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.

Like a Herpes infection that is never really under control, Sarah Palin bursts back into view.

Get a load of this patented Palin moosecrap courtesy of the LA Times:

Palin said the timing of her visit was coincidental, that she had been invited to the fair for a couple years and was able to incorporate it into her "One Nation" bus tour that she has been sporadically conducting this summer. But she noted that it was important for candidates to spend time in the early-voting states. 

"I am here as an invited guest of people who have asked me to come [to the fair] the last couple years, part of the 'One Nation Tour,' getting to highlight an all-Americana historical venue we have here at the state fair, but at the same time getting to learn a lot more about what's important to Iowa and that's helpful too," she said, after touring the cattle barn. 

(Yes just like it was a "coincidence" when she showed up in New Hampshire as Romney announced the beginning of his campaign back in June.)

Palin said she did not plan on attending the Straw Poll. 

"I don't want to step on anybody's toes, so we won't be in the state tomorrow," Palin said, smiling. "We'll already be on the bus heading out." 

 (Yeah "heading out" all the way back to Wasilla I would imagine. She has Piper with her, and Piper starts school on Tuesday. Plus let's face it NO camera crews, means NO Sarah Palin!)


Palin laughed and didn't answer when asked if supporters should write in her name at the contest at Iowa State University. Palin declined to say who her supporters should cast ballots for in her place, and said it is too early for her to decide who to support if she doesn't run. 

"I'm a believer in ABO – Anybody But Obama," she said. "There's still a long time in this process to hear everybody's ideas, to more fully understand what their experience is before I would jump out at this early date and say I would support any of them over anybody else." 

(Translation: "That SarahPAC golden goose is not done dropping eggs quite yet! I am going to keep right on playing the political prick tease until the donations run dry and the last reporter walks off in disgust. CHA-CHING, CHA-CHING, baby!")
 
Palin pledged to run a different kind of campaign if she jumps in. 

"Each campaign that I've ever run in these 20 years of elected office has been kind of unconventional, right, Todd?" Palin said, turning to her husband. "I've always been outspent 2:1, 5:1, 10:1. I never won any polls heading into election night but usually won the election." 

("Usually won the election?" Well I guess that explains Palin's time spent as Murkowski's Lt. Governor, and that she is currently serving as our Vice President. Oh, I guess "usually" actually translates into "occasionally.")


"It would be unconventional and very grass-roots, very grass-roots," she said. "I wouldn't be out there looking for hires out of that political bubble that seem to result in the same ideas, same old talking points, the things that Americans get so sick and tired of hearing and kind of suffering through. We want new! We want new energy, we want conviction and passion and candidness, even if through that candidates make mistakes."

You know I hate to speak for Americans, and don't think anyone else should either, but what I think they are looking for is less "conviction" and "passion," and more "sanity" and "intelligence." But hey, that's just me.


By the way it should come as no surprise to any of us that Palin has only been in Iowa for less than a day and has also stuck her high heeled foot in her mouth.


That's our Klondike Kardashian for you, if somebody says something stupid she has to rush over to double down on it.

By the way I really think my Herpes reference might actually be more than just a metaphor.  I would pay big bucks to see somebody run up and rub Zovirex on her forehead just to see if she shriveled up and shrank from sight.

Now that would be worth the national coverage!

Sarah Palin-sexual abuse victim?

I certainly hope not, but by observing her actions and words, you have to wonder.

Sarah uses a lot of sexual innuendo. Accuses President Obama of not having the cojones to deal with immigration. Cojones is Spanish for testicles, or balls.

When David Letterman made a joke about Willow, Sarah got all pissed off about it and called him a pervert.

Joe McGinniss moves in next door to write his book on Sarah, she freaks out and accuses him of trying to look into her bedroom window.

She also called reporters limp, impotent, and gutless when they actually had the "cojones" to report criticism of her. Impotent if of course when a man cannot get aroused.

