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carpediem Donating Member (700 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 03:07 PM
Original message
Gathered info about Palin with sources
I plan on sending this to people as an email. Could you look at it and let me know if you think I've forgotten things, or if you think something is inaccurate. If you have better or more reputable links for items listed, let me know that also. My primary focus is to show some of the inconsistencies and hypocrisies of her record, but I want to be sure everything I have listed is based in fact. I intend to send this to my conservative family and friends as well as my democratic family and friends, and I don't want to be called on an untruth. If you have time and could look this over I'd greatly appreciate it. In particular I'm looking for a link to a news article that mentions the 20 million debt she left in Wasilla, I've seen it everywhere, but haven't been able to find an article from a news organization.

My kids have been at me all morning to run them to the park, so I will be out for a while. I promised when I was done I'd take them. I'll be checking back later. Thanks!

***************************** Email is below *********************************************************
I have spent some time compiling information and links to articles about Sarah Palin. I've divided it into sections and linked the articles where the information is from. Please read this, if she is unwilling to talk about her experiences with the press, it is up to the public to find the information to be sure we are informed before the election.

REFORMER:
Ted Stevens, currently under indictment for corruption: She helped found and direct the 527 group, "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc.,", she served as one of 3 directors. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/01/palin_was_a_director_of_embatt.html

Endorsed by Ted Stevens for Governor in the following ad which was scrubbed from her site once she was named VP candidate, but was placed on Youtube before it was scrubbed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o46YdvT3lwQ


GOVERNING STYLE:
Mayor:
(all below info from this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/us/politics/03wasilla.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp)
* No one allowed to talk to press. Unheard of before she got there.
* Wanted to ban some books at the library. The librarian refused. She fired the librarian. People protested and she was forced to hire her back.
* Fired or asked to resign: the public works director, city planner, museum director and others, because they publicly backed Mr. Stein, the previous mayor. This had never been done before.
* Campaigned on lowering the mayoral salary, which she did, $68,000 to 64,000, but then hired a city manager at a salary of $60,000, a net loss of $56,000 for the city. No previous mayor needed a city manager to help them do their job.


BRIDGE TO NOWHERE:
* Bridge to nowhere: She campaigned saying the bridge to nowhere should be built.
question she received while running: "5. Would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges?
her answer: Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now--while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/04/politics/animal/main4414049.shtml

* She wasn't in a position as Governor to tell Congress anything about the bridge because Congress had already eliminated the requirement that the funds be spent on the bridge in 2005. But the funding for the bridge was still given to the state of Alaska to spend as they saw fit. (also from previous link)

Here is her statement about the bridge from Sept. 21, 2007 (this doesn't sound like a principled rejection):
"Ketchikan desires a better way to reach the airport, but the $398 million bridge is not the answer,” said Governor Palin. “Despite the work of our congressional delegation, we are about $329 million short of full funding for the bridge project, and it’s clear that Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and Gravina Island,” Governor Palin added. “Much of the public’s attitude toward Alaska bridges is based on inaccurate portrayals of the projects here. But we need to focus on what we can do, rather than fight over what has happened.” http://74.125.95.104/search?q=cache:RL3FJAhN1ksJ:gov.state.ak.us/archive.php%3Fid%3D623%26type%3D1+%22Ketchikan+desires+a+better+way+to+reach+the+airport,+but+the+%24398+million+bridge+is+not+the+answer&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us&client=firefox-a

* The state is still building a road on Gravina Island to a beach where the bridge would have gone because otherwise they would have had to return that money to the federal government.
http://www.adn.com/sarahpalin/story/511471.html


HYPOCRISY REGARDING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS:
Nomination acceptance speech: "To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House."

TRUTH: Palin actually slashed funding for schools for special needs kids by 62%.
FY 2007 (pre-Palin): http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/07_OMB/budget/EED/comp2735.pdf
FY 2008: http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/08_OMB/budget/EED/comp2735.pdf
FY 2009: http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/09_omb/budget/EED/comp2735.pdf


EARMARKS:
She says she is against earmarks, but
* As Mayor she hired a Washington lobbyist to get earmarks for Wasilla. By the time she left office the she and the lobbyist had gotten $27 million in earmarks from the federal government.
* As Governor she submitted $250 million in earmark requests in 2007 and has submitted $197 million in earmark requests in 2008.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008154532_webpalin02m.html

* Palin's earmarks have been called out by McCain on his "pork lists" of objectionable spending.
* In 2008, Palin wrote favorably about earmarks in a newspaper article. "The federal budget, in its various manifestations, is incredibly important to us, and congressional earmarks are one aspect of this relationship,"
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-earmarks3-2008sep03,0,6145252.story

* See what Palin thought of her success in getting earmarks for Wasilla:
www. washingtonindependent .com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/council-scribble.jpg (I left this without the url so the image wouldn't be in the post, it is very large - it is the image of the article on earmarks and her handwritten note saying "we did well")


FISCAL CONSERVATIVE OR NOT:
* Wasilla sports complex. As mayor she fought to have a sports complex built and raised sales taxes on everything, including food, to raise the money for it.
* The sports complex was started and built on land the city didn't have clear title to.
* The owner of the land sued the city for payment and the city ended up paying over 1.3 million to him for the land and the legal fees, instead of the $125,000 the city had originally thought it would pay.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122065537792905483.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/matsu/story/9055227p-8971221c.html

*She left Wasilla $20 million in debt after being Mayor. When she became Mayor they had a surplus.


EXTREMIST VIEWS:
* Against sex education - only supports abstinence only education - http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/01/1320417.aspx (Note on this page, it links to the Eagle Forum Blog where her answers to these questions, posed by them were posted. I saw it 3 days ago when I followed the link. At this time the link is broken as are several other links regarding Sarah Palin's views and record, the McCain campaign has been removing the ones they think don't reflect well on her) Here is a link to a google cache of the page as it appeared before it was scrubbed: http://salon.glenrose.net/img/Eagle%20Forum%20Alaska%202006%20Gubernatorial%20Candidate%20Questionnaire.htm

* Against abortion in all cases including rape and incest, unless the mother's life is in mortal danger - when asked while running for Governor what she would do if her daughter was raped, Alaska having a rape rate 2.2 times the national average, she said "I would choose life." http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/elections/2006/governor/story/8372383p-8266781c.html

* Fired the police chief while mayor. He had tried to move the closing time of the bars from 5 am to 2 am and wanted restrictions on the concealed carry law, which angered the NRA. He also was a supporter of the previous mayor. http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5713866

* Is for teaching creationism in public schools (along with evolution). http://community.adn.com/adn/node/102978

* Against stem-cell research http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2008/08/sarah_palin_on.html

* Recently said God supports the U.S. war against Iraq.
http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/thesearch/archive/2008/09/05/sarah-palin-her-religion.aspx
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122048406528596987.html


WILDLIFE:
* Supports the practice of aerial hunting of bears and wolves even though it is against federal law. See what this is here: http://current.com/items/88804691_aerial_hunting_of_wolves_in_alaska
https://secure.defenders.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=c406_090308palinwolf
http://dwb.adn.com/front/story/9253882p-9168881c.html

* Offered bounty to hunters for left foreleg of dead wolves. http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/story/8726730p-8628810c.html

* Suing the federal government to have polar bears removed from the endangered species list http://www.adn.com/polarbears/story/413710.html
See what is happening to polar bears here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9DAvL6DhIk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1cyUmx5htA&feature=related


OTHER INTERESTING FACTS - ODDITIES:
* When asked about her foreign travel, a Palin spokeswoman said she had traveled to Kuwait, Iraq and Ireland. The Ireland visit was only a refueling stop.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0908/Palins_stopover.html?showall

* She had to get a passport, she didn't already have one, when she visited the Alaska National Guard in Iraq. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/us/politics/30veep.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

* Wondered on Kudlow what exactly a Vice President does every day? See video of Palin asking this: http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0808/Palin_wonders_what_is_it_exactly_that_the_VP_does_every_day.html

* Thought the phrase 'Under God' (which I like by the way) was in the original Pledge of Allegience. It was actually added in 1954.
http://salon.glenrose.net/img/Eagle%20Forum%20Alaska%202006%20Gubernatorial%20Candidate%20Questionnaire.htm (question 11)





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underpants Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 03:08 PM
Response to Original message
1. If this helps
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carpediem Donating Member (700 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 06:54 PM
Response to Reply #1
20. Wow, great link and resource, I would have saved myself
a lot of time had I known about it. Thanks!
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marlakay Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 03:11 PM
Response to Original message
2. check out this diary on dailykos from an alaskan
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/6/131034/6917/752/589102

