Andrew Sullivan quits blogging; I shall cry no rivers for Sully's #hypocrisy

So Andrew Sullivan is giving up blogging? Boo hoo.

Because, Sully, I'm going to deconstruct your farewell post just like I was PolitiFact.

Let's start here:

(W)e experienced 9/11 together in real time – and all the fraught months and years after; and then the Iraq War; and the gay marriage struggles of the last fifteen historic years. We endured the Bush re-election together

A funny statement to make, as I just Tweeted Sully. Yes, per Wiki, he "repented" in time to vote for John Kerry in 2004. However, he was dumb enough to support a moral conservative in the first place in 2000.

Beyond that, his "four cardinal sins" on supporting the Iraq War in the first place show someone shockingly ignorant of geopolitics in general and the Arab world in particular, thus invoking some sort of Peter Principle issues.

Of course, that same general lack of brilliance led him to name his own personal "journalism" awards after Brat Pack "journalists" Matt Yglesias and Ezra Klein.

Of course, as Wiki also reminds, and I do too, only more bluntly, that's due to Sully's "Bell Curve" infatuation, which I must say is high-grade racialism and nothing less.

And, that led to some blog spoofing by me, here, for the blog post where my Photoshopping above first appeared.

That in turn was part of his general work for a racist magazine, which is what The New Republic was. Hell, maybe he was having gay sex with Marty Peretz (who is far more nutty than painted at that link) for all I know.

Speaking of, and back to that part of his farewell.

He wasn't fighting the struggles for gay marriage 15 years ago. As Wiki reminds, per this Salon piece, 12 years ago he was fighting the fight on the down low for bearback gay sex at a time when AIDS concerns in the gay community were still pretty damned high. (Showing the weirdness of Salon at times, two years earlier, another writer defended him.)

Yeah, he eventually got married. But, not until three years after Massachusetts legalized gay marriage. So, again, Sully, not in front on that fight.

It's all part of Sully's seeming hypocrisy, the hypocrisy that makes him at least as much a "cafeteria Catholic" as a John Kerry.

Next?

This:

You were there when I couldn’t believe Palin’s fantasies.

What about your own fantasies, namely that Bristol Palin was Trigg Palin's mom? I eventually repented of following you and the "Palin Deception" website down that rabbithole, finding more reasonable possible explanations for Sarah's nuttery around Trigg's birth. But you, apparently, never did. 

Then this:

You were there when … we live-blogged the Green Revolution for an entire month.

Ahh, yes, when Twitter was supposedly the force overturning Iran, then the whole non-democratic world.

That was a conceit that was being refuted even as Sully mouthed it. I tackled some of that nonsense here.

It's all part of Sully's seeming hypocrisy, the hypocrisy that makes him at least as much a "cafeteria Catholic" as a John Kerry.

I don't begrudge at all his personal reasons for leaving. But, per the hypocrisy, he probably was about to fracture his spine figuring out new ways to triangulate himself.

Also, I don't get some liberals who think he's the bees' knees.

Was money the reason to quit?

I am not sure.

His last post says he was making $1 million revenue/year. Now, deducting for assistance (staff of about 10 at peak, perhaps; 7 non-Sully plus one intern listed now) ... overhead, etc., could he afford all this? Assume Sully paid himself $150K. The seven others, on average, about $80K. That’s $700K; whatever he paid the intern and overhead... yea, he was making money. Maybe not as rich as whatever Atlantic paid him before, but I don’t think he was going broke.

On the other hand, a WaPost story says he took no salary in the first year. And, it's not clear how well he maintained his renewal rate. Matthew Ingram talked about some of this early on.

On the third hand, he doesn't mention finances as a reason to throw in the towel.

Beyond that, I don't get why he had so many followers.

Half of what he posted was too short for even a Tumblr. That's why, beyond not agreeing with much of what he said, I don't get why that many people would pay to read him. In that way, he reminded me of Duncan Black, aka Atrios, running the blog Eschaton, which, while more liberal than Sully, years ago became just as short if not shorter on a regular basis.

The only sidebar to this is that it shows his vaunted tip jar/self-subscription model for blogging may not be such a model. Here is my original thoughts on his setting up his subscription model riff on a tip jar. I didn't think about it at the time, but, on the model he proposed, it's "interesting" that he missed the whole "tragedy of the commons" angle.

Actually, it's not "interesting" — it's really a "no duh." Libertarian types in general refuse to acknowledge such a thing even exist. I love the sound of petards hoisting in the morning!

Sarah Palin gets another grandkid outside of marriage

To put it bluntly in terms teabaggers and Palinistas will understand, and need to be slapped down with:

First, Bristol Palin got herself knocked up outside of marriage. Now, son Track admits, after extended Alaskan Addams Family denials, that he knocked up his wife before they got married.

The Palins make an excellent example for the latest research on abstinence education. The National Sexuality Resource Center's Sexuality Research and Social Policy completed a recent study that showed abstinence-only education does not delay or prevent teens from having sex. These same programs that Palin and many other conservatives support have received $1.5 billion in federal funding.

The editor of the academic journal of SRSP, Brian Devries, stated, "Sex educators know. Teens know. Parents know. And the research shows it. When will our policies and interventions reflect what science, research and best practices demonstrate? We need comprehensive sexuality education that is truly comprehensive."