In a Vanity Fair article Sarah is quoted while getting ready for a city council meeting that she is going to wear her push up bra tonight so she can get what she wants.

She also accused Shawn Christy and others of wanting to rape her daughters.

On many occasions she has dresses very provocatively.

The Belmont stakes, wearing a push up bra:

An interview with FOX News, wearing a sleeveless dress:

Wearing leopard shoes at the Long Island speech:

Newsweek, then bitches that it was sexist:

Yet she did pose the same way for Runner's World. Did she think that was sexist?

Victims of sexual abuse are more likely to engage in sexual behaviors like promiscuity, sexual innuendo, and dressing provocatively. They also have low self esteem. Sarah has had multiple sexual relationships with Brad Hanson and Curtis Menard and she definitely has low self esteem.

Another interesting thing is her relationship with her father, Chuck Heath. He seems like a predator. He bought a shirt that said "Coldest State, Hottest Governor". What kind of father does that? My dad didn't even like me wearing Co Ed Naked T-Shirts when I was in high school and college.

He also made a comment about kids losing their underwear? Ewww!

And in Sarah Palin's Alaska he showed unusual interest in Kate's daughters.

One other aspect about Sarah is she shows callousness towards other sexual abuse victims, like making rape victims pay for their rape kits:

And she thinks rape victims should not abort their babies that were conceived during rape:

One of the reasons Sarah fired Walt Monegan as Public Safety Commissioner was over the budget. He wanted more funding to fight sexual abuse and going after rapists. Sarah said no. The other reason is obvious, he would not fire Mike Wooten.

I don't know if Sarah is a sexual abuse victim, nor is it anyone's business, but if she did she needs HELP!

SarahPAC paid $13,708 to decorate Sarah's bus so she could go on a five day vacation. How is that fiscal conservative BS working for ya? Update!

Courtesy of The Note:

Sarah Palin spent almost $14,000 to adorn her “One Nation” tour bus with larger-than-life renditions of the Constitution, Liberty Bell, and her signature.

That’s one of hundreds of expenditures listed in SarahPAC’s semi-annual FEC report, which was filed online today. The former Alaska governor’s political action committee paid $13,708.44 to the Tennessee company Fast Signs for “Bus Wrap” on May 26, three days before her tour of the northeast kicked off.

Unbelievable that the poor, undereducated paint chip eaters that are still dreaming of a Sarah Palin Presidency, spent almost $14,000 to decorate a bus so that their idol (And the only family member that could stand her) could visit tourist attractions for five days, while continuing to play the political prick tease in order to attract the publicity that she so desperately craves.

That is almost $3000 a day!  And what did the Palin-bots GET for their hard earned money?

This:



And of course this. Not to mention this. And really who could forget this? Which of course inevitably led to this.

Well gee that was such a good investment I wonder what else Palin spent her supporter's retirement savings on?

SarahPAC raised $1,658,897 during the first six months of 2011 and spent $1,591,520. The PAC has $1,402,368 cash on hand. In a statement, SarahPAC treasurer Tim Crawford told ABC News that the group “more than doubled the amount we raised as compared to the same time period in 2009. We received more than 36,700 contributions from over 24,000 contributors.”

Among SarahPAC’s other noteworthy disbursements:

-- $26,295.47 to a Visa/BankCard payment center in Dallas, Tex. for “Air Fare, Lodging, Car Rental, Wireless.” The date of disbursement is June 2, the day she visited Massachusetts and New Hampshire. 
Presumably, the sum accounts for some of the cost of her “One Nation” tour. 


So besides the $14,000 she wasted on this "bus tour" she also spent an additional $26,000 on air fare, lodging, and "CAR RENTAL!"  What the hell for? She had a bus with $14,000 worth of decorations on it that she could both live in AND use for transportation!


-- $5,794 to Israel’s Sar-El Tours and Travel for a“Tour of Holy Land.” Palin visited Israel in March and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Oh yeah, that trip ALSO turned out well.