It is written without any baby, daughter stuff in it to give info to politics in Alaska from 1980 onward.
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carpediem Donating Member (700 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 06:55 PM
Response to Reply #2
21. thanks for this, I haven't gotten to read every bit of it yet, since
I just got in, but I'll be finishing it in a bit. It looks like a great perspective and resource.
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speedoo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 03:12 PM
Response to Original message
3. K&R. Looks great. Thanks.
I will try to study it and see if I can help.
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Gabi Hayes Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 03:15 PM
Response to Original message
4. watch out for the budget cuts for special needs education. that's in dispute, and pugs will
VIOLENTLY attack that assertion, as did Stephen Hayes on MSNBC the other day

claim is that it's being funded at 50K more per student under a new budget classification. it's in a thread here, but is controversial, meaning pugs will try to spin it to their advantage

watch for the screams when/if dems bring it up on TV. I'll bet they don't, cause it'll be a pug talking point to dispute it, and unprepared dems will look bad when pugs answer with 'detailed' refutation, if they don't have equally detailed comeback of their own
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Gabi Hayes Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 03:16 PM
Response to Reply #4
5. that said, great compilation....sending it on via email. K and R...on to the GP
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carpediem Donating Member (700 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 06:56 PM
Response to Reply #4
22. I'll take that out then. thanks, I didn't know it was currently in dispute.
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kestrel91316 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 03:19 PM
Response to Original message
6. Uh oh. The DU PC Police are gonna rip into you.
Didn't you hear? Palin is "irrelevant" and anyone who criticizes her is "stupid".
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Blue_In_AK Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 03:20 PM
Response to Original message
7. Carpediem, if you haven't yet
go here http://www.progressivealaska.blogspot.com/ and read the entries over the past week. It should give you a real clear idea of her record in Alaska without spin from Outside sources.
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carpediem Donating Member (700 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 07:03 PM
Response to Reply #7
23. I really like this link with the descriptions and links to others as
well. I'll need to spend some time there to gather more perspective. I'm thinking it may be a good idea to include a link to some of the blogs posted by Alaskans and probably to the letter from Anne Kilkenny as well in my email. Thanks!
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Blue_In_AK Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 10:08 PM
Response to Reply #23
39. We're such a small state population-wise (650,000 or so)
that everybody knows everybody. I met Sarah Palin myself two years ago when she was out on the corner campaigning on election day. She seemed just like the rest of us -- just another down-home Alaska girl. It's just so weird to have her thrust into the spotlight like this, and especially with this partisan thing that they've got her doing. That hasn't been the way she's played here at all.
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KaryninMiami Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 03:22 PM
Response to Original message
8. Excellent- thank you! K&R-
Maybe we can use these and all write some LITEs to our local papers? Just a thought.
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QueenOfCalifornia Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 03:22 PM
Response to Original message
9. She left the city with huge debt
When She was the Mayor the population was around 5,400 residents
Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a "fiscal conservative". During her 6
years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over
33%. The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration
weren't enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed
money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million -
That adds up to 4,075 dollars per person -
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Cheap_Trick Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 03:24 PM
Response to Original message
10. That rabid little poodle
is crazier than a soup sandwich.
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chill_wind Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 03:32 PM
Response to Original message
11. Get this file, too: (DU Link) Nice neat package of Talking Points to GO.
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carpediem Donating Member (700 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 07:08 PM
Response to Reply #11
24. thanks for this. 63 pages, that will take me a while, I think, but
it looks to have a lot of information. I'm having a problem right now with acrobat, so I'll need to restart and come back around to it in a bit.
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chill_wind Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Sep-07-08 01:15 AM
Response to Reply #24
41. It's good, and you're doing an excellent job, too. Stuff like this takes
a lot of time and diligence. Thank you for doing it.
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kath Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 04:12 PM
Response to Original message
12. Sha thought the Pledge of Allegiance was written by the Founders.
talk about ignorant...

"under God" was added in 1954.

(why do you "like it", BTW -- our government is supposed to be secular. The Founders deliberately left God out of the Constitution.

You also forgot to mention that she has ties to religious groups with extremist, THEOCRATIC views.
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carpediem Donating Member (700 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 07:15 PM
Response to Reply #12
25. I'll make that change and make it clearer. I phrased that badly,
by the time I got to the end, I was rushing. As for liking it, that is for my mother-in-law, I didn't want to appear to be attacking the pledge as that is not my purpose in this email.

I toyed with the religious groups part, but I do think you're right and it should be added. I'll work on that.
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hootinholler Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 04:16 PM
Response to Original message
13. Under God incorrect.
She not only thought it was there from the start, she thought the founding fathers wrote the pledge:

"SP: Not on your life. If it was good enough for the founding fathers, its good enough for me and I’ll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance."

-Hoot
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WeDidIt Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 04:19 PM
Response to Original message
14. PLEASE REPOST AS STRAIGHT TEXT!!!!
The lionks truncate and don't work when you copy and paste from your post window.
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carpediem Donating Member (700 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 07:31 PM
Response to Reply #14
28. Straight text. I'll be making some of the suggested changes though
and they aren't all reflected here yet. Once I finish later
I'll repost it. I did quickly delete the info about cutting
funding for special needs children, due to the dispute
mentioned in a reply and changed the wording regarding the
pledge to make it more accurate. 

*********************************************************************************
I have spent some time compiling information and links to
articles about Sarah Palin. I've divided it into sections and
linked the articles where the information is from. Please read
this, if she is unwilling to talk about her experiences with
the press, it is up to the public to find the information to
be sure we are informed before the election.

REFORMER?

Ted Stevens, currently under indictment for corruption:  She
helped found and direct the 527 group, "Ted Stevens
Excellence in Public Service, Inc.,", she served as one
of 3 directors.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/01/palin_was_a_director_of_embatt.html

Endorsed by Ted Stevens for Governor in the following ad which
was scrubbed from her site once she was named VP candidate,
but was placed on Youtube before it was scrubbed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o46YdvT3lwQ


GOVERNING STYLE:
Mayor:
all below info from this article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/us/politics/03wasilla.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp
*  No one allowed to talk to press. Unheard of before she got
there.
*  Wanted to ban some books at the library. The librarian
refused. She fired the librarian. People protested and she was
forced to hire her back.
*  Fired or asked to resign: the public works director, city
planner, museum director and others, because they publicly
backed Mr. Stein, the previous mayor. This had never been done
before.
*  Campaigned on lowering the mayoral salary, which she did,
$68,000 to 64,000, but then hired a city manager at a salary
of $60,000, a net loss of $56,000 for the city. No previous
mayor needed a city manager to help them do their job.


BRIDGE TO NOWHERE:
* Bridge to nowhere: She campaigned saying the bridge to
nowhere should be built.
question she received while running: "5. Would you
continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina
Island bridges?
her answer: Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure
projects built sooner rather than later. The window is
now--while our congressional delegation is in a strong
position to assist."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/04/politics/animal/main4414049.shtml

* She wasn't in a position as Governor to tell Congress
anything about the bridge because Congress had already
eliminated the requirement that the funds be spent on the
bridge in 2005. But the funding for the bridge was still given
to the state of Alaska to spend as they saw fit. (same source
as above)

Here is her statement about the bridge from Sept. 21, 2007
(this doesn't sound like a principled rejection):
"Ketchikan desires a better way to reach the airport, but
the $398 million bridge is not the answer,” said Governor
Palin. “Despite the work of our congressional delegation, we
are about $329 million short of full funding for the bridge
project, and it’s clear that Congress has little interest in
spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and
Gravina Island,” Governor Palin added. “Much of the public’s
attitude toward Alaska bridges is based on inaccurate
portrayals of the projects here. But we need to focus on what
we can do, rather than fight over what has happened.”
http://74.125.95.104/search?q=cache:RL3FJAhN1ksJ:gov.state.ak.us/archive.php%3Fid%3D623%26type%3D1+%22Ketchikan+desires+a+better+way+to+reach+the+airport,+but+the+%24398+million+bridge+is+not+the+answer&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us&client=firefox-a

* The state is still building a road on Gravina Island to a
beach where the bridge would have gone because otherwise they
would have had to return that money to the federal government.
http://www.adn.com/sarahpalin/story/511471.html


EARMARKS:
She says she is against earmarks, but
* As Mayor she hired a Washington lobbyist to get earmarks for
Wasilla. By the time she left office the she and the lobbyist
had gotten $27 million in earmarks from the federal
government.
* As Governor she submitted $250 million in earmark requests
in 2007 and has submitted $197 million in earmark requests in
2008.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008154532_webpalin02m.html

* Palin's earmarks have been called out by McCain on his
"pork lists" of objectionable spending.
* In 2008, Palin wrote favorably about earmarks in a newspaper
article. "The federal budget, in its various
manifestations, is incredibly important to us, and
congressional earmarks are one aspect of this
relationship,"
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-earmarks3-2008sep03,0,6145252.story

* See what Palin thought of her success in getting earmarks
for Wasilla:
http://www.washingtonindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/council-scribble.jpg


FISCAL CONSERVATIVE OR NOT:
* Wasilla sports complex. As mayor she fought to have a sports
complex built and raised sales taxes on everything, including
food, to raise the money for it.
* The sports complex was started and built on land the city
didn't have clear title to.
* The owner of the land sued the city for payment and the city
ended up paying over 1.3 million to him for the land and the
legal fees, instead of the $125,000 the city had originally
thought it would pay.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122065537792905483.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/matsu/story/9055227p-8971221c.html

*She left Wasilla $20 million in debt after being Mayor. When
she became Mayor they had a surplus.


