Our blog needed a little eye candy.
Troopergate: During a messy divorce from her sister and Mike Wooten, an Alaska state trooper, a then Gubernatorial Candidate, Sarah Palin overheard Mike make a death threat against her father. After a month, she e-mailed the Chief of the Alaska State Police to notify him that Wooten is a 'loose cannon'. An investigation soon took place, finding Wooten guilty of the following: death threat, shooting a moose without a permit (who hasn't done that?), inappropriate use of a taser (on his 11 yr old son), and on one occassion driving with an open bottle of beer while off duty. He was then suspended for five days. Few months later, Gov. Palin took office, and appointed Walter Monegan as Public Safety Commissioner. Todd Palin met with Monegan soon after to look into the "Wooten" issue. After doing so, he informed him nothing could be done. There were a dozen or so contacts over a 20 month period, made from Todd Palin and Gov. Palin's associates concerning the issue, none coming directly from Gov. Palin or ever asking Wooten to be fired.
In July 2008, Monegan was offered a position as director of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control board, but turned it down. Although he said it came 'out of the blue', he also stated "For the record, no one ever said fire Wooten. Not the governor. Not Todd. Not any of the other staff." It wasn't until after Gov. Palin becoming the VP candidate did his story change. There have been two separate investigations done looking into this, a bi-partisan legislative council and a state personnel board investigation. Legislative council did find Gov. Palin had overstepped her authority and abused an ethical guideline, but nothing illegal. They also have no authority to take action against her. The state personnel board is still investigating, and they have the actually authority to take necessary action.
Baby Mama Drama: After typing in "Sarah Palin" and scandal into Google, it brought up Troopergate, but then the majority of the other links were in reference to either her teenage pregnant daughter or her downs-syndrome infant, Trig. I find both of these 'scandals' ridiculous and won't give them more attention than they deserve.
Bridge to Nowhere: Before taking office in 2006, Alaska received a $442 million grant from the federal government to put towards 'transportation funding'. While running for Governor, she supported the bridges construction. But once she took office, she stopped the project, saying it had been 'inaccurately portrayed'. Instead of turning the money back over to the feds, she put it into other 'transportation projects', which includes a road now deemed, "The Road to Nowhere".
13 comments:
Why aren't people focusing more on the fact that her Brother In Law admitted to tazing his 11 year old step son? I'd be weary of any official who didn't stand up to that sort of abuse of power.
No fair putting the picture of Monegan below the picture of 'hot guy'! Talk about deflating the baking bread! I guess you meant to put people back in the mood to talk about Palin.
You didn't discuss what I've found to be a disturbing pattern with her, her abuse of power, mainly while she was mayor of Wasilla. Trying to fire the town librarian over the possibility of banning books (I know she didn't actually ban any, not after the uproar it caused.) Firing the police chief, partly because he wanted the bars closing earlier - 2am instead of 5am (she was against it) and he dared challenge her plan to allow concealed guns in bars and schools. Aren't those great places to be carrying?
Now I'm sure she had other reasons for letting these people go, but it does seem like a pattern here, and paired up with her extreme views on abortion, her belief that creationism should be taught in science class, her "perhaps so" Russia comment, and the book banning thing, she just seems too far to the right for mainstream America.
You may all attack me now...
Lula,
As a respector of God and persons, I would dare to disagree with you. How refreshing to have someone who would advocate for life via her views on abortion and creationism. I too believe that life begins at the time of conception and that we did not descend from monkeys, but rather were placed here by a loving God; in his own image. Go! Sara!
As for the comment about the brother-in-law tasing his son, the son asked his dad to do it so he would know what it felt like so the dad did it in "training mode" which is far less powerful. Granted he shouldn't have done that but everyone should at least know what context it was done under. He didn't just tase his son as a mode of discipline.
Perhaps I should clarify to ma'ama, that by extreme abortion views, I mean she believes that if a child gets pregnant by her father at say the age of twelve, she shouldn't have an abortion. Perhaps you agree with her. I, on the other hand, would not judge a person, in that case a child, anything I know absolutely nothing about. And I'd prefer my children's religious beliefs to be enhanced by their religious leaders, not by their science teachers. Science and religion do not belong together in the same public school classroom. It's called the separation of church and state. If you think it does, you must be from Kansas.