-- $18,700 to Young America’s Foundation, a conservative outreach organization aimed at students.

Is that how much the brain washing of young people costs these days? How much do you want to bet she could not get HER kids to attend if she duct taped them to the top of her car and drove their ass there?

-- $10,000 to Peter Schweizer for “Research Consulting.” Schweizer is a conservative author based in Florida who Palin hired as her foreign policy adviser in May.

I wonder if part of his advice was for Palin to hide in her room for two days while visiting India in order to avoid the locals?

-- $5,416.66 to Anchorage, Alaska’s True North L'Attitudes for scheduling.

-- $683 to the Nashville, Tenn. store Nico & LaLa for bookmarks.

There is in fact much more in these filings, which you can find here.

I have a feeling that this is just the beginning and that we will learn much more about how Sarah wastes her supporters money in the days, and weeks ahead.

You know some days I feel bad for the people who are so besotted with Sarah Palin that they will allow her to take such advantage of them.  Today is not one of those days.

You people are idiots, and she's a fraud, move on!

Update: It looks like the Washington Post has uncovered evidence that Palin's bus tour might actually have cost even MORE than we thought. Seriously?

But the total for the trip is likely much more, because many bills came in after the June 30 filing deadline, Sarah PAC treasurer Tim Crawford said in an interview. In addition, many other expenses associated with the trip, such as photography, videography, Internet fundraising and airfare, are more difficult to account for. (One item in the report describes $6,999 paid to an air charter company called Republican Presidential Travel on June 9, at the tail end of “One Nation.”)

Wait, what?  There is a such thing as a "Republican Presidential Travel" airline?  I have never heard of that.

And by the way neither have the folks over at Talking Points Memo. But they did learn THIS:


Doug Garrett, the former owner of Moby Dick Airways, told TPM that Republican Presidential Travel is headquartered in Alaska and under an agreement with the new owner of Moby Dick Airways only does charters in Alaska. He referred questions specifically about the services his company provided to Palin to SarahPAC.

Okay by a show of hands, does ANYBODY have any doubt that this airline is somehow ONLY providing flights to a certain half-term governor?

Yeah, that's what I thought.

I really feel bad for Piper Palin

Piper is dragged by her mother to all her speeches and campaign stops, is never in school, and her vacation got ruined.  But the name that Sarah and Todd gave her has to be the cruelest of all things done to her.

PIPER

INDY 

GRACE

 Piper's first three initials spell PIG.  That's right.  PIG.  Lipstick on a PIG.

A comment from a visitor that really deserves its own post. A timeline that describes what Sarah Palin's birth experience would have been like if it had REALLY happened.

This comment came in response to my "Andrew Sullivan thinks it odd that a woman in the middle of labor has the presence of mind to send e-mails to her staff. You know what? I have to agree" post.

It was so well written, factually based, and passionate, that some of you suggested that I post it.

What can I say, when you're right, you're right.  I now present to you Anonymous 6:57.

I myself have given birth four times- once to twins. So I feel I can be fairly accurate with the following estimations. I've had one homebirth, two vaginal deliveries- one with epidural and one without, and one c-section. So I am taking all my experience into account, along with many secondhand experiences as a doula and birth coach.

They say Trig was born at 6:30am, so...

Immediately after the baby was delivered, the cord would be clamped and he would be taken over to the warmer. The would suction his airways, do his first APGAR, put a security bracelet on his ankle or wrist, clean him up, do a closer umbilical clip, put his first diaper on, and swaddle him up. Now due to Trig's medical issues there certainly would have been an exam done by a pediatrician as well as a pediatric cardiologist. I estimate these measures would have taken approximately 18 to 25 minutes. It seems quick because it is- they do these things bam-bam-bam.

So the time is now approximately 6:50.

