#SarahPalin email diaries; Part 3 — Trig Palin's birth

Everybody and their uncle has wanted to know the facts behind Trig Palin's birth ever since Sarah Palin popped onto the national political scene.

Cathy Baldwin-Johnson

Now, thanks to diligent work of the crack Gadfly staff, we can tell you exactly that, with a diary-type email Palin sent to her doctor, Dr. Cathy Baldwin-Johnson. In it, she describes why she had to get back to Wasilla and nowhere else for the birth.

(Note: The state of Alaska redacted some portions of the email, marked with XXX.)

Dear Cathy:

No, I probably shouldn't have made that trip back to Dallas. But, there was good money in speaking there, and Todd just doesn't get it on money at times. He has NO idea how much I really, really need so I can leave this dump of Wasilla behind.

But, there's no way I could risk having a baby there in Dallas.

I know you said that, besides the Down syndrome itself, Trig seemed healthy and a birth shouldn't have any complications. But, you never know.

The "Todd wanted the kid to be an Alaskan" is a good cover story, though.

Of course, now people are saying, why didn't I have the birth at Anchorage?

Well, as you know, and thank God you're my doctor and I can be confidential with you, any rumor that Todd isn't the father would be disastrous.

Beyond that, XXX and XXX's daughter, who has ALWAYS hated me — they absolutely couldn't know about this. Any rumor that XXX might be Trig's father could kill my image, and that in turn would mean no more public speaking! Plus, if I ever wanted to run for governor, or a Senate seat, it could be much harder with XXX against me.

In Dallas, it might not be a big deal. But, if the baby got blood typed in Anchorage, and somebody knew my type and Todd's, and XXX has a third blood type???

Oh, Cathy ....

#SarahPalin email diaries: Part 2

Here's the second in a series of Sarah Palin emails the crack Gadfly staff has uncovered:

Dear Department of Wildlife staffers:

Staff are hereby forbidden to use the phrase "aerial wolf shooting" or anything similar. I know that is what you do, but those socialist environmentalists are threatening to interrupt tourism there.

"Wildlife carrying capacity enhancement" is very good and has a nice bureaucratic ring to it.

"Moose protection" certainly sounds pro-wildlife.

"Species balance engineering" has a great scientific sound.

Please use one of these for our great state program of "un-American communistic predator control."

Sarah Palin, flag desecrator

It's as clear as day. She's busted signing her Quitter with a Twitter to a U.S. flag, a violation of the Flag Code. (More video here. Pity the poor Guardian reporter who drew the short straw for that assignment.)

I'm waiting for tea party drinking, patriot patronizing, flag waving wingnut Americans to stand up and denounce her.

More realistically, I'm waiting for how those types of folks are going to try to spin, spin, spin on this issue.

That's just one slice of tea party hypocrisy.

Here's more:

Spending $100K for six staffers to take multiple cruises around Alaska, on the claim that was the easy way to meet Joe Miller supporters. What is it about Alaska in particular? Oh, yeah ... probably, just like Wilsonians claim about developing nations relying heavily on natural resources, it must be Alaskans corrupted by oil.

And, here's an answer for another tea partier - three things to say if Mrs. Clarence Thomas ever calls YOU late at night.

Alaska glaciers show 50 years of melt

Instead of the Quitter with a Twitter™ Sarah Palin worried about her clothes, image and shooting wolves from the air, and George W. Bush trying to sell out ANWR, maybe they should have been paying attention to Alaska’s melting glaciers instead.

Palin quits because Alaska is broke

Per the third webpage of an ABC story about the 10 states in the worst economic condition, Alaska is at No 6. In fact, the budget deficit is bad enough, and Alaska has become so dependent on one income source, that it’s possible the state might have to cut its socialistic “Permanent Fund.” Guess “Mama Bear” is pretty timid when it comes to facing the prospect of angry, greedy Alaskans wanting “their” money and not getting it. And, for all her bluster, she is probably clueless about Peak Oil, too.

Read the full story to see what other states might be giving California a bit of a run for the “No. 1” spot in a race nobody wants to win, as well as how the GOP is getting about as obstructionist in a few of these states as in the Leaden State.

Profiled: The wolves Sarah Palin wants killed

And the hunters who enjoy the ‘in-your-enviro-face’ aspects of it

That includes the Denali wolfpack, profiled by Backpacker magazine. They follow Denali National Park caribou herds outside the park boundaries, as any wolves would do. But, once they cross a narrow no-hunting buffer zone, they’ll legally shootable.

More than that – Palin’s Alaska government pays bounties to have them shot.

And, despite the claims of people like Alaska Game Commissioner Cliff Judkins, the state’s wolf population is not being scientifically managed.

And, hunters like Coke Wallace have an arrogance about them that’s about as appealing as Trig Palin’s placenta.

