even though a great deal of people

don't see it as such, i see it as a portrait of an unraveling. she's not very bright by ANY means or standards and she's not very nice. she's not a realist (neither am i BUT i'm not the governor of a state or seeking some other public governmental type of service). she's closed minded. she's a fundamentalist. she obviously doesn't care about anyone other than her intimate circle (which seems to be getting smaller and smaller-because goddess help you if you disagree with her). yet, people STILL would vote for her.

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Palin’s Route to Resignation: Missteps and Ignored Advice
By JIM RUTENBERG and SERGE F. KOVALESKI
This article was reported by Jim Rutenberg from New York and Serge F. Kovaleski from Wasilla and Anchorage, Alaska. Jo Becker reported from New York and Kim Severson and William Yardley from Wasilla and Anchorage.

ANCHORAGE — In late March, a senior official from the Republican Governors Association headed for Alaska on a secret mission. Sarah Palin was beset by such political and personal turmoil that some powerful supporters determined an intervention was needed to pull her governorship, and her national future, back from the brink.

The official, the association’s executive director, Nick Ayers, arrived with a memorandum containing firm counsel, according to several people who know its details: Make a long-term schedule and stick to it, have staff members set aside ample and inviolable family time to replenish your spirits, and build a coherent home-state agenda that creates jobs and ensures re-election..............................

hmmmmmmm looks like buddy cianci doesn't win in alaska

(if you don't know who buddy cianci is, look him up)
why was the "first count" (i put it in quotes because obviously there was NO count prior to THIS ONE)

from the brad blog
(Updated) AP: STEVENS LOSES AK SENATE RACE
Earlier Today: Felonious Senator Says Will Not Ask Bush for Pardon, Still Has 'Faith' He's Going to Win Re-Election...
UPDATE: AP calls race for Begich...

Mark Begich, the Democratic Anchorage mayor, has defeated Sen. Ted Stevens in a closely contested, see-saw race for the United States Senate, according to Associated Press projections.

The Division of Elections has almost concluded an initial count of absentee, early in-person and questioned ballots Tuesday. That, coupled with the numbers culled from Election Day, gave Begich a 3,724-vote lead over Stevens, the 40-year Republican incumbent, with about 2,500 ballots left to count.

and from the wapo
Ted Stevens Loses Battle For Alaska Senate Seat

By Paul Kane

Washington Post Staff Writer

Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) defeated Sen. Ted Stevens, ending the tenure of the longest-serving Republican in Senate history, after the counting of more ballots yesterday gave him a larger lead than the number of votes still untallied, Alaska elections officials said.

Begich's win gives Democrats control of 58 seats in the Senate, including two independents who caucus with them. That is two shy of the number needed to prevent Republicans from filibustering, with two races still undecided. Democrats have not controlled 60 seats since 1978.

Begich leads Stevens by more than 3,700 votes, according to the Alaska secretary of state. Gail Fenumiai, the head of the state's election division, said about 2,500 absentee votes from overseas and Alaska's most remote regions remain to be counted...........

duhhhhhhhhh

why now? why not a day or two after mccain announced her as his running mate. when we vetted her ourselves and found out she was close to being a lamebrain. yes, i mean that. anyone who thinks their jesus thinks it's ok that we're in iraq is a dolt. anyone who shoots wolves from helicopters is as close to the devil in the flesh as they come.

Perceptions of Palin Grow Increasingly Negative, Poll Says

By Jon Cohen and Jennifer Agiesta

Washington Post Staff Writers
While top-of-the-ticket rivals John McCain and Barack Obama both remain broadly popular heading into Election Day, public perceptions of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin have fallen dramatically since she emerged on the national political scene at the GOP convention. A majority of likely voters in a new Washington Post-ABC News national poll now have unfavorable views of the Alaska governor, most still doubt her presidential qualifications and there is an even split on whether she "gets it," a perception that had been a key component of her initial appeal. ..........

hmmmmmmmmm

you know i could open my heart (and mind) and give her bringing the kids to SOME events (as in OFFICIAL POLITICAL NECESSARY EVENTS). what i cannot NOR will not forgive (or forget) is billing the state to bring the kidlets to SEE THEY DADDY IN A SNOW MOBILE RACE. nuh uh. no way, no how. never. nada.

AP INVESTIGATION: Alaska funded Palin kids' travel

By BRETT J. BLACKLEDGE, ADAM GOLDMAN and MATT APUZZO
Associated Press Writers

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- Gov. Sarah Palin charged the state for her children to travel with her, including to events where they were not invited, and later amended expense reports to specify that they were on official business.

The charges included costs for hotel and commercial flights for three daughters to join Palin to watch their father in a snowmobile race, and a trip to New York, where the governor attended a five-hour conference and stayed with 17-year-old Bristol for five days and four nights in a luxury hotel.

In all, Palin has charged the state $21,012 for her three daughters' 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office in December 2006. In some other cases, she has charged the state for hotel rooms for the girls.

Alaska law does not specifically address expenses for a governor's children. The law allows for payment of expenses for anyone conducting official state business.

As governor, Palin justified having the state pay for the travel of her daughters - Bristol, 17; Willow, 14; and Piper, 7 - by noting on travel forms that the girls had been invited to attend or participate in events on the governor's schedule...........

she really IS a moronic DICK

REALLY (and don't even think of telling me otherwise)

i can't WAIT for the debate. i've been avoiding them, but this one i WANT to see

Palin's Stand on Mining Initiative Leaves Many Feeling Burned

By Alec MacGillis

Washington Post Staff Writer
For months, the confrontation mounted, a face-off that arguably held in the balance the fates of two of Alaska's biggest industries. On one side were companies hoping to open Pebble Mine at a huge gold and copper reserve adjacent to one of the world's largest salmon runs, Bristol Bay. On the other side were fishermen and environmentalists pushing a referendum that would make it harder for the mine to open.