EXTREMIST VIEWS:
* Against sex education - only supports abstinence only
education -
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/01/1320417.aspx
(Note on this page, it links to the Eagle Forum Blog where her
answers to these questions, posed by them were posted. I saw
it 3 days ago when I followed the link. At this time the link
is broken as are several other links regarding Sarah Palin's
views and record, the McCain campaign has been removing the
ones they think don't reflect well on her) Here is a link to a
google cache of the page as it appeared before it was
scrubbed:
http://salon.glenrose.net/img/Eagle%20Forum%20Alaska%202006%20Gubernatorial%20Candidate%20Questionnaire.htm

* Against abortion in all cases including rape and incest,
unless the mother's life is in mortal danger - when asked
while running for Governor what she would do if her daughter
was raped, Alaska having a rape rate 2.2 times the national
average, she said "I would choose life."
http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/elections/2006/governor/story/8372383p-8266781c.html

* Fired the police chief while mayor. He had tried to move the
closing time of the bars from 5 am to 2 am and wanted
restrictions on the concealed carry law, which angered the
NRA. He also was a supporter of the previous mayor.   
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5713866

* Is for teaching creationism in public schools (along with
evolution). http://community.adn.com/adn/node/102978

* Against stem-cell research
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2008/08/sarah_palin_on.html

* Recently said God supports the U.S. war against Iraq.
 http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/thesearch/archive/2008/09/05/sarah-palin-her-religion.aspx
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122048406528596987.html


WILDLIFE:
* Supports the practice of aerial hunting of bears and wolves
even though it is against federal law. See what this is here: 
 http://current.com/items/88804691_aerial_hunting_of_wolves_in_alaska
https://secure.defenders.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=c406_090308palinwolf
http://dwb.adn.com/front/story/9253882p-9168881c.html

* Offered bounty to hunters for left foreleg of dead wolves.
http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/story/8726730p-8628810c.html

* Suing the federal government to have polar bears removed
from the endangered species list  
http://www.adn.com/polarbears/story/413710.html
See what is happening to polar bears here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9DAvL6DhIk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1cyUmx5htA&feature=related


OTHER INTERESTING FACTS - ODDITIES:
* When asked about her foreign travel, a Palin spokeswoman
said she had traveled to Kuwait, Iraq and Ireland. The Ireland
visit was only a refueling stop.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0908/Palins_stopover.html?showall

* She had to get a passport, she didn't already have one, when
she visited the Alaska National Guard in Iraq.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/us/politics/30veep.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

* Wondered on Kudlow what exactly a Vice President does every
day? See video of Palin asking this:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0808/Palin_wonders_what_is_it_exactly_that_the_VP_does_every_day.html

* Thought the founding fathers wrote the Pledge and that the
phrase 'Under God' (which I like by the way) was in the
original Pledge of Allegience. The pledge was written in the
1890's and the phrase 'Under God' was added in 1954.
http://salon.glenrose.net/img/Eagle%20Forum%20Alaska%202006%20Gubernatorial%20Candidate%20Questionnaire.htm
(question 11)






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carpediem Donating Member (700 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Sep-07-08 12:45 PM
Response to Reply #14
46. REPOST with edits in straight text
Edited on Sun Sep-07-08 12:59 PM by carpediem
I have spent some time compiling information and links to
articles about Sarah Palin. I've divided it into sections and
linked the articles where the information is from. Please read
this, if she is unwilling to talk about her experiences with
the press, it is up to the public to find the information to
be sure we are informed before the election.

REFORMER?

* Ted Stevens, currently under indictment for corruption:  She
helped found and direct the 527 group, "Ted Stevens
Excellence in Public Service, Inc.,", she served as one
of 3 directors.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/01/palin_was_a_director_of_embatt.html

* Endorsed by Ted Stevens for Governor in the following ad
which was scrubbed from her site once she was named VP
candidate, but was placed on Youtube before it was scrubbed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o46YdvT3lwQ

* The lobbyist she hired while Mayor had close ties to Ted
Stevens and Don Young.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/01/AR2008090103148.html


GOVERNING STYLE:
Mayor:
all below info from this article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/us/politics/03wasilla.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp
*  No one allowed to talk to press. Unheard of before she got
there.
*  Wanted to ban some books at the library. The librarian
refused. She fired the librarian. People protested and she was
forced to hire her back. (also here:
http://www.frontiersman.com/articles/2008/09/06/breaking_news/doc48c1c8a60d6d9379155484.txt)
*  Fired or asked to resign: the public works director, city
planner, museum director and others, because they publicly
backed Mr. Stein, the previous mayor. This had never been done
before.
*  Campaigned on lowering the mayoral salary, which she did,
$68,000 to 64,000, but then hired a city manager at a salary
of $60,000, a net loss of $56,000 for the city. No previous
mayor needed a city manager to help them do their job.
* Article regarding her governing style:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080905/pl_politico/13190

* As a new mayor she asked officials to quit as a loyalty
test: (link to scan of the newspaper article in Daily Sitka
Sentinel)
http://idly.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/palin_loyalty_test.png

BRIDGE TO NOWHERE:
* Bridge to nowhere: She campaigned saying the bridge to
nowhere should be built.
question she received while running: "5. Would you
continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina
Island bridges?
her answer: Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure
projects built sooner rather than later. The window is
now--while our congressional delegation is in a strong
position to assist."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/04/politics/animal/main4414049.shtml

* She wasn't in a position as Governor to tell Congress
anything about the bridge because Congress had already
eliminated the requirement that the funds be spent on the
bridge in 2005. But the funding for the bridge was still given
to the state of Alaska to spend as they saw fit.

Here is her statement about the bridge from Sept. 21, 2007
(this doesn't sound like a principled rejection):
"Ketchikan desires a better way to reach the airport, but
the $398 million bridge is not the answer,” said Governor
Palin. “Despite the work of our congressional delegation, we
are about $329 million short of full funding for the bridge
project, and it’s clear that Congress has little interest in
spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and
Gravina Island,” Governor Palin added. “Much of the public’s
attitude toward Alaska bridges is based on inaccurate
portrayals of the projects here. But we need to focus on what
we can do, rather than fight over what has happened.”
http://74.125.95.104/search?q=cache:RL3FJAhN1ksJ:gov.state.ak.us/archive.php%3Fid%3D623%26type%3D1+%22Ketchikan+desires+a+better+way+to+reach+the+airport,+but+the+%24398+million+bridge+is+not+the+answer&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us&client=firefox-a

* The state is still building a road on Gravina Island to a
beach where the bridge would have gone because otherwise they
would have had to return that money to the federal government.
http://www.adn.com/sarahpalin/story/511471.html


EARMARKS:
She says she is against earmarks, but
* As Mayor she hired a Washington lobbyist to get earmarks for
Wasilla. By the time she left office the she and the lobbyist
had gotten $27 million in earmarks from the federal
government.
* As Governor she submitted $250 million in earmark requests
in 2007 and has submitted $197 million in earmark requests in
2008.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008154532_webpalin02m.html

* Palin's earmarks have been called out by McCain on his
"pork lists" of objectionable spending.
* In 2008, Palin wrote favorably about earmarks in a newspaper
article. "The federal budget, in its various
manifestations, is incredibly important to us, and
congressional earmarks are one aspect of this
relationship,"
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-earmarks3-2008sep03,0,6145252.story

* See what Palin thought of her success in getting earmarks
for Wasilla:
http://www.washingtonindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/council-scribble.jpg


FISCAL CONSERVATIVE OR NOT:
* Wasilla sports complex. As mayor she fought to have a sports
complex built and raised sales taxes on everything, including
food, to raise the money for it.
* The sports complex was started and built on land the city
didn't have clear title to.
* The owner of the land sued the city for payment and the city
ended up paying over 1.3 million to him for the land and the
legal fees, instead of the $125,000 the city had originally
thought it would pay.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122065537792905483.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/matsu/story/9055227p-8971221c.html

*She left Wasilla $20 million in debt after being Mayor. When
she became Mayor they had a surplus.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12987.html


EXTREMIST VIEWS:
* Against sex education - only supports abstinence only
education -
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/01/1320417.aspx
(Note on this page, it links to the Eagle Forum Blog where her
answers to these questions, posed by them were posted. I saw
it 3 days ago when I followed the link. At this time the link
is broken as are several other links regarding Sarah Palin's
views and record, the McCain campaign has been removing the
ones they think don't reflect well on her) Here is a link to a
google cache of the page as it appeared before it was
scrubbed:
http://salon.glenrose.net/img/Eagle%20Forum%20Alaska%202006%20Gubernatorial%20Candidate%20Questionnaire.htm

* Against abortion in all cases including rape and incest,
unless the mother's life is in mortal danger - when asked
while running for Governor what she would do if her daughter
was raped, Alaska having a rape rate 2.2 times the national
average, she said "I would choose life."
http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/elections/2006/governor/story/8372383p-8266781c.html

* Fired the police chief while mayor. He had tried to move the
closing time of the bars from 5 am to 2 am and wanted
restrictions on the concealed carry law, which angered the
NRA. He also was a supporter of the previous mayor.  Both the
NRA and    http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5713866

* Is for teaching creationism in public schools (along with
evolution). http://community.adn.com/adn/node/102978

* Against stem-cell research
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2008/08/sarah_palin_on.html

* Recently said God supports the U.S. war against Iraq.
 http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/thesearch/archive/2008/09/05/sarah-palin-her-religion.aspx
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122048406528596987.html

* Believes building a Natural Gas Pipeline is 'God's Will': “I
think God’s will has to be done in unifying people and
companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palins-church-may-have-sh_n_123205.html

* While Palin was in attendence at her church a visiting
speaker described terrorist attacks on Israelis as God's
"judgment of unbelief" of Jews who haven't embraced
Christianity.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13098.html

* Her pastor said “And if Zephaniah were here today,” Kroon
bellowed, “he’d be saying, ‘Listen, [God] is gonna deal with
all the inhabitants of the earth. He is gonna strike out His
hand against, yes, Wasilla; and Alaska; and the United States
of America. There’s no exceptions here — there’s none. It’s
all.’”
http://wasillabible.org/sermon_files/2008_Sermons/wbc080720.mp3
http://www.wasillabible.org/sermon_files/2008_Transcripts/Sin%20is%20Personal%20to%20God.doc


ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE:
* Supports the practice of aerial hunting of bears and wolves
even though it is against federal law. See what this is here: 
 http://current.com/items/88804691_aerial_hunting_of_wolves_in_alaska
https://secure.defenders.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=c406_090308palinwolf
http://dwb.adn.com/front/story/9253882p-9168881c.html

* Offered bounty to hunters for left foreleg of dead wolves.
http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/story/8726730p-8628810c.html

* Suing the federal government to have polar bears removed
from the endangered species list  
http://www.adn.com/polarbears/story/413710.html
See what is happening to polar bears here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9DAvL6DhIk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1cyUmx5htA&feature=related

* In the face of overwhelming scientific findings, she doesn't
believe climate change is man-made.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/palin-the-real-scandal-920803.html

* In support of open cast coal mining to Alaska's Brooks Range
Mountains
wikipedia entry on open cast mining (surface mining)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_mining
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/palin-the-real-scandal-920803.html

* Her administration allowed Chevron to triple the amount of
toxic waste it pours into the waters of Cook Inlet. This, even
though the number of beluga whales in the bay has collapsed
from 1,300 to 350 – the point of extinction – because of
pollution and increased ship traffic.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/palin-the-real-scandal-920803.html

* Dismisses alternative energy: "alternative-energy
solutions are far from imminent and would require more than 10
years to develop."
http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/aug/16/alaska_gov_wants_tap_oil_resources51051/


TROOPERGATE:
* News report from Alaska for background:  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UojMnCgqVA

* Palin is under investigation for firing Walter Monegan while
Governor. Monegan claims he was fired because he didn't fire
Palins ex-brother-in-law.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-trooper6-2008sep06,0,3632293.story
* Palin originally said she "welcomed" the
investigation.
http://www.adn.com/legislature/story/471366.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pak-rH0dCeA

* Now her lawyer is challenging the authority of the
bi-partisan legislative group that is investigating her.
* Seven witnesses who were supposed to testify may now need to
be subpoenaed after they failed to show.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-trooper6-2008sep06,0,3632293.story

* Claims executive privilege in not releasing her emails as
Governor. Yet her husband who serves no official role is
copied on many of these communications.
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=8802680


ALASKAN INDEPENDENCE PARTY
* Palin gave a speech in support of AIP to their convention -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwvPNXYrIyI
* Todd Palin was a member of AIP for several years
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Palin
* AIP Vice-Chairman in a speech speaks about Palin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NK2sFJebGc (at 6 minutes in)


THE STATE PLANE NOT SOLD ON EBAY
* McCain claimed she took the plane and "sold it on eBay
-- and made a profit!" at a speech in WI on Sept 5, 2008
* The plane was on ebay, but the one serious offer they had
fell through when the state hesitated on the terms. It was
sold to a businessman through a broker at a loss.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/05/plane_not_sold_on_ebay.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/25/us/25jet.html?_r=1&oref=slogin


PALIN USED STATE FUNDS TO TRAVEL AND GIVE A SPEECH AT HER
CHURCH:
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/51956.html


OTHER INTERESTING FACTS - ODDITIES - LINKS:
* When asked about her foreign travel, a Palin spokeswoman
said she had traveled to Kuwait, Iraq and Ireland. The Ireland
visit was only a refueling stop.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0908/Palins_stopover.html?showall

* She had to get a passport, she didn't already have one, when
she visited the Alaska National Guard in Iraq.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/us/politics/30veep.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

* Wondered on Kudlow what exactly a Vice President does every
day? See video of Palin asking this:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0808/Palin_wonders_what_is_it_exactly_that_the_VP_does_every_day.html

* Thought the founding fathers wrote the Pledge and that the
phrase 'Under God' was in the original Pledge of Allegience.
The pledge was written in the 1890's and the phrase 'Under
God' was added in 1954.
http://salon.glenrose.net/img/Eagle%20Forum%20Alaska%202006%20Gubernatorial%20Candidate%20Questionnaire.htm
(question 11)

* Her state's proximity to Alaska has been cited by the McCain
campaign as foreign policy credential. The campaign can't come
up with any relations she has had with Russia. She has never
traveled there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zP8uFPWxaA
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/04/politics/animal/main4414663.shtml

* A blog by an Alaskan
http://mudflats.wordpress.com/

* A letter from someone who knows Sarah Palin (Anne Kilkenny):
http://community.adn.com/adn/node/130537
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me b zola Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 04:31 PM
Response to Original message
15. Terrific post
I would love to have the links to her speaking at the AIP, and the audio of the guy who heads the AIP saying how he hates America and her flag.
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mrJJ Donating Member (657 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 08:56 PM
Response to Reply #15
38. Alaska Independence Party - Part 1
Heres an AIP member stating Palin was a member.. time frame 6 minutes. The 8 min 20 sec spot is interesting; as others on DU have stated.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NK2sFJebGc


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me b zola Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 11:02 PM
Response to Reply #38
40. Thank you
:hi:
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Warren Stupidity Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 04:32 PM
Response to Original message
16. also thought that the founding fathers recited the pledge
when in fact the pledge originated in the late 1890's and wasn't adopted as an official oath until the 1940s.

Great Job. This needs to be widely circulated.
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abumbyanyothername Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 04:42 PM
Response to Original message
17. This is great, but two questions
So many threads that I enjoy get lost in the noise of DU. How can I bookmark this thread, or even subscribe to it?

I really want to see the quotes of the anti-semitic sermon given at her church while she was there. And I want to know, did she put money into the collection plate that day?

But I am of the opinion, that Sarah issues are distraction and noise generally. At the top of our ticket, our candidates need to hammer on issues, issues, issues.
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chill_wind Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 05:17 PM
Response to Reply #17
18. At the top of the page you should see three little icons and links
to "make a thread printer-friendly, email a thread, bookmark a thread." It is just above the thread OP itself in my browser (firefox) on the left corner. Click the bookmark thread. You can save, sort and manage your bookmarked threads from there.
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AmericanUnity Donating Member (342 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 05:25 PM
Response to Original message
19. Looks good. Mention she promised to cooperate with Troopergate only last month, now fighting it.
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Lorien Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 07:19 PM
Response to Original message
26. You are missing many of her environmental outrages
chief among them; the fact that she believes that human activity has no impact on climate change. Here's an article on her environmental record:

Palin: the real scandal

By Leonard Doyle in Anchorage
Saturday, 6 September 2008
Palin has allowed big game hunters to shoot Alaska's bears and wolves from low-flying planes


Seen from the air, Sarah Palin's state is an environmental wonderland. From Anchorage to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, there is a vast landscape of snow-capped peaks, fjords, crystal glaciers, coastal lagoons, wide river deltas and tundra.

The guardian of this wilderness – and Governor of Alaska – has, this week, become one of the most recognisable faces in the world. But behind her beaming smile and wholesome family values is a woman aligned with the big oil and coal firms that are racing to exploit Alaska's vast energy reserves. In the short term, that has bought her popularity at home.

"I love the woman," the pilot on our flight shouts over the noise of the engine, "especially what she wants to do with oil, we just have to drill more, there is no alternative. What's the point of leaving it all in the ground?"

It is a stance that guaranteed John McCain's new running mate a rapturous reception at the Republican convention this week where the response to the coming energy crisis was a chant of "drill, baby, drill".

But the woman who could soon be a 72-year-old's heartbeat away from the United States presidency has an environmental policy so toxic it would make the incumbent, George Bush, blush.

Mr McCain has stressed he is concerned about global warming and has come out against drilling in the Arctic reserve. But, in recent weeks, he has wobbled on the issue. And environmentalists are describing Mrs Palin, who denies climate change is man-made, as "either grossly misinformed or intentionally misleading".

She wants to start drilling. She wants to block US moves to list the polar bear as an endangered species. And she has allowed big game hunters to shoot Alaska's bears and wolves from low-flying planes.

The 44-year-old governor says a federal government decision to protect the polar bear will cripple energy development offshore. As a result, she is suing the Bush administration, which ruled the polar bear is endangered and needs protection.

The US Geological Survey says climate change has shrunk Arctic summer sea ice to about 1.65 million sq miles, nearly 40 per cent less than the long-term average between 1979 and 2000.

In such a situation it was unconscionable for Governor Palin to ignore overwhelming evidence of global warming's threat to sea ice, says Kassie Siegel of the Centre for Biological Diversity.

"Even the Bush administration can't deny the reality of global warming," Ms Siegel said. "The governor is aligning herself and the state of Alaska with the most discredited, fringe, extreme viewpoints by denying this."

Governor Palin would also like to bring open-cast coal mining to Alaska's Brooks Range Mountains, an act of environmental vandalism in the eyes of many.

The Palin administration has allowed Chevron to triple the amount of toxic waste it pours into the waters of Cook Inlet. This, even though the number of beluga whales in the bay has collapsed from 1,300 to 350 – the point of extinction – because of pollution and increased ship traffic.

On the Republican convention floor she said: "We Americans need to produce more of our own oil and gas and take it from a gal who knows the North Slope of Alaska: We've got lots of both."

The fact that drilling won't solve every problem "is no excuse to do nothing at all", she said, putting the country on notice that "starting in January, in a McCain-Palin administration, we're going to lay more pipelines ... build more nuclear plants ... create jobs with clean coal ... and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal and other alternative sources".