Throw in the fact that many Alaskan wolf “hunters” really are just wolf snarers – and ones illegally setting snares at that – and you see how disgusting this is.

Read the full, in-depth story for more.

Court says no to Shell in Alaska

Fortunately, Shrub Bush’s last –minute environmental shenanigans can’t extend to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which put the kibosh on Shell’s plans for offshore drilling north of Alaska.

In a 2-1 ruling, the court said the Minerals Management Service, the federal agency in charge of offshore leasing, violated the National Environmental Policy Act by not taking a deep enough look at the impact offshore drilling would have on bowhead whales in the Beaufort Sea and Native Alaska communities on the North Slope.

Can you say Sen. Palin?

Convicted felon Ted Stevens appears to be on his way to re-election as Alaska’s senior dinosaur senator.

I had halfway wondered if this might happen. Basically, a way for Alaskans to say “eff you” to Washington.

Per Alaskan law, it requires a special election to fill a Senate vacancy. So, that rules out the scenario of Sarah Palin resigning as governor, with Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell then appointing Palin to the Stevens seat.

Here’s another Anchorage Daily News story, which both explains the relevant law and says, contrary to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Stevens isn’t likely to get the boot while on appeal.

Meanwhile, Newsweek delivers more of the goods on the horribleness of Campaign Barbie, from the Secret Service seeing her incitements raise the threat level against Obama to just what a clothes horse she really is.

Meanwhile, Newsweek delivers more of the goods on the horribleness of Campaign Barbie, from the Secret Service seeing her incitements raise the threat level against Obama to just what a clothes horse she really is.

Somehow, I don’t think her and First Dumbass Todd being seen as “Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast” helps her image unless Alaskans are even more down with political corruption and cynicism than say, Louisiana voters.

Back to Stevens.

Even if he thought about it Reid can’t, or can’t only, give Stevens the boot in the lame-duck session — at last, I don’t think so.

January, the new Senate will be governed by his new election; he currently would be governed by his 2002 election.

So, if Reid boots him this year, I think he’ll have to boot him again in January. Most senators might accept the one boot in their butts, but Stevens won’t, I’m sure.

But, because of that, he won’t be booted in November. That said, let’s hope that Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell do the Senatorial equivalent of an amicus brief for a speedy hearing of his appeal.

Should Stevens lose his appeals, there’s nothing stopping Palin from running for the position herself that I’m aware of. I’m sure, given the nature of Alaskan politics, there’s no requirement for her to resign as governor if she should run.

Alaskan belugas get federal protection

Despite Sarah Palin’s continuing attempts to run out the string on protection, Alaskan beluga whales will FINALLY get endangered species protection.

Worldwatch roundup — Scientology, Chavez, Japanese glass ceiling, tundra Armageddon

Scientology is on trial in France. Charges? Fraud and illegal drug prescription.

The fraud is from an individual who bought an “electrometer,” which basically sounds like an (alleged) at-home gizmo to check your engrams, or tune in Scientologist John Travolta’s old “Kotter” episodes.

Can’t wait to see Tom Cruise go postal on the Champs Elysees. I’m sure Parisians can wait a long time for that.

More seriously, why can’t OUR government ever nail the ElRons on fraud charges?

Yuriko Koike’s goal? Become Japan’s first woman prime minister. She’s competing with three challengers to head Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party, which is by no means guaranteed retaining its hold on Parliament. She’s on the good side of relatively popular ex-PM Junichiro Koizumi.

Hugo Chavez tweaks the Yanqui nose in the White House by hosting some Russian warships.

Hugo says, “Go ahead and squeal, Yankees!”

And, since Palin-land is sounding more and more like a foreign country, and the Governor to Nowhere’s hubby once wanted it to be independent, you should take note …

Alaska will be home safe when the rapture comes.

Alaska to sue over polar bear listing

The state of Alaska, boo-hooing that listing polar bears as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act, says it will sue the U.S. Department of Interior.

You know, Alaska reminds me of Utah, and Alaskan politicians of Utah counterparts, specifically over their fights over Grand Staircase-Escalante, etc.

They make massive amounts of money off tourism, probably more in Alaska and definitely more in Utah, in the short term than off extractive industries, and definitely much more in the long term.

But both states lust after carbon, whether in the form of oil or of coal, like a cheap junkie looking for a fix. And, their eyes can’t see beyond that next fix.

Oil corrupts, and Big Oil corrupts absolutely, right here at home

A lot of people are fond of pointing out all the governmental corruption in places like Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and other OPEC countries. But, as Josh Marshall points out, all you need to do is look at Alaska.

Or, go back to LBJ’s days of getting under-the-table money from Kellogg, Brown and Root. There’s plenty of history of Big Oil corruption right here in the U.S. of A.