Now, while they are clearing the baby's airways and cleaning them up, etc, they are watching mom to make sure the placenta is delivering properly, they'll sometimes press on mom's tummy to jumpstart things is they are stalled...one thing that plays a very large part of this scenario is the fact that Palin claimed to have had to be "induced". Pitocin is a nasty, nasty thing...it forces the body into the most wretched, soul-consuming contractions possible.

The pitocin has to be pulled back for the afterbirth because of the risk concerning uterine prolapse. So we can safely estimate that Palin was starting to expel the afterbirth just as Trig would have been swaddled up and possibly held by dad.

Assuming Palin took the least amount of time possible to expel her afterbirth and that she did not have any tearing (which she likely would have as such a petite woman having a pitocin induced labor) then we can add another 15-20 minutes.

The time is now approximately 7:10.

Palin's own narrative says the children came in "minutes after" the birth. Assuming she didn't make the children watch her afterbirthing...the children come in around 7:15. Supposedly Bristol, Willow, Piper, and of course Levi were there. And Track was on the phone. Even if we allot only 5-7 minutes per child to meet, hold, coo over, etc the new baby, that takes up around 25 minutes.

At some point, Trig will have had his second APGAR scoring. His glucose will be checked and his footprints will be taken. These things will add around 15-20 minutes.

So with kids visiting and holding/meeting the baby (and remember we know from Sarah's own telling to People magazine that each child held Trig right after birth- this is when Willow supposedly says he looks like he has DS- preposterous) and the additional tests and procedures Trig went through...we add about 40 minutes.

The time is now approximately 7:45.

DS babies are notorious for difficult feeding. Sarah herself has mentioned she breastfed Trig. With a DS baby there would have been a nurse or lactation consultant to help with Trig's first feed. In a healthy baby without DS, the first feed averages 40 minutes. It likely took closer to an hour but in the name of playing devil's advocate, we'll say 40 minutes.

The time is now approximately 8:25.

So allowing absolutely NO TIME whatsoever for Sarah to hold and cuddle her new baby nor change her blood and amniotic soaked bed linens...yes, she COULD have been sending emails at 8:30.

But truly- who among us believes that Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, lay in a bed soaked with blood, feces, fluid, mucous...and chose to send nondescript, unimportant emails...before changing her bed linens, using the restroom carefully, with a wash bottle and then putting on a chux pad...and again, not taking any time to just BE with her new baby...?

I can't believe I took the time to type all this out just so I could say once MORE...WHAT AN IDIOT.

Who would believe this??!

6:57 PM

Well I would like to thank you Anonymous 6:57 for being somebody who would take "the time type all this out" because you certainly made a very informative and helpful contribution to this discussion. 

In fact I really have nothing more to add.  You essentially said it all, and said it beautifully.

Thank you.

Wrapping up the Sarah Palin One Nation Bus Tour

It was a failure!  It proved she is still not presidential material.

She and her family showed up uninvited to the Rolling Thunder Rally, then pushed her way to the front of the motorcade.

The driver of her bus is a safety menace, almost killed a bicyclist.

Daughter Piper was rude to reporters and even body checked one.

Sarah lied or was ignorant about Paul Revere and who he was warning.

Sarah also upstaged Mitt Romney while he was announcing his presidential bid.

Todd and Bristol got the hell out of Dodge as soon as they could.

Sarah and Bristol left their children at home. Bad mothers.

The only thing Sarah and her family did on this trip was confirm they are still trash.

Reason #65 not to vote for Sarah Palin for anything

She has total disregard for her, her daughter's, other people's safety.

From Politico

SEABROOK, N.H. — Sarah Palin’s bus is plastered with a mock-up of the U.S. Constitution. But her entourage — both the three-vehicle motorcade that includes the bus and the smaller, two-SUV version she uses for smaller events — hasn’t been very respectful of traffic laws. They speed. They run red lights and stop signs. They make last-second lane changes to get off the highway, sometimes without signaling.

So do the reporters following them.

Journalists in the caravan trailing her “One Nation” tour bus describe the experience as harrowing, a rolling menace careening up the East Coast in hot pursuit of the former Alaska governor who declined to provide any advance itinerary of her tour over six days on the road.