Mrs Palin also took a swipe at Barack Obama's environmental stance saying: "What does he actually seek to accomplish, after he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet?"

Her support in Alaska relies on squeezing more money for the state from the oil companies themselves. In Alaska, every man woman and child is in line for a bonus cheque of about $2,000 (£1,100) from the state's massive oil wealth fund. This is, in effect, a vote-buying machine for the would-be Vice-President.

Governor Palin wants nothing to hinder the oil companies. She maintains that polar bears are well managed and their population has dramatically increased over 30 years as a result of conservation. And if the ice should go away, then they will adapt to living on the land.

Many oil companies abandoned Alaska when prices fell in the 1980s but they have been rushing back to drill and prospect areas that are among the least hospitable on earth. That spirit of the Klondike is already in full swing in Prudhoe Bay the epicentre of oil production and one of the world's largest industrial complexes. It's so big that BP, UPS and FedEx operate a special fleet of jets from Anchorage just to service to the region.

Hundreds of spills involving tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil and other petroleum products occur in the area each year. Decades-old spills are still a problem and 17,000 acres of wildlife and marine habitat have already been destroyed.

But Prudhoe is just a tiny fraction of the area being targeted by Governor Palin and the oil companies. A similar fate of environmental destruction awaits the entire coastal plain as well as the special areas of the western Arctic – home to migratory caribou herds, musk oxen, wolverines, grizzly and polar bears should a McCain-Palin administration be elected.

The oil boom has attracted oilmen from across America. One of them is Todd Palin, husband to the vice-presidential candidate who works for BP on Alaska's North Slope.

It is illegal to hunt polar bears, and that is not about to change. But in an area known as "Polar Bear Seas", from Point Hope on Alaska's far western edge to the pristine coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, one tenth of the world's polar bear population is at risk, as well as beluga and bowheaded whales and bearded and spotted seals.

Big game hunters are happy to pay lots of money to shoot wolves and bears from the air. They also chase them across the snow to the point of exhaustion and then land the planes on skis, shooting them from point-blank range. The animals are considered endangered across the "lower 48" states of America, but not Alaska. The hunters keep and sell the animals' pelts.

Last year, Mrs Palin proposed offering a bounty of $150 per wolf, as long as the hunter provided the wolf's foreleg as proof of the kill. The measure did not pass. She even spent $400,000 on a state-funded campaign to block attempts to end the hunt.

Its not just wildlife conservationists who object. Many ordinary Alaskans also condemn the practice as barbaric.

Trish Rolfe, who runs the Sierra Club's Alaska office, thinks Governor Palin has been a disaster for Alaska's environment. "The idea that she stands up to the oil companies is a joke," she says.

"The governor pays lip service to the issue of global warming but denies it is man made. She will not even spend money to help the Inupiaq villages which are about to fall into the sea."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/palin-the-real-scandal-920803.html
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carpediem Donating Member (700 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 07:39 PM
Response to Reply #26
31. Great article, I'll definitely be adding some of these points in.
thanks!
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Bennyboy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 07:20 PM
Response to Original message
27. Gotta drop the Cut funding for special needs kids....
That has been proven false. Bill Moyers. KOS and others. The budget was changed to disinclude a school under that heading but in fact wasfunded under another heading.

I would add Troopergate. The car wash (Shows mismangement) the Jet being a lie and who bought it and for what purpose,vids of her speaking at her church, her pastor speaking at her church...
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Blue_Roses Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 07:43 PM
Response to Reply #27
32. No she doesn't --Look here:
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Bennyboy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 07:56 PM
Response to Reply #32
36. wow, I guess I am about an hour behind the curve on this one.
But I don't know how you can win the argument here. Moyers said it and nobody is going to read that much into it....I mean the budget was cut and even the bad kids (which obviously these kids are)are special needs kids. So it is kind of Potato Potatoe thing.

It is freaking amazing that so many people ahve compiled so much stuff, debunked and then rebunked it while the media stand by with their "Palin is selling a lot of eyeglasses" reporting.
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carpediem Donating Member (700 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 07:45 PM
Response to Reply #27
33. I am dropping that, I didn't realize it was in dispute. I can't believe
I forgot the ebay plane and troopergate. I'll work on it more tonight and then repost it when I finish. thanks!
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Rosa Luxemburg Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 07:33 PM
Response to Original message
29. Palin the woman who skins animals and puts their heads up on a wall
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Quixote1818 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 07:34 PM
Response to Original message
30. You need to take a look at this PDF file on her
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carpediem Donating Member (700 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 07:51 PM
Response to Original message
34. Thanks to everyone for the comments/suggestions.and resources
I'm going to go work on it again for a while to get rid of the special needs info, fix the pledge reference, add the plane lie, add troopergate, add AIP, add more regarding her ridiculously uninformed views on the environment and add something about her ties to theocratic extremism. Then I'll repost. Thanks again!

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CitizenPatriot Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 07:52 PM
Response to Original message
35. fantastic job!
I read this on here earlier

SNIP:

But the intense media focus on the personal choices Palin has made at home has obscured her record at work in the Alaska statehouse. Palin proudly advertises her membership in the national pro-life group Feminists for Life, which discourages abortion by addressing "the root causes that drive women to abortion—primarily lack of practical resources and support." No woman should have to choose between her career, education, and child, Palin told the Anchorage Daily News while running for governor back in 2006, arguing for more family-friendly environments. The question is, how often has her record backed up her rhetoric on issues of interest to families?

Not much, it turns out. Restrictions on abortion in Alaska have actually been loosened during her tenure. Last November, the Alaska Supreme Court rejected a 1997 law requiring girls younger than 16 to obtain parental consent before getting an abortion. Palin slammed the ruling as "outrageous" and had her attorney general file for a rehearing, but it was promptly denied.

Meanwhile, both this year and last year, she has used her line-item veto to slash state funds for programs providing precisely the kinds of resources Feminists for Life supports for at-risk mothers on the fence about abortion. She cut by 20 percent the funding for Covenant House Alaska, a state program that includes a transitional home where new teenage mothers can spend up to 18 months learning money management and parenting skills. Critics have jumped all over that decision, arguing that the decision looks especially bad in light of the news that Palin's 17-year-old daughter has since become pregnant.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/157541

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Bennyboy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Sep-06-08 07:59 PM
Response to Original message
37. Use mine if you like....
Edited on Sat Sep-06-08 08:01 PM by Bennyboy
I like your a lot better (shorter) but some of the things you did not get in are here. Feel free to do with it what you will....It is all sourced.

THE SARA PALIN CHRONICLES
Compiled from various sources including those at DU.


Since her announcement as vice Presidential nominee for the Republican party we know for sure that Republican Vice Presidential Nominee has

1. Lied about not supporting the “bridge to Nowhere”’. This lie, during her announcement speech, came within a few seconds of the record for a Republican politician.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk
more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008...

From the UK article

Sarah Palin's record in office is facing increasing scrutiny after it emerged that she misled Republican supporters when she was presented to the nation as Senator John McCain's running mate.

The Governor of Alaska gave a misleading version of events over a controversial bridge project in her home state when she made her maiden speech as the presumptive nominee.

Mrs Palin told a cheering audience in Ohio that she had turned down an offer from the US Congress to build the so-called "Bridge to Nowhere", which would have connected Gravina Island with Ketchikan International, an airport in Alaska's southeast serving just 200,000 passengers a year. Mr McCain routinely cites the £100 million project as a symbol of wasteful central government spending.

As she introduced herself to Republicans and the American public on Friday, the virtually unknown Mrs Palin said: "I championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. In fact, I told Congress ... 'thanks, but no thanks' on that bridge to nowhere. If our state wanted a bridge, I said we'd build it ourselves."

However it emerged that in a 2006 interview with the Anchorage Daily News during her gubernatorial campaign, Mrs Palin had a different view of the bridge.

Asked "would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges?" she replied: "Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now - while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist."

2. Lied when she said she fought corruption and Senator Ted Stevens:
She was in fact, the Director of Ted Stevens 527 group.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/01/p...

ST. PAUL -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin began building clout in her state's political circles in part by serving as a director of an independent political organization organized by the now embattled Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens.

Palin's name is listed on 2003 incorporation papers of the "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc.," a 527 group that could raise unlimited funds from corporate donors. The group was designed to serve as a politicalboot camp for Republican women in the state. She served as one of three directors until June 2005,when her name was replaced on state filings.

Palin's relationship with Alaska's senior senator may be one of the more complicated aspects of her new position as Sen. John McCain's running mate; Stevens was indicted in July 2008 on seven counts of corruption.

Palin, an anti-corruption crusader in Alaska, had called on Stevens to be open about the issues behind the investigation. But she also held a joint news conference with him in July, before he was indicted, to make clear she had not abandoned him politically.