With a second premarital pregnancy in the Palin family, how much more proof do our hypocritical politicians and ultra conservative right-wing Christians need?

The Palinistas tried to defend Mama Grizz before the Alaska Addams Family fessed up. How long before more cultists start questioning her family values bona fides? How long before the MSM admits ppl like Andrew Sullivan and myself weren't wrong in raising questions about the Trig pregnancy?

Sarah Palin lies about Trig again

If ever someone of the female sex epitomized the idea that if you're going to lie, tell Hitlerian whoppers, it's her.

In her recent interview, she lyingly, no other word for it, once again claimed to have shown the public Trig Palin's birth certificate. Now, it doesn't seem that either of her older two daughters could really be the mom, so what's she hiding? Is former First Dude Todd not the husband? That, since Bristol's pregnancy ruled out her parenthood, has always been the "secret" that I have assumed Sarah is hiding.

Andrew Sullivan has more; why won't others pick up on this?

Click the labels below for more of my own previous coverage of this.

Pots and kettles in Palin’s Deception whack-job land

When Palin’s Deception started, I thought “Audrey” would actually make her best shot at figuring out if Sarah Palin was lying about her pregnancy, and, if unable to come to a conclusion, but having enough of a cybercommunity behind her, hire a PI to nose around further to the degree he or she could.

Ahh, not so, not at all.

First, the place has become a cult.

Second, “Audrey” appears to be enjoying being the Queen of Sheba (first pot vs. kettle — Audrey and SP) with stringing out bits of information, pseudo-information and speculation here and there, without actually doing anything constructive about this.

In fact, regarding the PI idea, I suggested it, as part of my last long post about her and her website and blog. She e-mailed me with three or four excuses about why she couldn’t do that, all of which I shot down in an updated version of that post.

Soon after that, as “Audrey” (I put her name in scare quotes deliberately) continued to dally around the edges with her obsession with SP pregnancy photos, I realized she never would do anything besides dally around the edges.

Her claims to any expertise in midwivery, pregnancy care, or related issues aside, if she were serious about this being single reason for getting involved with Sarah Palin’s pregnancy with Trig (assuming it’s her kid, and now that Bristol’s been shot down as a candidate) she would have finished up her looking at various photos of SP’s actual/alleged pregnancy and been done with that..

Nope, nope and nope. As if the entire Palin family has become her tar baby or something, she moved on to playing around the edges of MySpace blog postings by Bristol Palin and some of her friends.

But, playing around the edges, unlike with questions of whether SP pregnancy photos were Photoshopped or not, isn’t enough. Now, she’s ready to go whole hog, including specific posts, and possibly even names, of juvenile friends of Bristol’s.

And along with that? We have white trash calling the Palins white trash in comment threads, trash-talking while “Audrey’s” increasing censorious groupies refuse to run any contrary opinions.

Speaking of that, and since “Audrey” and her Sieg Heil groupies see fit not to print how they’re wrong in her latest post, the one in which she attempts to justify rummaging through juveniles’ MySpace detritus, I’ll have to do that myself.

Only thing is, “Audrey” is wrong, as I commented there (without getting past Morgan the Nazi moderator).

As for the post itself? “Audrey” attempts to justify her gutter-rummaging by pointing to three criminal cases where MySpace was reportedly important in solving crimes, just in the past week.

In the second of the three cases, MySpace “solved” nothing. Rather, in the case of a juvenile posting nude pix of herself there, it was the scene of the crime. In the third case, it was the cause of the crime, not a clue in its solving. And, even the first case she cites, is just under investigation; nothing’s been solved yet, because no criminal charge has been filed yet.

But, beyond that, WHY, “Audrey,” are you rummaging in MySpace pages? Unless you believe that Sarah Palin either borrowed or kidnapped some other woman’s baby to pass off as Bristol’s in the past three months, it’s HUGELY clear Bristol had a son named Tripp at the end of last year, and, barring a miracle of post-pregnancy recovery, therefore CANNOT be the mother of Trig.

It would be less nutbar to postulate somebody else, even if not a family member, as Trig’s mother than it would be Bristol. And, if THAT isn’t the point of rummaging through MySpace trash, but rather, just rummaging through MySpace trash, you really have fallen low. As low as the woman you claim to abhor, or nearly so.

Short of Martians, or Elvis after a sex change, the most logical line is, after all, that Sarah Palin is the mother of Trig, horribly bad mother that she was during the pregnancy.

Of course, this is the same “Audrey” who claimed last fall that Team Obama had “inside knowledge” about the “truth” of the Sarah/Trig pregnancy. Scary as the risks are, I’d like to see SP run for the GOP nomination, whether she actually gets it or not, just to expose another wrongitude of “Audrey’s.”

That said, if Sarah is indeed Trig’s and gave birth last April, a commenter at Celtic Diva has a VERY interesting insight. (The comment is in response to a guest post by nurse Lee Thompkins, who likens birth doubters to conspiracy theorists.

Sweet Lucy 47 says:

Palin had become a Pro-abortion Pro-Lifer.

She really didn't want this baby, she had the amnio, found out then the baby was “damaged” and really realized she didn't want it...then denied she was even pregnant for months, until she could deny it no longer, so had to own up to it. Then, in Texas realizing she had a serious problem, made a fateful decision to travel as she did, in the hopes that God would take over and she wouldn't have the baby. Cynical?? Yes, maybe I am...but it all fits in with your explanation, and it all fits in with what happened and it explains the reasoning behind her actions.