So ma'ama, you belive a 9 year old that is raped by her uncle should have to have her baby (that happened here in Idaho)? I am pro-life but if my 9 year old daughter were in this situation it would take a lot of counseling with my bishop and stake president before I could decide what to do so my daughter's life wasn't completely devasted physically, mentally and emotionally. Can a 9 year old even give birth? I would like to think I would keep my baby if I was raped and then got pregnant but who am I to say when I (thankfully) have not been put in that situation. To be raped is horrible enough but to get pregnant, I can't even imagine how devastating that would be. Who am I to say they have to carry their rapists baby for 9 months, give birth to it and then give it away. How heart breaking. Even the church says in those cases it is up to the the woman after much counseling.
I am disillusioned with all the candidates? I am conservative but feel as though I don't have a horse in this race. I think Mitt was my horse, and a mighty fine horse he was...........
Bryce and Mandy, I hadn't heard that side of it. It was always just presented as, he tazed his son. Thanks for the clarification.
Lula O....are you a democrat or would you consider yourself a liberal, moderate maybe? or do you hate labels? Just curious. You must have some mean conservatives where you live....do they attack?
I really like reading the comments. I wouldn't want my daughter if raped to have to give birth if she chose not to. Rape is just icky. Can I say that rapist should loose more then there freedom? AH hem.
Leave minors (family) out of politics.I believe that church and state should be seprate. Tasing your kid is bad. Ok I need to go pull the plank out of my eye.
Bray, I would consider myself a moderate Democrat in that I'm prolife, but I don't always vote the ticket. I try to look at all of the candidates, within reason, and make the best informed decisions I can (and blah, blah, blah, isn't that what everybody says...) But my background, does of course influence me, as it does most of us. And I have met a few extreme people over the years, one even refusing to speak to me again, purely based on an Obama sign hanging in my window, but she is an exception to the norm.
So my attack comment was a mildly sarcastic one. This is a conservative blog after all. Just trying to inject a little liberal love.
Lula,
I am glad we have your voice here. I hate it when people can't be friends when they have political disagreements. To me it nullifies the debate when people won't accept difference. From a historical perspective I come from Democrat ancestry (Hugh B. Brown) but I am conservative. I am more concerned about the our country and it's success than about a party or one or two specific ideaologies. Thanks for commenting and participating in our discussion.
Lula and Mandy,
I find it interesting that on my post about abortions you claim that somehow nothing will change in regard to the abortion issue. It hasn't in the past and that is why you are willing to vote for candidates that are pro-choice because you base your vote on other issues. YET, you are scared of Palin and her ultra right winged view on abortion, fearing for the 9 and 12 year olds. Really, how is she going to be more influential regarding these young girls and the issue of banning abortion with absolutely NO exceptions, but no one else can do a darn thing to change the current laws the other direction? I agree, it would be a scary thing. It would take much counseling with the bisop, stake president and possibly the 1st presidency to make the best decision. However, it seems you have contridicted yourself.
You keep saying elected leaders would remain politically neutral, however Obama stated to abortion rights activits, that the first thing he would do when he when elected president is to sign the "Freedom of Choice Act" which takes away all restrictions on abortions at the federal and state level, including the current ban on partial-birth abortions (you know when they half-way deliver a baby and then jab scissors into it's skull and kill it). So, apparantly there is room to move further to the left on the issue and Obama would not be politically neutral. So why not choose the person that would at least try to take it out of the judiciary and put it to the legislator.
So you're scared of Sarah Palin, but Barak is just fine......
Mandy, there are no graphic photos of babies. This is a link to an article written by a Princton Professor regarding Barak and abortions.
http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/viewarticle.php?selectedarticle=2008.10.14_George_Robert_Obama%27s%20Abortion%20Extremism_.xml
Jen, I think that the article you linked is so well written and articulated. Thanks for sharing it.
Lula, Mandy, Bray,
I'm glad you are still here. I lost this post for a day or two, having originally gotten here by clicking on several comments from other blogs. Hope I keep it now, I have enjoyed reading more posted by each of you here and on your own respective blogs.
Lula, no, not from Kansas: raised and educated in California, and Nevada, and college at BYU in Utah. Yes, I am conservative! My years in California helped me to realize how important my values are to me personally and to the raising of my family. I also have come to realize that I abhor abortion, for several personal reasons that I won't go in to. "There are worse things than death." I would add, "there are worse things than giving birth."
I do align with other conservatives with whom I have spoken, who realize the importance of 'safety and health of the Mother'. I don't know if the 9 yr old and 12 yr old examples are hypothetical or actual cases, however, if actual it not only saddens me, it horrifies me, and I feel that falls well in the category of 'health of the Mother'. I cannot think that the verbage of the opposition of Roe v. Wade is stated as to not include the safety and health of the Mother.
I'm with Bray, I want Romney back.
And that's my 2 cents worth for tonight. Thanks for the thread and the conversation.
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