3. “Troopergate” and abuse of power.
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/08/30/13101...
Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UojMnCgqVA

The Washington Post reports, “Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is an ethics reformer under an ethics investigation that is plowing through private domestic matters. Palin is under investigation to determine whether she pressured and then fired the state police chief in July because he refused to dismiss her former brother-in-law. At the time, the governor's younger sister was involved in a bitter divorce and child custody dispute with the man, a state trooper. A bipartisan committee of the state legislature voted unanimously to hire a retired prosecutor to investigate. His report is due in October.”
More: “Gov. Palin's husband, Todd Palin, met with Monegan in January 2007, a month after hiswife took office, to say that the trooper was unfit for the force. Monegan also said the governor sent him e-mails, but Monegan declined to disclose them, saying he planned to give them to the independent prosecutor. Palin initially denied that she oranyone in her administration had ever pressured Monegan to fire Wooten. She said she had raised the matter with Monegan just once, relaying the allegation that Wooten made a death threat against her father. But this summer, Palin acknowledged that a half-dozen members of her administration had made more than two dozen calls on the matter to various state officials

And now the audio tapes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14dhAK4nZpc of her aid asking to have the trooper fired.

****And now the McCain campaign has tired to delay the ruling in the trooper gate scandal until after the election http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5702697&page=1 instead of two days before.


4. Discovered that her husband, who has no role in Gov’t, has been cc’d on classified emails.
http://www.andrewhalcro.com/shadow_governor

5.Babygate.
If the official story is to be taken as fact, Palin, while in Texas at a Governors energy conference, had her water break before a speech. Instead of going to the nearest hospital in Dallas, decided to g ive a speech before the Governors conference, (with amniotic fluid leaking down her leg)then d ecided to fly on a commercial airliner to Seattle, then to Alaska, bypassing the hospital in Anchorage to have the baby at the Wasilla hospital. This is bad enough for a normal child but a difficult birth like a Downs Syndrome baby?
http://www.celebrity-babies.com/2008/04/alaskan-governo...

Watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoPK4pvOE4o

6. Supporter of and husband Todd a member of Alaskan secessionist society.

"I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions." - Joe Vogler, founder of the Alaskan Independence Party"

AIP Vice Chairman of the AIP, Dexter Clark reveals that:
"Our current governor who I mentioned at the last conference, the one we were hoping would get elected, Sarah Palin, did get elected . . . .and there was a lot of talk about her moving up. She was an AIP member before she got the job as mayor . . ." "

Clips and more on KOS http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/1/84544/50180/...


7. Didn’t even have a passport until 2007
http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/decision08

8.Was almost recalled as mayor of Wasilla (pop 6500)over abuse of power allegations http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-schmeltzer/palin-alm...

Source: ABC online - By BRIAN ROSS and JOSEPH RHEE

Gov. Sarah Palin is already facing ethical questions over her firing of the Alaska public safety commissioner, and now she faces questions over the firing of a longtime local police chief.
...
The former police chief, Irl Stambaugh says he was fired because he stepped on the toes of Palin's campaign contributors, including bar owners and the National Rifle Association.
...
the chief tried to move up the closing hours of local bars from 5 a.m. to two a.m. after a spurt of drunk driving accidents and arrests.
...
Stambaugh also alleged that his stand on restricting concealed weapons upset the NRA.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5713866&page=1


9.Ran her town (pop 5400) 20 million dollars in the red http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12987.html


10. Begged for earmarks in Congress:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la... - 2008sep01,0,6108885.story

But under her leadership, the state of Alaska has requested 31 earmarks worth $197.8 million in next year's federal budget, according to the website of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), the former chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

And that leads to a direct connection to convicted lobbyist, Jack Abramhoff. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palin-lobbyist...

Source: LA Times

Three times in recent years, the Arizona senator's lists of 'objectionable' pork spending have included earmarks requested by his new running mate.


WASILLA, ALASKA -- For much of his long career in Washington, John McCain has been throwing darts at the special spending system known as earmarking, through which powerful members of Congress can deliver federal cash for pet projects back home with little or no public scrutiny. He's even gone so far as to publish "pork lists" detailing these financial favors.

Three times in recent years, McCain's catalogs of "objectionable" spending have included earmarks for this small Alaska town, requested by its mayor at the time -- Sarah Palin.

Now, McCain, the likely Republican presidential nominee, has chosen Palin as his running mate, touting her as a reformer just like him.

McCain has made opposition to pork-barrel spending a central theme of his 2008 campaign. "Earmarking deprives federal agencies of scarce resources, at the whim of individual members of Congress," McCain has said.

But records show that Palin -- first as mayor of Wasilla and recently as governor of Alaska -- was far from shy about pursuing tens of millions in earmarks for her town, her region and her state.
Read More: http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-earmarks3-2008sep03,0...




11. Many of her colleagues in Alaska are stunned and say she is not ready to be mayor of Wasilla let alone the Vice President of the United States: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/30/gop-alaska-sta...

The Anchorage Daily News is reporting that many of Palin's local colleagues, even Republican, were rather stunned by her being chosen as McCain's vice president. State Senate President Lyda Green said she thought it was a joke when someone called her at 6 a.m. to give her the news.

"She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president?" said Green, a Republican from Palin's hometown of Wasilla. "Look at what she's done to this state. What would she do to the nation?"


12. And although teenage pregnancy is something that happens to people of all persuasions and stripes, when it happens to someone that is so strongly anti-birth control and sex education, it is somehow more ironic..

Source: AP

McCain fought money on teen pregnancy programs

WASHINGTON – Republican John McCain, whose running mate disclosed that her unmarried 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, has opposed proposals to spend federal money on teen-pregnancy prevention programs and voted to require poor teen mothers to stay in school or lose their benefits.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's announcement Monday about her daughter, Bristol, was aimed at rebutting Internet rumors that Palin's youngest son, born in April, was actually her daughter's. Palin said her daughter intends to raise her child and marry the baby's father, who was identified only by his first name, Levi. The baby is due in late December.

Palin herself said she opposes funding sexual-education programs in Alaska.

"The explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support," she wrote in a 2006 questionnaire distributed among gubernatorial candidates.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/story//ap/20080902/ap_on_el_pr/cv ...


Source: Washington Post

ST. PAUL -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee who revealed Monday that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, earlier this year used her line-item veto to slash funding for a state program benefiting teen mothers in need of a place to live.

After the legislature passed a spending bill in April, Palin went through the measure reducing and eliminating funds for programs she opposed. Inking her initials on the legislation -- "SP" -- Palin reduced funding for Covenant House Alaska by more than 20 percent, cutting funds from $5 million to $3.9 million. Covenant House is a mix of programs and shelters for troubled youths, including Passage House, which is a transitional home for teenage mothers.

According to Passage House's web site, its purpose is to provide "young mothers a place to live with their babies for up to eighteen months while they gain the necessary skills and resources to change their lives" and help teen moms "become productive, successful, independent adults who create and provide a stable environment for themselves and their families."

Earlier today the Associated Press reported that Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, opposed funding to prevent teen pregnancies, a position that Palin also took as governor. "The explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support," she wrote in a 2006 questionnaire distributed among gubernatorial candidates.
Read More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/tombstone.html




My personal comment: Just the simple facts that she is allowing her children and the babies father to be the center of this story for career advancement shows something much worse than her daughter having a baby out of wedlock.


13. Has religious views that support “headship”. Which means, if McCain dies while in office, Todd Palin, would become the de facto President of the United States.

If you don't believe me, ask anybody in the religious right.

There's lots of material about this, it's no secret, but here's two sources I found in just looking quickly...

"Control Freaks and the Women Who Love Them"
http://www.newmanmag.com/display.php?id=818

"Christianity and Domestic Violence"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_and_domestic_ ...

The Religious Right can't run away from this because all of the well-known leaders endorse this concept. Two quotes from Pat Robertson, but this one's the money-quote:

"I know this is painful for the ladies to hear, but if you get married, you have accepted the headship of a man, your husband. Christ is the head of the household and the husband is the head of the wife, and that's the way it is, period..." (Pat Robertson, The 700 Club television program, January 8, 1992).
"The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians."

16. Owned a car wash. Forgot to disclose holdings, forgot to pay fees, closed by the Government
Source: Washington Post
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/02/p...

ST. PAUL -- In addition to being a mayor and raising four children, Sarah Palin found time for another venture in her Wasilla years -- she was part-owner of an Anchorage car wash.

Palin and husband Todd each held a 20 percent stake in Anchorage Car Wash LLC, according to state corporation records filed in 2004.

A review of Palin's gubernatorial disclosure filings indicates that she failed to report her stake in the company on the form that requires candidates for governor to disclose any interest in a non-publicly traded company.

The car wash venture was not entirely smooth sailing. State records show the business ran into trouble with Alaska's division of corporations business and professional licensing after Palin became governor of the state in 2006.

A Feb. 11, 2007 letter to the governor's business partner advises that the car wash had "not filed its biennial report and/or paid its biennial fees," which were more than a year overdue.


17. Her pastor is whacked out.

From the age of 12 and for most of her adult life, Sarah Palin attended the Wasilla Assembly of God. Apparently, Sarah Palin's God was a vengeful God -- one that made Himself helpful to the Bush administration from time to time by damning critics of the president, Democrats and other irredeemable sinners. The Huffington Post writes that the church's preacher, Ed Kalinins:… preached that critics of President Bush will be banished to hell; questioned whether people who voted for Sen. John Kerry in 2004 would be accepted to heaven; charged that the 9/11 terrorist attacks and war in Iraq were part of a war "contending for your faith;" and said that Jesus "operated from that position of war mode."
Kalinins also offered a nuanced view of foreign policy, preaching that 9/11 and the Iraq war were part of a greater struggle over Christianity, with Jesus playing an important role as a very exacting general:

"What you see in Iraq, basically, is a manifestation of what's going on in this unseen world called the spirit world. … We need to think like Jesus thinks. We are in a time and a season of war, and we need to think like that. We need to develop that instinct. We need to develop as believers the instinct that we are at war, and that war is contending for your faith. … Jesus called us to die. You're worried about getting hurt? He's called us to die“

It can't necessarily be assumed that Palin agrees wholeheartedly with her former pastor. But in an address to the church three months ago, Palin also used disconcertingly religious language to frame the conflict in Iraq:
"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending (U.S. soldiers) out on a task that is from God," she exhorted the congregants. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."