Fits to me. It does accept Palin at her word (which ain't worth much) about the legal facts of the birth — and nothing else.

In other words, Sarah Palin has brought a lot of this on herself. (But, not all of it.)

I will admit that I, early on, noted that Mat-Su Regional Hospital did not post a Trig birth announcement. Well, there WAS one in the Anchorage Daily News.

But, there again, Team Palin could have done a better job of shooting stuff like this down. And did not. Because, she's an idiot.

Palin’s Deceptions gets a spoof blog

And, I don’t know how Audrey, of the actual original website and blog, is handling the parody/refutation site. That said, though I still have questions about Trigg’s birth, the parody website producing pictures of Bristol with Tripp, from a Fox interview, it pretty much shoots Audrey’s idea that there would be an actual birth, at the time there was, right in the foot.

(Unless Audrey thinks that’s a borrowed baby or something.)

In other words, it’s awfully hard to argue now that Bristol Palin was actually Trig Palin’s mom.

Therefore, unless somebody can produce some damned good evidence Tripp Palin wasn’t born just over two months ago, I’m dropping the idea that Bristol was Trig’s mom.

That said, I DO think Sarah’s been a horrible mother to Trig starting from the birth. I also still think she’s lying about something; why else hasn’t she produced a birth certificate?

It’s also interesting that Audrey herself hasn’t had a blog post in almost a full month, and her acolytes tell the faithful to have patience, the next Mass will be conducted shortly, and rumors and rabbit trails will be transubstantiated into grand theories. (The Flu [sic on capitalization] doesn’t keep you from blogging for nearly a month, either.)

Interesting that the last post Audrey did herself was on the SAME DAY that the Fox interview referenced by the parody blog, in which Bristol had Tripp in hand, took place.

In other words, IMO, Audrey is stalling and spinning.

That said, as I blogged before, If Sarah is indeed Trig’s and gave birth last April as she claims, a commenter at Celtic Diva has a VERY interesting insight.

Sweet Lucy 47 says:

Palin had become a Pro-abortion Pro-Lifer.

She really didn't want this baby, she had the amnio, found out then the baby was "damaged" and really realized she didn't want it...then denied she was even pregnant for months, until she could deny it no longer, so had to own up to it. Then, in Texas realizing she had a serious problem, made a fateful decision to travel as she did, in the hopes that God would take over and she wouldn't have the baby. Cynical?? Yes, maybe I am...but it all fits in with your explanation, and it all fits in with what happened and it explains the reasoning behind her actions.

Fits to me. It does accept Palin at her word (which ain't worth much) about the legal facts of the birth — and nothing else.

Sarah Palin is ultimately about Sarah Palin, religious beliefs and all. Whether this was a fully conscious mindset or not, it sounds reasonable — and quite perturbing.

For the best refutation of the “Sarah is not Trigg’s mom” nuttery that I long-ago abandoned, held only by people who are cultists of the Palin’s Deception blog, beyond the comments above, visit this post at Celtic Diva.

Tripp Palin now a bastard child for sure

Sorry, Grandma Sarah, but that’s the language folks of your persuasion use as moral talk on the issue of unwed mothers.

And since Bristol is breaking off her engagement to Levi Johnston, Tripp’s gonna be a bastard child.

And, Levi’s sister said Sarah called him “white trash” regularly.

Well, if THAT ain’t the pot calling the kettle white trash …

Sarah Palin does some teen birth flip-flopping

Now that Bristol Palin is allegedly a mother, mom Sarah is backing off her previous support for abstinence-only sex education.

Maybe it’s fallout from the Gov’s recent confusion over “somebody’s” birth timeline with Trig Palin in March of last year, before Tripp was allegedly delivered in late December.

Those confusions, those inconsistencies come glaringly to light in a new rush-to-press biography of the Whore of Wasilla spit out by who else than a People mag editor.

If People, collectively, kisses her ass any more, they’re going to need to get the staff to wear lip condoms.

Of course, Sarah ain’t the only liar – of either mainstream political party – who, when the lies get big enough, simply ignores the tangled, incorrect logical details.

Meanwhile, Bristol is backing off previously announced plans to marry Levi’s 501 Johnston, whose own mom seems to have screwed up some birth timeline issues in the Palin family.

Now, will the Religious Right jump on Queen Sarah for softening her stance? On either abstinence-only sex education or single mothers? Hah.

Salon has more on Sarah’s bullshit, and limelight-hogging.

ADN's Palin coverage - nothing but wildcat Palin and yellow editors in middle of road

Texas progressive pundit Jim Hightower's most famous book is probably "There's Nothing in the Middle of the Road but Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos," available at Amazon.

Well, the Anchorage Daily News has now found that out, per the title twist, this past week.

Per e-mails exchanged with Sarah Palin, and now posted by Editor Pat Dougherty on the ADN's editors' blog at the link above, it's clear the ADN's top editorial staff tried to "straddle" the middle of the road on coverage of Trig Palin's paternity and has been thoroughly flattened.

First, the ADN has confessed and admitted to what blogger Cajun Boy said the week before the Nov. 4 election - it DID have a reporter investigating the Trig rumors - Lisa Demer.

