AL not many people showed up for that one either.

In Fredericksburg TX at Wal-Mart she left after 20 minutes.  You can read about the disaster here.  Thanks to I Tried Being Tasteful  for this eyewitness account.

In   Phoenix AZ at Barnes and Noble, well look for yourself:

What's with the scarf and jacket indoors?  She did the same thing in TX

Poor Tripp ignored by his mommy

Where's all the young people that are supposed to look up to Bristol?

You should read this funny thread concerning her book signing.