Considering how much flak Obama got for the statements of his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, this is an issue Palin needs to address.

Sarah Palin speaking at her church http://cgi.fark.com/cgi/fark/vidplayer.pl?IDLink=384573...


And 2 weeks ago a visiting preacher spoke at her church wile Sarah Palin ws in attendance:. Two weeks ago. The karma in all this is just amazing:

Brickner also described terrorist attacks on Israelis as God's "judgment of unbelief" of Jews who haven't embraced Christianity.

"Judgment is very real and we see it played out on the pages of the newspapers and on the television. It's very real. When was in Jerusalem he was there to witness some of that judgment, some of that conflict, when a Palestinian from East Jerusalem took a bulldozer and went plowing through a score of cars, killing numbers of people. Judgment — you can't miss it."
Palin was in church that day, Kroon said, though he cautioned against attributing Brickner’s views to her.
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/20...


18. Is in Favor of banning Books and again, abuse of power

says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she could go about banning books," he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. "The librarian was aghast." The librarian, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire her for not giving "full support" to the mayor." http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1837918,00.htm...


19. Depleted Alaska National Guard
Source: CBS News/AP

CBS/AP) The Alaska National Guard, which Republicans are pointing to as an important national-security credential for vice presidential choice Sarah Palin, has personnel shortages that make its aviation units the most poorly staffed in the nation.

Just six months ago, Air Force Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell, the Alaska Guard's top officer, warned in an internal memo that "missions are at risk." The lack of qualified airmen, Campbell said, "has reached a crisis level."

The situation has improved since the March 1 memo was written, Campbell said Wednesday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press - but not enough to eliminate his concern that shortages will result in the "burnout" of troops the Guard already has. That could result in missions and equipment being moved out of Alaska.

Campbell installed a new policy that could stop officers from advancing unless they show success at bringing in new members and retaining existing troops.

Campbell is due to receive a third star on Sunday - a promotion approved by Palin, who has authority over the Alaska National Guard. He described Palin as very supportive of the Guard, but said she gives him latitude to manage the force. Governors typically do not have a direct role in day-to-day operations.


Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/04/national/main ...



20. Against any abortions including cases of rape and incest

21. Supports aerial hunting of wolves http://www.alternet.org/election08/97207/sarah_palin%E2...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpSjSeM6w0w (do not watch this if you are the slightest bit queasy about wolves being viciously killed)

22. Bristol Palin and underage drinking and guns http://www.tmz.com/2008/09/02/palin-daughter-puts-the-p... /

http://photos.tmz.com/galleries/vice_presidents_daughte...

And yes I know that kids are supposed to be off limits. But Sarah Palin has decided to use her children for political gain, it is only fair that I do too.

This goes to show how she is at parenting. These were captured off her myspace page, somewhere every parent should check regularly.


TIME Magazine article about a lot of the things mentioned above. http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1837918,00.htm...

And a lot of things about her past governance while mayor and governor:
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_di...

Source: Editor & Publisher

NEW YORK The McCain team may not have vetted Sarah Palin with boots on the ground in Alaska, but the Democrats sure did -- two years ago when she ran for governor. The oppo-research, compiled in a 62-page document with countless summaries or direct quotes, largely from local newspapers, covers all of the important issues you would expect to see, from her views on abortion and abstinence to tangled oil pipeline questions.

*snip*

USED PUBLIC FUNDS FOR POLITICAL GAIN

In her 2002 Lt. Governor bid, Mayor Palin used city employees, telephones, computers, fax machines for campaign fundraising and literature. On her candidate registration form, she used her City Hall fax number, and her mayoral e-mail address. Records show that Wasilla city property was used to contact supporters, donors, media contacts, and media purchasing.

*snip*

GENDER CARD

Stambaugh Sued for Gender Discrimination After Palin Said She Was Intimidated by His Size. After Palin fired Irl Stambaugh, the police chief, he sued the city in part based on gender discrimination. The Frontiersman wrote, "The gender discrimination issues stem from statements Palin allegedly made to others that she was intimidated by Stambaugh's size. He stands over 6-feet tall and weighs more than 200 pounds, which, the lawsuit said, is attributed to his gender."

*snip*

LYING

Palin Exaggerated Work Experience for Mayoral Campaign. In 1997, Frontiersman columnist Paul Stuart wrote that after Palin had criticized her opponent for using City Hall resources for political gain, "when Palin was asked back then (by me) why the lodge where she claimed, in her campaign, to have gained her management experience, had no record of a borough business license or of paying any bed tax, she paused and said it might have been because the place had no clients for a year or so." In an article describing the possibility of recalling Palin, the Frontiersman wrote the "reasons include Palin's alleged falsification of her credentials during the campaign last fall."

Frontiersman Editorial Said Palin Made Statements That Were "Patently Untrue," Said She Had Shown "Unrepentant Backpedaling and Incessant Whining." A Frontiersman editorial wrote, "Wasilla residents have been subjected to attempts to unlawfully appoint council members, statements that have been shown to be patently untrue, unrepentant backpedaling, and incessant whining that her only enemies are the press and a few disgruntled supporters of former Mayor John Stein."



Joe LIEberman on Palin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoMit0e9S0M



Fact check for Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech at the DNC
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_fac...



By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press WriterWed Sep 3, 11:48 PM ET

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her Republican supporters held back little Wednesday as they issued dismissive attacks on Barack Obama and flattering praise on her credentials to be vice president. In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.

Some examples:

PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."

THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."

PALIN: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate."

THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.

PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars."

THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.

Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.

He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.

MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.

THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.

MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC.

THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.

FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States."

THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.

FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY: "We need change, all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin."

THE FACTS: A Back-to-the-Future moment. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats have been in charge of the House and Senate.


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chill_wind Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Sep-07-08 01:17 AM
Response to Reply #37
42. Another outstanding one for the bookmarks. Thanks for posting this. n/t
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carpediem Donating Member (700 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Sep-07-08 12:02 PM
Response to Reply #37
44. Thanks for this. It is great.
I grabbed a couple of your links.:) I should be reposting the email soon with changes. I've bookmarked yours as well. Thanks again.
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eridani Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Sep-07-08 02:01 AM
Response to Original message
43. Copy this to the research section pls. kthxbai n/t
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carpediem Donating Member (700 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Sep-07-08 01:02 PM
Response to Reply #43
49. I posted it to the research forum
Thanks for the suggestion - I hadn't seen that forum before.

Here is the link:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=358x5061

I hope I did that right, somehow it came up as an undefined edit as a reply as well as the original post.
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eridani Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Sep-07-08 04:09 PM
Response to Reply #49
50. The Undefined Edit means that you and others can add to it over time n/t
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carpediem Donating Member (700 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Sep-07-08 12:41 PM
Response to Original message
45. REPOST with edits
Edited on Sun Sep-07-08 12:57 PM by carpediem
Here is the repost with the additions suggested. Thanks everyone for their input.

*************************************************************************************

I have spent some time compiling information and links to articles about Sarah Palin. I've divided it into sections and linked the articles where the information is from. Please read this, if she is unwilling to talk about her experiences with the press, it is up to the public to find the information to be sure we are informed before the election.


REFORMER?
* Ted Stevens, currently under indictment for corruption: She helped found and direct the 527 group, "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc.,", she served as one of 3 directors. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/01/palin_was_a_director_of_embatt.html

* Endorsed by Ted Stevens for Governor in the following ad which was scrubbed from her site once she was named VP candidate, but was placed on Youtube before it was scrubbed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o46YdvT3lwQ

* The lobbyist she hired while Mayor had close ties to Ted Stevens and Don Young.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/01/AR2008090103148.html


GOVERNING STYLE:
Mayor:
all below info from this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/us/politics/03wasilla.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp
* No one allowed to talk to press. Unheard of before she got there.
* Wanted to ban some books at the library. The librarian refused. She fired the librarian. People protested and she was forced to hire her back. (also here: http://www.frontiersman.com/articles/2008/09/06/breaking_news/doc48c1c8a60d6d9379155484.txt)
* Fired or asked to resign: the public works director, city planner, museum director and others, because they publicly backed Mr. Stein, the previous mayor. This had never been done before.
* Campaigned on lowering the mayoral salary, which she did, $68,000 to 64,000, but then hired a city manager at a salary of $60,000, a net loss of $56,000 for the city. No previous mayor needed a city manager to help them do their job.
* Article regarding her governing style: http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080905/pl_politico/13190

* As a new mayor she asked officials to quit as a loyalty test: (link to scan of the newspaper article in Daily Sitka Sentinel)
idly. org /wp-content/uploads/2008/09/palin_loyalty_test.png


BRIDGE TO NOWHERE:
* Bridge to nowhere: She campaigned saying the bridge to nowhere should be built.
question she received while running: "5. Would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges?
her answer: Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now--while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/04/politics/animal/main4414049.shtml

* She wasn't in a position as Governor to tell Congress anything about the bridge because Congress had already eliminated the requirement that the funds be spent on the bridge in 2005. But the funding for the bridge was still given to the state of Alaska to spend as they saw fit.