At the same time, the ADN took a mindset in advance of assigning Demer to the story that undercut its own work:

You may have been too busy with the campaign to notice, but the Daily News has, from the beginning, dismissed the conspiracy theories about Trig's birth as nonsense.

Just as it now dismisses theories about Bristol Palin's recent alleged first/second motherhood, of Tripp. And, that explains why Pat Dougherty and others won't answer my e-mails about the ADN's non-coverage of that issue, too.

Needless to say, Pat's getting a reaming in comments to this particular blog post. And deserves it.

Let's take a further look at WHY he deserves it.

He goes on to say this after posting the exchange of e-mails on the blog:

According to the “return receipt” feature of my email, my reply was opened shortly after I sent it on New Year’s Eve. Other than that, I have received no response or acknowledgement of that email.

And he acts half-surprised by this, even given this history of Palin's dealings with Derner:

Lisa Demer started reporting. She received very little cooperation in her efforts from the parties who, in my judgment, stood to benefit most from the story, namely you and your family. Even so, we reported the matter as thoroughly as we could. Several weeks ago, when we considered the information Lisa had gathered, we decided we didn't have enough of a story to accomplish what we had hoped. Lisa moved on to other topics and we haven't decided whether the idea is worth any further effort.

He says he's not sure what to do with Demer's reporting. Helloooo????

Hello, you tie in a sidebar about Tripp/Bristol, per your own comment about that in your email. You then give Sarah one last chance to cooperate.

If she doesn't, you run what you have and note the questions you asked her that she wouldn't answer. (Or that you asked Dr. Baldwin Johnson.)

What an effing maroon.

A number of the commenters on his blog post tell Dougherty this is why they, in essence, gave up on the ADN actually doing anything.

Meanwhile, the ever-whiney Palin (if you can't stand the heat, turn the gas up and stick your head in the oven, perhaps) ends HER e-mail with this:

As a public official, I expect criticism and I expect to be held accountable for how I govern . . . often the refusal of the media to correct obvious mistakes, unfortunately discredits too many in journalism today, making it difficult for many Americans to believe what they see in the media.

You need not worry about discrediting the media; people like Pat Dougherty are giving it plenty of self-inflicted discrediting.

E-mail him about this here.

WHAT is up with the Anchorage Daily News on Tripp Palin?

First, we have the ADN getting scooped by People magazine, a non-news enterprise

Then, the mystery deepened, with People changing its initial report of the day of Tripp's birth, two different birth weights reported, etc., the ADN gave us an unbylined story as its initial reporting.

That, then, was followed by Gov. Palin's lying press release about Tripp's birth, in which the ADN didn't challenge a single claim of Palin's press secretary about unidentified alleged lies in media coverage of Tripp's birth.

Then, the ADN runs an inane story on People's "Levi's not a dropout" phone call from Sarah Palin.

You can e-mail Kyle Hopkins, perpetuator of the latest non-story "story," here.

Other e-mail addresses include:
1. Pat Dougherty -- Senior Vice President & Editor
2. Julie Wright -- Managing editor
3. David Hulen -- Assistant managing editor

Here's what I told the four:

Let me see, so far you've been stiffed with a non-press report from Gov. Palin's press spokesman Bill McAllister, followed by uncritically printing one that had the whopper lie of claiming "misinformation" in coverage of Tripp's birth without specificing WHAT misinformation was run by either conventional media or blogs.

In between, the ADN has run your story about Sarah's phone call to People, and had its initial report of the birth being nothing but linking to People's story.

So, when is the ADN going to do some ACTUAL reporting?
1. What hospital was Tripp born in?
2. Any information, on background (to get around HIPAA for attribution in a story) from someone from that hospital?
3. Any pics? What? No photog sent to that hospital, if you knew which one it was?
4. If you didn't know which one it was, why not?

Couple of other things:

First, if McAllister refused to answer follow-up questions, why was that not noted in the initial press release story?

Second, did ADN editorial staff think of running a list of those follow-up questions on which he stiffed you?

Given the background of Trig's birth, I can't believe inquiring minds aren't getting more out of you.

Write them something similar yourself!

Also ask the triumvirate of editorial brass hats this:

Why is rural affairs reporter Kyle Hopkins, rather than Sean Cockerham, your state politics reporter, covering Tripp's birth, anyway?

Update, Jan. 3: None of the four ADN folks above have responded to my e-mails. Please, take up the cudgels!

Sarah Palin breaks silence on Tripp birth -slams press but tells no truths

Other than the mush and fluff about God turning lemons into lemonade with teen pregnancy, etc., immediately following is the nutgraf of Mayor Whazzup's statement:

Bill McAllister, the governor’s office communications director, adds: "The governor's office previously declined to comment to honor the family's wishes that the event remain as private as possible. However, the high volume of press inquiries, along with some erroneous information that was published, prompted the governor to make a statement.

I call bullshit.

WHAT "erroneous information"? If you're going to make that claim, that the press, or blogs like this, have gotten something wrong it's incumbent on YOU, Sarah Palin, to say WHAT we got wrong.

So, until you do that, your comment will be treated as just another lie from the Alaskan Addams Family.

Another lie? Telling People taht Bristol and Levi aren't high school dropouts; Levi, at least, certainly is.

And, other than rerunning press releases, is the Anchorage Daily News going to do further reporting on the issue? Doesn't look a lot like it.