As they left the clambake she attended Thursday in New Hampshire, Palin’s two-SUV caravan traveled at 52 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone as it peeled away from the hosts’ neighborhood. Both cars blew through a stop sign about a mile later. They did 70 mph in a 55 mph zone on I-95 — and then, after they got off, without signaling, flew right past a flashing sign informing them they were going 45 mph in a 35 mph zone.
And that was after they had already stormed the major cities — and just missed driving through a tornado on the road into Boston.

On Tuesday, the bus nearly hit a biker turning off of Pine Street in Philadelphia.

On Wednesday, after a police escort led the bus through a closed section of the Lincoln Tunnel, the bus ran at least two red lights racing up Sixth Avenue and through Columbus Circle in Midtown Manhattan. Before long, a cop pulled up, pointing out to the first reporter trailing the bus how many lights they were running. The reporter apologized — but begged to stick with the bus. The perplexed cop let him go.

On Thursday, the story was much the same. Palin’s two SUVs — used for minor events and tight spaces — braved the tiny, winding streets of Boston’s North End. And when the bus joined them, the trailing car in the entourage ran two red lights after the bus barely made it through the yellow, as did the media caravan, leaving behind a traffic jam for the locals.

The reporters who are speeding, tailgating, cutting off other cars, blasting through roundabouts and passing on the right in an effort to keep up, say they have no other choice since they never know what Palin’s up to or where she’s headed — and aides typically won’t tell them anything. Once they’re on the road, they’re filing urgent updates by phone and figuring out unorthodox bathroom breaks, like the reporter who pulled over to relieve himself on the side of the highway going from Gettysburg, Pa., to Philadelphia — drawing notice from both Palin aides and the rest of the trailing press.

“It’s like paparazzi,” said one reporter who followed Palin to the Thursday evening clambake. “It’s like following Princess Diana.”

This is fucking scary!  Do you want a woman like that in charge of our military and the red phone in the oval office?  I don't.  Sarah should also be reported to Child Protection Services for allowing Piper to ride with a driver like that.

Not only does Palin's bus tour do NOTHING to educate the American people about this country despite what she says, it also appears she is actively distracting others from learning anything about it.

The poor tour guide is doing his level best to teach these tourists something about the history of Bunker Hill, but Palin is disrespectfully keeping the crowd from hearing him by keeping the focus on her as she signs autographs using her daughter's back. (Apparently Piper got demoted from security detail to "handy writing surface.")

Perhaps if Palin were more interested in education she would not have mistakenly claimed that Paul Revere "warned the British that they weren't going to be taking away our arms by ringing those bells."

Warned the British?

Rang bells?

Take away our arms?

WTF?

Isn't there a third grade child around to correct this imbecile?

Or I guess she could just visit this educational site for children and learn the facts.

And it is in THIS woman's house that Willow Palin is supposed to get her education.  Not bloody likely.

Willow and Piper Palin are brats, you can thank Sarah and Todd for that.

According to Gryphen from Immoral Minority, Willow was suspended from Colony High School for misbehavior issues.  Grandma Sally Heath rounded up some of her retired teacher friends to home school Willow but Willow was so nasty with them they all quit, and Colony refused to re-admit her, so now you can label her a high school dropout.

Piper is enrolled at Cottonwood Elementary in the Mat-Su School District, but her attendance has been very poor (gee I wonder why) and according to staff there she has quite the Diva attitude. Her attendance has been so bad Cottonwood officials may have to kick her out as well. They have an attendance policy where if you miss too much you will be dropped from their enrollment roster.

Recently during Sarah's vacation/campaign tour Piper shoved a reporter.

Raw Video: Sarah Palin In Philly: MyFoxPHILLY.com

Kids learn their behavior from their parents, and Todd is quite the bully as you can see here and here. .

