SocraticGadfly

December 20, 2008

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.”

Civil suits an alternative to war-crimes trials?

The biggest downside of civil suits against former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, former Attorney General John Ashcroft, or even soon-to-be former President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney is that you and I never get to see heinous offenders against international law, international law that is by treaty and the provisions of the U.S. Constitution, the law of the land — do the actual criminal time in prison they have earned.

The flip side, though, is that Bush (or Obama, in the name of “national unity”) can’t pardon anybody, today or looking ahead to the future, from the verdict and punishments of any civil suit.

Period.

Also, in a criminal case, given “War on Terror” hysteria, getting a conviction by unanimous jury vote would be mighty hard.

You don’t need a unanimous vote in civil cases at the state level; I think the same is true at federal level, but I’m not sure. (In any case, only a small fraction of the small fraction of federal civil cases that go to trial are pled before a jury.)

So, if Maher Arar has a better shot of suing Rumsfeld, bolstered by the recent Senate Armed Services Commission report on the architects of torture, as Newsweek reports, fire away!

I am Blago, hear me roar

I mean, from Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s point of view, why would you say anything other than what he did — “I’m staying on.”

First, any yet-unrevealed cards by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald may turn out to be a pack of cards, as much as anything. In fact, I still haven’t seen anything that would indicate Fitz does have that much stronger of a hand in his down cards in this drawn-out seven-card stud.

Second, he knows that with his lawyer’s promise he won’t appoint anybody to Obama’s vacant Senate seat, the Illinois Legislature has less pressure on him. An impeachment motion by the Illinois House, followed by state Senate trial, probably won’t get done before June.

Third, if Fitz takes him to trial, what if Blago seeks a jury trial? His lawyers could get creative in seek out “a jury of his peers.” Try to put, say, Emil Jones Jr or Rahm Emanuel on a jury?

Fourth, as for stepping aside temporarily, as the state constitution allows, that would come off as a look of guilt in the court of public opinion. See the third point, above.

In other words, not only will we not see Fitzmas, I would not even count on the Fitz of July.

Dollar betters worry about Bernanke and inflation

With Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke cutting the federal funds rate to zero, has he increased the possibility of future inflation?

The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board said the continued sagging in the dollar’s value says yes.

Brinker’s finishes dumping Macaroni Grill

And, dumping is right, as Brinker’s had to sell the Romano’s restaurant line for less than half its original asking price.

Oh, if you have gift cards, they remain valid.

I'm not the only one thinking Salazar is a sell-out at Interior

While other people are worried about Rick Warren, more and more environmentalists are worried about Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar running the Department of Interior.

Interior, due to the presence and land ownership of the federal government, has traditionally gone to a Westerner, but Obama could have done far better. Yes, as director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, he funded state land conservation efforts. But, in his brief time in the Senate, or his state service before that, you never heard him mentioned as a real environmentalist. And, he certainly doesn't have an A-list record of standing up to Big Oil and Big Gas on BLM land. Yes, he did take on the government on oil shale on the Roan Plateau, but beyond that? He allowed natural gas drilling to go ahead there.

That is why he is drawing not just somewhat, but highly, critical views from many non-Gang Green environmentalists. (Gang Green members, as befitting their willing co-option by the Democratic party, has been silent on Salazar so far.)
“He is a right-of-center Democrat who often favors industry and big agricultural interests in battles over global warming, fuel efficiency and endangered species,” said Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, which tracks endangered species and habitat issues.

Daniel R. Patterson, a former official of the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management and now southwest regional director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, described Mr. Salazar as the most controversial of Mr. Obama’s cabinet appointees.

“Salazar has a disturbingly weak conservation record, particularly on energy development, global warming, endangered wildlife and protecting scientific integrity,” said Mr. Patterson, who was elected last month to the Arizona House of Representatives from Tucson and supported Mr. Grijalva for the Interior Department job. “It’s no surprise oil and gas, mining, agribusiness and other polluting industries that have dominated Interior are supporting rancher Salazar — he’s their friend.”

Earlier this week, I gave Salazar a B-minus on environmental issues, but that's not all that great. I said then that, given that, after violations of international law and civil rights, anti-environmentalism is one of Bush's biggest legacies, we need more than a B-minus leading Interior.

Now, I am not even sure if he deserves that grade; when I made it, I thought I might be grading on a mental curve after hammering Obama for most the rest of his cabinet choices.