Tripp Palin news rollout adds mystery to birth

Updated, 4 p.m. Central Dec. 30, with even more questions:
1. People, linked immediately below, reports a Saturday birth day, after originally reporting a Sunday birth. A Huffington Post blog linking to it has the Sunday date. And, the New York Daily News either splits the days or else just punts and "over the weekend" was when it happened.

2. People reportedly may pay $300K for the baby pix.

Original story
After People magazine, NOT the local newspaper of record, the Anchorage Daily News, broke the story that Bristol Palin reportedly had a baby boy named Tripp, I was waiting for more from an actual news source.

And, contrary to “Class A liberals” like Jeralyn and her Talk Left readers who think it’s undignified, or tin-foil hatting to ask questions about question-raising political births, I was waiting for the ADN to ask more questions when it could.

And, it now has its own first reporting, but raises more questions than it answers.

First, why is the story bylined “Daily News staff” than a particular reporter or two?

Second, and more importantly, why can’t the Gov. herself, Mayor Whazzup, the Whore of Wasilla, even put out a press release??? Why won’t she talk, or return phone calls?

From the People story:

On Monday, Bill McAllister, a spokesman for Gov. Palin said, “This office will not be issuing any statements on [Bristol’s baby]. We’re here to talk about state government and that matter falls outside of that.”

Bullshit. Sarah put out a PR about Trig’s birth and that was no more state government news than this birth.

And, why did the ADN not get even that comment in its story? Click here for further commentary and questions about the ADN's lack of reporting on this issue, complete with e-mail addresses for you to contact.

Also, why is Bristol’s great aunt the only person commenting for the record, from the People story?

WTF is up?

That right there raises the skepticism antennae. Will the ADN or other media have their antennae up?

If People is so hot for this story, again, contra the “Class A liberals,” where are its paparazzi shutterbugs?

So, while Palinites, who would elect Sarah the Virgin Mary if they could, will claim this birt rules out the timeline that Bristol, not Sarah Palin, was the mother of Trig, I say hold on. The Dec. 20 due date for Bristol with little Tripper wasn’t publicly announced until relatively late in the pregnancy. But, it does crimp that possibility somewhat.

That said, I wouldn’t trust a Palin birthing statement that is unsubstantiated by medical records any more than I would a George W. Bush foreign policy statement.

Doesn't that about say it all with the Alaskan Addams Family?

So, no, I am not closing any books on Palin Family Chronicles stories yet.

Meanwhile, for new visitors to this blog, here is where my Palin family births coverage started.

And, for Sarah Palin's lying initial press release about Tripp's birth, go here.

People Mag - Cousin Itt Palin has arrived

According to People, Bristol Palin has a baby boy named Tripp.

NOTE: Go here for a new post on the Tripp Palin birth and how early news cycle coverage is raising more questions than it’s answering.

Nope, nobody posting in comments had that name picked. And, no, the kid's actual first name isn't Drug.

Now, even this does not rule out the timeline that Bristol, not Sarah Palin, was the mother of Trig. The Dec. 20 due date for Bristol with little Tripper wasn't publicly announced until relatively late in the pregnancy. But, it does crimp that possibility somewhat. And, at 7 lbs., 4 oz., Tripp wasn't born two months prematurely.

As for Bristol's own timeline on this pregnancy, I earlier leaned toward the idea of this being real, then, later on, leaned away. Well, one can always second-guess oneself. I really changed my mind the most after listening to Audrey, proprietor of Palin’s Deceptions and the PD blog. She said, about a week before Christmas or so, she had been interviewed by the Anchorage Daily News, with the story supposedly coming out any time now.

Well, the story is out now. I'll check in at her blog later tonight or tomorrow morning, and I will also check in with the Anchorage Daily News. The ADN, earlier today, had only a snippet from the People story, and no original reporting. I have a bit of skeptical antennae-raising over what might be up with that, and even more cynical vomiting that the Palin family would be in contact with an entertainment mag first. Also, note that little Tripper was born Sunday, and, in the era of instantaneous Internet news, we get nothing for more than 24 hours?

Doesn't that about say it all with the Alaskan Addams Family?

Meanwhile, for new visitors to this blog, here is where my Palin family births coverage started.

And, for Sarah Palin's lying initial press release about Tripp's birth, go here.

Bristol Palin now one week overdue – and her 'preggo' pics?

Hello, Wasilla, Alaska, it is now Dec. 28. And, still no official sign of the little child that is allegedly to be born to the still-unmarried Bristol Palin and Levi Johnson. Yes, first children can be overdue, but, still, no comment from anywhere in Palinland?

So, maybe even Bristol's grandparents can lie, no matter what they told a fluff-story writer in their Grandparents interview.

Makes you wonder where the Sarah Palin dysfunction, and her own apparent lying, started from? Is any of this dysfunction related to her attending half a dozen different colleges?

But I digress.

I want to look at two pictures, courtesy of Gryphen.

The picture at left is identified as being when Bristol allegedly would have been four and a half months pregnant; the one below is from early November, when she would allegedly have been seven 4and a half months pregnant. Gryphen comments on how little weight she appears to have gained in the later months of her pregnancy after putting on so much weight early on. But, I have a different possibility, which I'll discuss immediately below.



What if that weight from this fall, rather than Bristol at four and a half months pregnant, is weight she never lost from having Trig? Some women have a more difficult time of losing weight than others do. I don't know if age of first pregnancy has anything to do with it but, per the second pic, snarfing down junk food before, during and after pregnancy certainly would.