Sarah did have Piper apologize however:

CNN's Jeanne Moos shows video that nails Piper Palin's behavior during this "family vacation."

And as you can see that second exit from the hotel shows up in this montage, and is the ONLY portion which demonstrates Piper looking happy about the press.

(H/T to CNN)

Update: It looks like Piper is not the ONLY family member giving Sister Sarah sleepless nights:

But the White House hopeful is seemingly taking precautions ahead of her rumoured 2012 Presidential bid and has reportedly pulled her daughter Willow out of school.

The 47-year-old politician will home school the 16-year-old in a bid to keep her out of the spotlight, it has been claimed.

According to the National Enquirer, the former Alaska governor wants to keep any scandal involving her daughter to a minimum.

Willow hit the headlines in the past six months for making homophobic slurs and being caught speeding.

A source told the publication: 'Willow is a wild girl and Sarah fears any sort of screw-up on Willow's part could blow her campaign, so she has her under lockdown at their Wasilla home.'

'Sarah isn't doing this for Willow - she is doing it to protect her public image. The last thing she needs is another teenage daughter winding up pregnant', the insider added.

Willow is counting down the days until she can get away from her mom's supervision,' the insider shared. 'Her older sister Bristol has promised her that the minute she turns 18, she can move in with her.'

Of course those of you who visit here regularly already knew some of this information.

Did Sarah just redo her exit from the Hyatt Hotel in order to cover for Piper's rude behavior?

Fast forward to around 1:52 to see a happy, friendly Piper Palin exit through the doors of the Hyatt Hotel after visiting the Statue of Liberty, and happily interact with the reporters waiting to greet her mother.



Did you see that?  Did it look vaguely familiar?

Now watch this video which we all saw earlier today.

Sarah Palin In Jersey City: MyFoxNY.com

 Did that just happen?

THIS is what Sarah Palin considers an appropriate apology?

The "apology" starts at the 2:25 mark.

Sarah Palin In Jersey City: MyFoxNY.com

Okay I certainly hope that NOBODY is taking parenting cues from this woman.  Nothing about that demonstrated any sense of wrongdoing on either Piper of her mother's part, and it was clearly just an attempt to shut us up about it. (Hell they did not even bother to find the right journalist to "apologize" to!)

Look I am not going to berate Piper for what happened, she is clearly having one of the worst family vacations EVER!  But her mother is demonstrating a completely selfish attitude and essentially punishing her family for the fact that they were unfortunate enough to be born into her family.

I guess the rest of the kids, and Todd, are too fed up with Klondike Kardashian to allow her to use them as props anymore.  Poor Piper is the only one left without the good sense to pretend to have a stomach ache or to simply refuse to be seen in public with her crazy ass mother.

(H/T to My FoxNew York.)

Piper the Diaper gets a promotion from child care to security staff.

Raw Video: Sarah Palin In Philly: MyFoxPHILLY.com

I have to say that if this were MY child body checking an adult she would find herself on that RV so fast it would make her little head spin, and she would be getting a lecture on showing respect to her elders and basic good manners.

Of course I would NEVER have subjected my family to this three ring circus in the first place, since I am a REAL family values progressive, and not a pathetic phony like the Grizzled Mama.

Now for all of you who came over the other day to give me a hard time about reporting that Piper has been described as a "diva" at her school, what do you have to say now?

(If the video will not play you can try visiting here.)

Sarah Palin's appearance at the Rolling Thunder event was just as disruptive and disrespectful as was predicted. Updated!

Courtesy of Talking Points Memo:

"I'm very not appreciative of the way she came in here," Ted Shpak, Rolling Thunder's national legislative director, told Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post. "If she wanted to come on the ride, she should have come in the back." (Palin, instead, came in the front of the Pentagon's north parking lot, where event staff and press had gathered.)

Palin, along with her husband Todd and daughters Bristol and Piper, proceeded into D.C. on bikes from the Pentagon parking lot to the Vietnam Memorial and later to the National Mall. Palin reportedly planned to visit the National Archive to view the Constitution later in the day.

