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.

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!

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.

For those who have been asking "Where's Willow!" Here's Willow.

This is amateur video taken during a "Celebrity Race" in Wasilla, on June 4th, which was the day after her mother was caught on camera arriving at an Arizona airport with Piper.

The Willow portion begins at the 10:20 mark, and includes a rather pathetic interview with the "Wild Child of Wasilla."  This video is not exactly earth shattering news or anything, but it does serve to prove that while Sarah hides out in Scottsdale, Arizona, part of her family is getting as far away from her after that ridiculous bus trip as possible while still remaining in North America.



I think Todd is here as well, but have heard of no sightings to confirm that so far. I have also not heard anything about Trig.

(Psst! Hey Willow! We are really counting on YOU to write the tell all story of your family.  You just let your Uncle Gryphen know when you are ready to start work on that, and I promise I will get you a book deal that will get you so much money it will make both your sister's and mother's book sales look pathetic by comparison. And you can take THAT to the bank!)

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:

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.

Willow news

According to TMZ, Willow Palin got a speeding ticket.  I wonder if she was driving herself to the hospital to deliver her baby. (snark)

http://darkredsecrets.blogspot.com/2011/05/willow-palin-busted-for-speeding-in.html

From The Immoral Minority: Shawn Christy responds to charges that he threaten...

Thank you to Gryphen at Immoral Minority for posting this. Shawn Christy is a young man who has been accused of stalking Sarah Palin

The Immoral Minority: Shawn Christy responds to charges that he threaten...: "Photo taken of Shawn Christy during February trip to Alaska I may not have mentioned this before but I am Facebook friends with Shawn. We..."

What's up with Willow?

According to Syrin Willow is no longer enrolled at Colony High School in Palmer.  Did she drop out or is taking homeschooling courses.  Could she be hiding beause she is knocked up?

So it is Bristol that is knocked up and not Willow?

I guess it doesn't really matter, the Palin girls (minus Piper, but eventually she will be) are just a bunch of skanky whores

While most people’s New Year’s resolutions usually include shedding a few pounds or quitting smoking, Bristol Palin reportedly has an entirely different plan for 2011–you think she’d feel burned but she apparently wants another baby with her new boyfriend, asap!
Is Bristol Palin the Lindsay Lohan of young pregnancy? ie she just doesn’t learn from her mistakes. It seems that the DWTS finalist Bristol Palin, 20, sure has been busy. Since making it to the reality show’s finale on Nov 23rd,  she’s been dating 20-year-old Alaska pipeline worker Giancinto “Gino” Paoletti , reports the National Enquirer.

What’s even more surprising than Sarah Palin’s daughter having a new love interest , is that the extremely vocal abstinence spokesperson, has recently changed her rhetoric when it comes to premarital sex. “Pause before you play,” Bristol now says in a teen-pregnancy advertisement that first aired in April.
“It could be pause and go get a condom or it could be pause and think about your life or it could even be pause and wait until marriage,” Bristol, the mom of 2 year-old son Tripp explained further to Good Morning America, last April 7th. Hmm, wonder how abstinence advocate Sarah, feels about that?
Although Bristol famously got pregnant by then-boyfriend Levi Johnston when she was just 16, that apparently hasn’t soured her on having another baby soon, according to the Enquirer’s source. “Bristol is dead serious about having another baby–and she hopes it will happen within the year,” says the source. “She wants to be married before giving birth again, and she is convinced Gino is the guy for her.”
Apparently, Mama Grizzly Sarah Palin is not happy about her oldest daughter’s new boyfriend–or the fact that she is hoping to have another baby so soon.  And for once, us Hollywoodlifers are totally on board with Sarah. Maybe the stress of being a single mom is just more than Bristol can handle – remember how she rushed into a second engagement to Levi, before he ran off to Hollywood. In any case, “Bristol doesn’t care,” about Sarah’s objections,  the source continues. “If defying her mom gets her what she wants, she’s happy to do it.”

Like Bristol, Gino grew up in Wasilla, Alaska. He now splits his time between Alaska and Arizona. When he’s not doing pipeline work, he dabbles in real estate. He helped Bristol sell her condo in Anchorage, and now he is helping her find a home near his in Arizona. They’ve known each other for years–and tongues are wagging that this is not the first time the two have reportedly hooked up. Last year, while Gino was dating another girl, he and Bristol reportedly had a fling, although he ended up getting back together with his girlfriend. While she was in New York for Thanksgiving, Bristol invited Gino to visit her. Gino told his then-girlfriend he was going to visit family, but when he got back to Alaska, he dumped his girlfriend and has been with Bristol ever since.
It seems that Bristol is not above the usual insecurities that come along with dating. When Gino recently went out of town, Bristol wrote on his Facebook page, “Don’t cheat!”

Is Willow Palin pregnant?

According to Alaska WTF she is

We’re hearing a hot rumor running through the Valley that plump Palin daughter Willow is with child. Those Palin bitches sure love cock don’t they?
Details coming soon (Maybe tonight !) to a tabloid near you!
Hint – Look for the initials GP.
Can’t wait to hear the excuse from Sarah. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

I wonder what they will name this one, Trapp?

Reason #7 not to vote for Sarah Palin for president

The way she raises her children

Homophobia runs in the Palin family

http://www.tmz.com/2010/12/05/bristol-palin-maragaret-cho-facebook-kd-lang-indigo-girls/

Someone needs to keep the Palin girls off Facebook -- this time it's Bristol posting an open letter to her "Dancing With the Stars" co-star Margaret Cho ... and making a gay "joke" at Margaret's expense.

Bristol responded to a blog Cho wrote this week that suggested Sarah Palin made Bristol do "DWTS" -- and that Sarah "harshly and openly" blames Bristol for costing her the election.

In Bristol's new post, which she wrote last night, she made her point in a few decently-worded paragraphs, but then decided to end things by saying that if Margaret understood conservative politics better, she "would embrace us faster than KD Lang at an Indigo Girls concert."

Reading between the lines ... KD Lang = lesbian. Indigo Girls = lesbian. Cho = lesbian.

But Bristol did say she's willing to let Cho babysit Tripp, so there's that.

I do not know who is writing Bristol's FB posts, could be Rebecca Ann Mansour, aka RAM, but the post sounds so juvenile who knows?