So, we have either a fake pregnancy in toto or a fake due date. Audrey at Palin’s Deceptionsand the PD blog says she has been interviewed by the Anchorage Daily News, with the story supposedly coming out any time now.

Bristol Palin preggo watch - 3 days overdue

According to Sarah Palin, her own parents in their Grandparents interview and all and sundry in the Palin Family Circus, Bristol Palin was supposed to be giving birth to either Trig Palin’s nephew/niece, or sibling, Dec. 20.

And, ahem, Wasilla, Alaska, it is now Dec. 23. And, still no official sign of the little bastard child that is allegedly to be born to the still-unmarried Bristol Palin and Levi Johnson.

No child, and no news of a trek on a snowmobile to Bethlehem, Pa., let alone the one across the pond, for a birth miracle, either.

Inquiring, and skeptical minds like mine are still all a-quiver waiting for hospital room, birth, delivery and other on-site, time-of-arrival baby pictures.

You know, the pictures of Trig and Sarah at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center?

Oh, I’m sorry, I meant the pictures we didn’t get of Trig and Sarah at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.

As I said, I’m all a-quiver waiting for hospital room, birth, delivery and other on-site, time-of-arrival baby pictures. Don’t tell me there isn’t an actual little bundle of joy popping out of the Bristol Palin nurturing womb! Waiting to be laid in a crib!

This IS newsworthy, the most newsworthy Alaska birth since Ted Stevens hatched his first barrel of oil, after all. So, where are the news stories?

(Note: Until proven otherwise, I am operating under the assumption that Bristol’s due date is real; Audrey at Palin’s Deceptionsand the PD blog says she has been interviewed by the Anchorage Daily News, with the story coming out in a couple of days, and says “stand by” on everything above.

If we go more than a couple more days (and, let us see what ADN has to report), we have one of two options:
1. A baby, but born, and therefore conceived, too late to get Bristol off the hook for being Trig’s mom; or
2. No baby at all.

“Stand by” indeed.

My original, catch-all, “show me the birth certificate” post about Trig, Sarah and Bristol Palin had gotten so loaded up with updates I am starting a new post, just in time for the Palin family’s blessed event.

Meanwhile, we can still speculate about what’s the kid’s name, if there is an actual kid.

I say, given the gothic creepiness of the Palin Family, Cousin Itt would work well. Another blogger suggested “Plumber,” as in (Joe the) Plumber. “Dood,” as reflecting on Palin’s (presumed) Daddy (when was that affair, Sarah, and was it the only one?) and his affectionate nickname from his oh-so-affectionately (un)faithful spouse.

Dec. 20; when is Cousin Itt Palin popping out of the oven?

Well, according to all and sundry in the Palin Family Circus, Bristol Palin was supposed to be giving birth to either Trig Palin’s nephew/niece, or sibling, Dec. 20.

And, ahem, Wasilla, Alaska, it is now Dec. 20. And, still no official sign of the little bastard, to use an old conservative Christian term that Sarah Palin should like; Bristol and Levi Johnson still are not married.

First, per a link below, I’m all a-quiver waiting for hospital room, birth, delivery and other on-site, time-of-arrival baby pictures.

You know, the pictures of Trig and Sarah at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center?

Oh, I’m sorry, I meant the pictures we didn’t get of Trig and Sarah at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.

As I said, I’m all a-quiver waiting for hospital room, birth, delivery and other on-site, time-of-arrival baby pictures. Don’t tell me there isn’t an actual little bundle of joy popping out of the Bristol Palin nurturing womb!

This IS newsworthy, the most newsworthy Alaska birth since Ted Stevens hatched his first barrel of oil, after all

That said, she does appear to be actually pregnant; actually nine months pregnant? It’s hard to say; per the pictures at the linked blog post, she put on a lot of pregnancy weight/size gain early, then little after that.

I’m assuming, of course, that Sarah Palin’s parents aren't part of a conspiracy so vast we would be into conspiracy theorizing at this point. But, given the fact there is probably some sort of family dysfunction behind the Whore of Wasilla attending half a dozen different colleges and universities before graduating, maybe that is not a well-warranted assumption.

That’s also ignoring the puffery factor in their Grandparents interview. (Note: Until proven otherwise, I am operating under the assumption that Bristol’s due date is real; I think Palin’s Deceptionsand the PD blog may have to re-adjust, though Audrey has dropped playing that angle in recent weeks.

Update, via e-mail Audrey says she has been interviewed by the Anchorage Daily News, with the story coming out in a couple of days, and says “stand by” on everything above. OTOH, Audrey perhaps should

If we go more than a couple more days (and, let us see what ADN has to report), we have one of two options:
1. A baby, but born, and therefore conceived, too late to get Bristol off the hook for being Trig’s mom; or
2. No baby at all.

“Stand by” indeed.

My original, catch-all, “show me the birth certificate” post about Trig, Sarah and Bristol Palin had gotten so loaded up with updates I am starting a new post, just in time for the Palin family’s blessed event.

First, what’s the kid’s name?

I say, given the gothic creepiness of the Palin Family, Cousin Itt would work well. Another blogger suggested “Plumber,” as in (Joe the) Plumber. “Dood,” as reflecting on Palin’s (presumed) Daddy (when was that affair, Sarah, and was it the only one?) and his affectionate nickname from his oh-so-affectionately (un)faithful spouse.