This was supposed to be a solemn event to honor our missing service and fallen warrirs, and instead Palin turned into a three ring circus.

Shameful.

Update: Oh my God!  Why in the hell did she need to write on her hand to ride a freaking motorcycle?

(H/T to Oliver Willis.)

Palin straps on her S&M gear and disrespectfully attempts to hijack event out from under veteran's group.

From Political Ticker:

She delivered her message on the National Mall as part of the "Rolling Thunder" rally in honor of Memorial Day. "Rolling Thunder" is a non-profit organization dedicated to the search for American military personnel who are prisoners of war or missing in action.

The former Alaska governor and potential 2012 presidential candidate thanked "Rolling Thunder" for making sure Americans "don't forget it's our vets whom we owe a debt of gratitude."

"I'm an American. I have no title. I have no office," Palin told CNN's Sandra Endo. "To be an American citizen with the freedom to come out here and assemble to thank you veterans, I can't tell you how honored I am to be invited to participate."

After driving on a motorcycle and walking on the Mall with her husband Todd and daughters Bristol and Piper, Palin met with veterans and families associated with the "Rolling Thunder" organization.

Shameless, self promoting bimbo! Every time I think she cannot go any lower she proves me wrong!

As if to prove what an absolute phony she is, Palin apparently wore HIGH HEELS while riding on the back of that motorcycle:

Palin also has taken no evident steps toward the on-the-ground organizing that's central to a real campaign. Yet as she walked through the steamy Pentagon parking lot in her heels and short-sleeved black T-shirt, it was obvious she still has her fans eager to snap pictures and get her signature.

Oh for God's sake! I am still amazed that people in this country are stupid enough to take this pathetic fraud seriously.

Oh by the way for those people who have been asking me where Willow has been all of this time, and WHY she is not accompanying Palin on these publicity jaunts, I have some new information for you.

I had a long conversation with a good friend in Wasilla, who informed me that Willow was essentially kicked out of Palmer's Colony High for disciplinary reasons.  My friend said that the Colony High principle is a dyed in the wool Palin-bot but that he simply could not keep her enrolled because she flatly refused to follow the disciplinary procedures required to be reinstated back into the school after she was suspended. (Sorry I don't know what the initial reason was for the suspension.)

However the drama does not end there, as the decision was then made to home school Willow.  Sally Heath was recruited to find retired teachers among her friends, willing to help Willow complete her assignments.

Apparently Willow has developed quite the attitude, and the potty mouth to go long with it, and has, as of this posting, gone through FOUR of Sally's friends and acquaintances.  My understanding is that Willow is so COMPLETELY disrespectful that these veteran teachers simply refuse to put up with her, regardless of the compensation provided.

I have also heard that Sarah is virtually NEVER in Wasilla, and Todd is only there sporadically, so there is really no structure provided and Willow has suffered, probably more than any of the others, from the neglect.

As for Piper she was attending Cottonwood Elementary where some had referred to as a "diva," and where she apparently missed almost as many classes as she was present for. I have no idea how much longer they will be able to keep her enrolled as I do believe there is minimal attendance requirement.

Concerning Trig I have heard nary a peep recently.  The last thing I heard of any interest was that he was turning into quite a handful and that Sarah had a family helping with his care when she was unable to be home.  Which lately has been almost constant.

And of course we all know what's up with Bristol.

So much for family values. I guess nobody ever explained to Sarah that these are thinking, feeling human beings, and NOT just handy political props.

Update:  Here is a picture of Palin doing that weird tongue she does, which makes everybody wonder if she is on medication.

BTW my source in Wasilla is a real Christian conservative who finds Palin's constant lies about her faith, family, and intelligence to be especially frustrating because it reflects so poorly on her own gender, her true Christian faith, and her long held political point of view.

Reason #7 not to vote for Sarah Palin for president

The way she raises her children