Here is her statement about the bridge from Sept. 21, 2007 (this doesn't sound like a principled rejection):
"Ketchikan desires a better way to reach the airport, but the $398 million bridge is not the answer,” said Governor Palin. “Despite the work of our congressional delegation, we are about $329 million short of full funding for the bridge project, and it’s clear that Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and Gravina Island,” Governor Palin added. “Much of the public’s attitude toward Alaska bridges is based on inaccurate portrayals of the projects here. But we need to focus on what we can do, rather than fight over what has happened.” http://74.125.95.104/search?q=cache:RL3FJAhN1ksJ:gov.state.ak.us/archive.php%3Fid%3D623%26type%3D1+%22Ketchikan+desires+a+better+way+to+reach+the+airport,+but+the+%24398+million+bridge+is+not+the+answer&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us&client=firefox-a

* The state is still building a road on Gravina Island to a beach where the bridge would have gone because otherwise they would have had to return that money to the federal government.
http://www.adn.com/sarahpalin/story/511471.html


EARMARKS:
She says she is against earmarks, but
* As Mayor she hired a Washington lobbyist to get earmarks for Wasilla. By the time she left office the she and the lobbyist had gotten $27 million in earmarks from the federal government.
* As Governor she submitted $250 million in earmark requests in 2007 and has submitted $197 million in earmark requests in 2008.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008154532_webpalin02m.html

* Palin's earmarks have been called out by McCain on his "pork lists" of objectionable spending.
* In 2008, Palin wrote favorably about earmarks in a newspaper article. "The federal budget, in its various manifestations, is incredibly important to us, and congressional earmarks are one aspect of this relationship,"
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-earmarks3-2008sep03,0,6145252.story

* See what Palin thought of her success in getting earmarks for Wasilla:
www. washingtonindependent. com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/council-scribble.jpg


FISCAL CONSERVATIVE OR NOT:
* Wasilla sports complex. As mayor she fought to have a sports complex built and raised sales taxes on everything, including food, to raise the money for it.
* The sports complex was started and built on land the city didn't have clear title to.
* The owner of the land sued the city for payment and the city ended up paying over 1.3 million to him for the land and the legal fees, instead of the $125,000 the city had originally thought it would pay.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122065537792905483.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/matsu/story/9055227p-8971221c.html

*She left Wasilla $20 million in debt after being Mayor. When she became Mayor they had a surplus.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12987.html


EXTREMIST VIEWS:
* Against sex education - only supports abstinence only education - http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/01/1320417.aspx (Note on this page, it links to the Eagle Forum Blog where her answers to these questions, posed by them were posted. I saw it 3 days ago when I followed the link. At this time the link is broken as are several other links regarding Sarah Palin's views and record, the McCain campaign has been removing the ones they think don't reflect well on her) Here is a link to a google cache of the page as it appeared before it was scrubbed: http://salon.glenrose.net/img/Eagle%20Forum%20Alaska%202006%20Gubernatorial%20Candidate%20Questionnaire.htm

* Against abortion in all cases including rape and incest, unless the mother's life is in mortal danger - when asked while running for Governor what she would do if her daughter was raped, Alaska having a rape rate 2.2 times the national average, she said "I would choose life." http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/elections/2006/governor/story/8372383p-8266781c.html

* Fired the police chief while mayor. He had tried to move the closing time of the bars from 5 am to 2 am and wanted restrictions on the concealed carry law, which angered the NRA. He also was a supporter of the previous mayor. Both the NRA and http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5713866

* Is for teaching creationism in public schools (along with evolution). http://community.adn.com/adn/node/102978

* Against stem-cell research http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2008/08/sarah_palin_on.html

* Recently said God supports the U.S. war against Iraq.
http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/thesearch/archive/2008/09/05/sarah-palin-her-religion.aspx
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122048406528596987.html

* Believes building a Natural Gas Pipeline is 'God's Will': “I think God’s will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palins-church-may-have-sh_n_123205.html

* While Palin was in attendence at her church a visiting speaker described terrorist attacks on Israelis as God's "judgment of unbelief" of Jews who haven't embraced Christianity.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13098.html

* Her pastor said “And if Zephaniah were here today,” Kroon bellowed, “he’d be saying, ‘Listen, is gonna deal with all the inhabitants of the earth. He is gonna strike out His hand against, yes, Wasilla; and Alaska; and the United States of America. There’s no exceptions here — there’s none. It’s all.’”
http://wasillabible.org/sermon_files/2008_Sermons/wbc080720.mp3
http://www.wasillabible.org/sermon_files/2008_Transcripts/Sin%20is%20Personal%20to%20God.doc


ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE:
* Supports the practice of aerial hunting of bears and wolves even though it is against federal law. See what this is here: http://current.com/items/88804691_aerial_hunting_of_wolves_in_alaska
https://secure.defenders.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=c406_090308palinwolf
http://dwb.adn.com/front/story/9253882p-9168881c.html

* Offered bounty to hunters for left foreleg of dead wolves. http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/story/8726730p-8628810c.html

* Suing the federal government to have polar bears removed from the endangered species list http://www.adn.com/polarbears/story/413710.html
See what is happening to polar bears here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9DAvL6DhIk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1cyUmx5htA&feature=related

* In the face of overwhelming scientific findings, she doesn't believe climate change is man-made.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/palin-the-real-scandal-920803.html

* In support of open cast coal mining to Alaska's Brooks Range Mountains
wikipedia entry on open cast mining (surface mining) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_mining
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/palin-the-real-scandal-920803.html

* Her administration allowed Chevron to triple the amount of toxic waste it pours into the waters of Cook Inlet. This, even though the number of beluga whales in the bay has collapsed from 1,300 to 350 – the point of extinction – because of pollution and increased ship traffic.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/palin-the-real-scandal-920803.html

* Dismisses alternative energy: "alternative-energy solutions are far from imminent and would require more than 10 years to develop."
http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/aug/16/alaska_gov_wants_tap_oil_resources51051/


TROOPERGATE:
* News report from Alaska for background: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UojMnCgqVA

* Palin is under investigation for firing Walter Monegan while Governor. Monegan claims he was fired because he didn't fire Palins ex-brother-in-law.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-trooper6-2008sep06,0,3632293.story
* Palin originally said she "welcomed" the investigation.
http://www.adn.com/legislature/story/471366.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pak-rH0dCeA

* Now her lawyer is challenging the authority of the bi-partisan legislative group that is investigating her.
* Seven witnesses who were supposed to testify may now need to be subpoenaed after they failed to show.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-trooper6-2008sep06,0,3632293.story

* Claims executive privilege in not releasing her emails as Governor. Yet her husband who serves no official role is copied on many of these communications.
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=8802680


ALASKAN INDEPENDENCE PARTY
* Palin gave a speech in support of AIP to their convention - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwvPNXYrIyI
* Todd Palin was a member of AIP for several years
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Palin
* AIP Vice-Chairman in a speech speaks of Palin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NK2sFJebGc (at 6 minutes in)


THE STATE PLANE NOT SOLD ON EBAY
* McCain claimed she took the plane and "sold it on eBay -- and made a profit!" at a speech in WI on Sept 5, 2008
* The plane was on ebay, but the one serious offer they had fell through when the state hesitated on the terms. It was sold to a businessman through a broker at a loss.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/05/plane_not_sold_on_ebay.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/25/us/25jet.html?_r=1&oref=slogin


PALIN USED STATE FUNDS TO TRAVEL AND GIVE A SPEECH AT HER CHURCH:
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/51956.html


OTHER INTERESTING FACTS - ODDITIES - LINKS:
* When asked about her foreign travel, a Palin spokeswoman said she had traveled to Kuwait, Iraq and Ireland. The Ireland visit was only a refueling stop.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0908/Palins_stopover.html?showall

* She had to get a passport, she didn't already have one, when she visited the Alaska National Guard in Iraq. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/us/politics/30veep.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

* Wondered on Kudlow what exactly a Vice President does every day? See video of Palin asking this: http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0808/Palin_wonders_what_is_it_exactly_that_the_VP_does_every_day.html

* Thought the founding fathers wrote the Pledge and that the phrase 'Under God' was in the original Pledge of Allegience. The pledge was written in the 1890's and the phrase 'Under God' was added in 1954.
http://salon.glenrose.net/img/Eagle%20Forum%20Alaska%202006%20Gubernatorial%20Candidate%20Questionnaire.htm (question 11)

* Her state's proximity to Alaska has been cited by the McCain campaign as foreign policy credential. The campaign can't come up with any relations she has had with Russia. She has never traveled there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zP8uFPWxaA
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/04/politics/animal/main4414663.shtml

* A blog by an Alaskan
http://mudflats.wordpress.com/

* A letter from someone who knows Sarah Palin (Anne Kilkenny):
http://community.adn.com/adn/node/130537
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mainer Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Sep-07-08 12:45 PM
Response to Original message
47. On the firing of the librarian: a link from 1996 account
It's from the archives of the FRONTIERSMAN and it gives you a '96 account of what happened. The librarian comes off as being amazingly courageous in defense of civil liberties:

http://www.frontiersman.com/articles/2008/09/06/breaking_news/doc48c1c8a60d6d9379155484.txt
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carpediem Donating Member (700 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Sep-07-08 12:58 PM
Response to Reply #47
48. I just added that link, thanks!
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