Anyway, here’s where we’re at on the Trig and Sarah front:

First, here’s a good summary of the Top 10 reasons to question Trig’s paternity. You can read the link for details and supporting evidence; here’s the list:
10. No Announcement of Trig’s Birth at Matsu Hospital
9. No Witnesses at Hospital
8. No Baby Pictures of Birth
7. Extraordinary Risks and A Doctor’s Responsibility
6. A Doctor’s Specialty: Teenagers in Trouble
5. The Invisible Pregnancy or “Where are You Carrying This Baby? In Your Pocket?”
4. The Daughter Disappears From School
3. Five Months: Perfect Timing to Confuse the Issue
2. Bristol Under the Bus
1. Accumulation of evidence.

About 10 days ago, Andrew Sullivan refuted Michelle Malkin calling this tin-foil hat territory, and says he talked to multiple ob/gyn docs about how likely/unlikely Sarah Palin's story was. You know the answer, but, they were polite about their “unlikely” comments. (I hope they’re telling Bristol not to be flying anywhere today!)

Sullivan also has a strong narrative questioning Palin's medical nonchalance.

Beyond providing a birth certificate, or offering some logical explanation for why Palin hasn't, the real tin-foil hatters, the one for whom Ms. Sarah is the female Messiah, need to explain why the hospital where Trig Palin was allegedly born has no record of the event. Yes, it’s optional, but nobody has claimed Gov. Whazzup was in the hospital that day.

Meanwhile, late last month, Palin Deception’s blog shows that pics from Bristol's prom may be from a previously unmentioned possible fourth prom date and so do NOT prove she is not Trig's mom.

Palin Deception’s blog also scrutinizes Mercedes Johnston's MySpace pix and concludes they were shot at Palin's house and not a birthing room in Mat-Su. Audrey says that, beyond that, they aren't really evidence for or against either Bristol or Sarah as Trig's mom; readers speculate a third possibility, that Mercedes is the mom via Sarah's son and Bristol's brother, Track, or that the baby was adopted from Mercedes and Levi's mom.

And, Sully tells us why Palin still matters:

Forty-six percent of Americans voted for the possibility of this blank slate as president because she somehow echoed their own sense of religious or cultural "identity". Until we figure out how this happened, we will not be able to prevent it from happening again. And we have to find a way to prevent this from recurring.

Because of that, because he notes Palin still has “no self-awareness,” and because he says the MSM abdicated responsibility on Palin, he promises to “stay on the case.”

Time for Sarah Palin's (first?) grandma’s card

Yep, Bristol Palin will reportedly be giving birth to either Trig Palin’s nephew/niece, or sibling, Dec. 20. And, as Half Sigma jogs my intellect, the boy is going to be a little bastard, to use an old conservative Christian term that Sarah Palin should like; Bristol and Levi Johnson still are not married.

First, per a link below, I’ll be all a-quiver waiting for hospital room, birth, delivery and other on-site, time-of-arrival baby pictures.

You know, the pictures of Trig and Sarah at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center?

Oh, I’m sorry, I meant the pictures we didn’t get of Trig and Sarah at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.

I’m assuming, of course, that Sarah Palin’s parents aren't part of a conspiracy so vast we would be into conspiracy theorizing at this point. That’s also ignoring the puffery factor in their Grandparents interview. (Note: Until proven otherwise, I am operating under the assumption that Bristol’s due date is real; I think Palin’s Deceptionsand the PD blog may have to re-adjust, though Audrey has dropped playing that angle in recent weeks.

Update, via e-mail Audrey says she has been interviewed by the Anchorage Daily News, with the story coming out in a couple of days, and says “stand by“ on everything above.

My original, catch-all, “show me the birth certificate“ post about Trig, Sarah and Bristol Palin had gotten so loaded up with updates I am starting a new post, just in time for the Palin family’s blessed event.

First, what’s the kid’s name?

I say, given the gothic creepiness of the Palin Family, Cousin Itt would work well. Another blogger suggested “Plumber,” as in (Joe the) Plumber. “Dood,” as reflecting on Palin’s (presumed) Daddy (when was that affair, Sarah, and was it the only one?) and his affectionate nickname from his oh-so-affectionately (un)faithful spouse.

Anyway, here’s where we’re at on the Trig and Sarah front:

First, here’s a good summary of the Top 10 reasons to question Trig’s paternity. You can read the link for details and supporting evidence; here’s the list:
10. No Announcement of Trig’s Birth at Matsu Hospital
9. No Witnesses at Hospital
8. No Baby Pictures of Birth
7. Extraordinary Risks and A Doctor’s Responsibility
6. A Doctor’s Specialty: Teenagers in Trouble
5. The Invisible Pregnancy or “Where are You Carrying This Baby? In Your Pocket?”
4. The Daughter Disappears From School
3. Five Months: Perfect Timing to Confuse the Issue
2. Bristol Under the Bus
1. Accumulation of evidence.

About 10 days ago, Andrew Sullivan refuted Michelle Malkin calling this tin-foil hat territory, and says he talked to multiple ob/gyn docs about how likely/unlikely Sarah Palin's story was. You know the answer, but, they were polite about their “unlikely” comments. (I hope they’re telling Bristol not to be flying anywhere today!)

Sullivan also has a strong narrative questioning Palin's medical nonchalance.

Beyond providing a birth certificate, or offering some logical explanation for why Palin hasn't, the real tin-foil hatters, the one for whom Ms. Sarah is the female Messiah, need to explain why the hospital where Trig Palin was allegedly born has no record of the event. Yes, it’s optional, but nobody has claimed Gov. Whazzup was in the hospital that day.

Meanwhile, late last month, Palin Deception’s blog shows that pics from Bristol's prom may be from a previously unmentioned possible fourth prom date and so do NOT prove she is not Trig's mom.

Palin Deception’s blog also scrutinizes Mercedes Johnston's MySpace pix and concludes they were shot at Palin's house and not a birthing room in Mat-Su. Audrey says that, beyond that, they aren't really evidence for or against either Bristol or Sarah as Trig's mom; readers speculate a third possibility, that Mercedes is the mom via Sarah's son and Bristol's brother, Track, or that the baby was adopted from Mercedes and Levi's mom.

And, Sully tells us why Palin still matters:

Forty-six percent of Americans voted for the possibility of this blank slate as president because she somehow echoed their own sense of religious or cultural "identity". Until we figure out how this happened, we will not be able to prevent it from happening again. And we have to find a way to prevent this from recurring.

Because of that, because he notes Palin still has “no self-awareness,” and because he says the MSM abdicated responsibility on Palin, he promises to “stay on the case.”

The Palin Deception is an excellent website created by a reported lifelong (until now) Republican. This is the link to the main website, not the blog.

A Yahoo Geocities website is also serving as a clearing house on this issue.

Missing — Bristol Palin

So, where IS Bristol Palin? All of a sudden, she’s not visible on the campaign trail.

First, she’s not that far along in her pregnancy.

Second, even if she were, Supermom Sarah in her fifth alleged pregnancy, flew to Dallas a day before giving birth allegedly having a baby.

Oh, a hat tip, I got the “milk carton pic” from the Sarah Palin Deception blog .

That said, I don’t believe — unlike many people there — that Bristol is now in hiding because she’s not really pregnant, and her pregnancy, with the exact number of months she is pregnant, being announced at the Republican National Convention in an attempt to use pregnancy timetables to preclude her being Trig’s mom.

I believe Bristol actually is pregnant. It would be too hard to pull off a fake pregnancy now, and, were Bristol not pregnant, the Trig cover story could be tweaked in other ways. (Although the possibility of Sarah Palin making up a pregnancy for political gain wouldn’t surprise me.)

The "five months" I don't believe, though.

With a second pregnancy in a row, Bristol would know sooner, and Sarah could manipulate dates as she pleased.

I have been on this since early September. Here’s my main blog post on the pregnancy.

Per a Ted Rall column I blogged about, Bristol may well never complete high school; she almost certainly won’t complete college. She and Levi will stay married less than a decade, will probably have at least one instance of domestic violence, and will then get divorced.

So, back to the main point — WHY is she in hiding?

Could it be wedding planning? Possible but not likely.

Is it because she is not as far in her pregnancy as claimed? In the spotlight of the presidential campaign, Sarah, Todd et al know this is going to be more tightly scrutinized.

That said, it’s certainly possible high-ups in the Obama campaign have some questions, but I don’t think they’re 100 percent sold on Trig’s pregnancy being faked. And I certainly doubt they have more evidence than does the Enquirer, kind of contra the Palin Deception blog.

Bristol did the wrong thing with marriage pledge, etc.

That’s Ted Rall’s take on Bristol Palin’s decision to “keep” the child of her current pregnancy:

Bristol is doing the wrong thing. She's having the kid. She's marrying the father. Three lives will likely be destroyed. …

Those who keep silent about Levi and Bristol's bad decisions — especially those marketing them as examples to be emulate — -are doing society a disservice. Levi and Bristol are about to compound one tragedy (unplanned teen pregnancy) with another (involuntary marriage). They're setting a terrible example for other teenagers who will find themselves in their situation.

As for Bristol, Rall points out that, while there are exceptions, teen moms are more likely to drop out of high school and teen brides are more likely to drop into poverty.

Beyond that, 60 percent of marriages made when both people were under 18 fail in 15 years or less.

Sure, Sarahcuda will pull strings (perhaps literally on college admission or state job placement) for both Bristol and hubby-to-be Levi Johnson, of whom Rall says:

A few days later, Extremely Nervous Boyfriend blinks under the bright lights of a stage in St. Paul, elevated to the even more challenging role of America's Unhappiest 18-Year-Old. I met a guy the night before he was executed. Levi Johnston had the same look in his eyes.

Rall’s snarky answer? A federal law to ban teen marriage and require teen abortion.

Actually, it’s not his snarky answer, it’s his real answer, which shouldn’t surprise regular readers of Rall:

Even pro-choice liberals are afraid to speak the truth: teen marriage and parenthood are disasters for everyone concerned. I have serious problems with well-off married couples who decide to terminate their pregnancies for frivolous reasons. Conversely, abortion ought to be mandatory for people under 18. Twenty-five would be better. Teen marriage should be banned.

Well, that is too much for my taste, but, if we change “abortion” to “birth control,” I wouldn’t see anything more wrong with prescribing the Pill than prescribing MMR vaccines.