The two sides spent more than $10 million -- unprecedented for such efforts in Alaska -- and throughout it all, the state's highly popular first-term governor, Sarah Palin, held back. Alaska law forbids state officials from using state resources to advocate on ballot initiatives.

Then, six days before the Aug. 26 vote, with the race looking close, Palin broke her silence. Asked about the initiative at a news conference, she invoked "personal privilege" to give an opinion. "Let me take my governor's hat off for just a minute here and tell you, personally, Prop. 4 -- I vote no on that," she said. "I have all the confidence in the world that [the Department of Environmental Conservation] and our [Department of Natural Resources] have great, very stringent regulations and policies already in place. We're going to make sure that mines operate only safely, soundly."

Palin's comments rocked the contest. Within a day, the pro-mining coalition fighting the referendum had placed full-page ads with a picture of the governor and the word "NO." The initiative went down to defeat, with 57 percent of voters rejecting it...........

it's not that everybody else isn't doing it

it's that she's standing up at podiums and airing commercials saying she's NOT doing it. make her accountable NOW because later IS too late

is there even going to BE a later? i don't know it's rather doom and gloom out there, no?

she's NOT who she says she is and you all know it

Palin Accepted $25,000 in Gifts, Alaska Records Show

By James V. Grimaldi and Robert O'Harrow Jr.

Washington Post Staff Writers
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who has made a crackdown on gift-giving to state officials a centerpiece of her ethics reform agenda, has accepted gifts valued at $25,367 from industry executives, municipalities and a cultural center whose board includes officials from some of the largest mining interests in the state, a review of state records shows.
The 41 gifts Palin accepted during her 20 months as governor include honorific tributes, expensive artwork and free travel for a family member. They also include more than $2,500 in personal items from Calista, a large Alaska native corporation with a variety of pending state regulatory and budgetary issues, and a gold-nugget pin valued at $1,200 from the city of Nome, which lobbies on municipal, local and capital budget matters, documents show. About a quarter of the entities bestowing gifts on the governor are represented by one of Alaska's most influential mining lobbyists, who said in an interview that she was not involved in the tributes.

and we have this from rollingstone.com/">rolling stone

The Truth About Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin's credentials as a "reformer" are nothing but spin. She has sided with Big Oil, lobbied to increase pork spending and abused her public power to carry out personal vendettas. Here's a guide to separating myth from fact.

TIM DICKINSON

THE MYTH: "She took the luxury jet that was acquired by her predecessor and sold it on eBay. And made a profit!" — John McCain, at a campaign stop in Wisconsin

THE FACTS: No one bought the jet online. It was eventually sold through an aircraft broker — at a loss to taxpayers of nearly $600,000....

.........

THE MYTH: "We ... championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress." — Sarah Palin, convention speech

THE FACTS: As mayor, employed a lobbyist who also worked for Jack Abramoff to secure $27 million in pork spending for Wasilla — more than $4,000 per resident. In her two years as governor, requested $453 million in earmarks. Alaska ranks first in the nation for pork, raking in seven times the national average.............

............

THE MYTH: "She's from a small town with small-town values." — Fred Thompson, convention speech

THE FACTS: Wasilla and the surrounding valley recently named the meth capital of Alaska, with 42 meth labs busted in a single year.............

20% my big fat ass!

ha!

(not to worry, it's rather like saying you have foreign heads of state experience 'cause you can see russia from your kitchen window whilst you were washin' dishes)

Palin for Energy Czar!

Gov. Sarah Palin "knows more about energy than probably anyone in the United States of America." --John McCain, ABC interview, Sept. 11, 2008.

"My job has been to oversee nearly 20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of oil and gas." --Gov. Sarah Palin, Campaign event in Golden, Colorado, Sept. 15, 2008.

The woman touted by John McCain as the most knowledgable person in America on energy issues has been having a lot of trouble getting her basic energy statistics straight. Last week, Sarah Palin told Charlie Gibson of ABC News that her state, Alaska, produced "nearly 20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of energy." Yesterday, she told a campaign rally in Golden, Colorado, that she had been responsible for overseeing "nearly 20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of oil and gas." Both claims are way off............

State	Total production	Percent of U.S. Total
Texas	10,829 Trillion Btu	15.6
Wyoming	9,154	13.1
Louisiana	6,760	9.7
West Virginia	4,061	5.8
California	3,198	4.6
Kentucky	3,097	4.5
New Mexico	2,752	3.9
Pennsylvania	2,694	3.8
Alaska	2,417	3.5

hmmmmmmmmmmmm

not saying a thing. just presenting the story. who knows, the trooper really COULD be unfit for duty (and if he was/is, why weren't the allegations brought up PRIOR to the divorce, huh?) OR it could be that sassy gov stuck her nose where it didn't belong. as i said, not saying a thing here

Palin Focus of Probe In Police Chief's Firing

Her Family Wanted a Trooper Dismissed, He Says

By James V. Grimaldi and Kimberly Kindy

Washington Post Staff Writers

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.

The firing of state Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan has unearthed a stream of private details about the governor, her husband and her family. The state probe is also focusing on a half-dozen top state officials accused of trying to drive trooper Mike Wooten from the force.

Critics say the episode -- dubbed Troopergate in Alaska -- cuts against Palin's reputation as an ethics crusader who holds even her own party accountable.

"It undercuts one of the points they are making that she is an ethical reformer," said state Sen. Hollis French, a Democrat who is managing the $100,000 investigation.

The McCain campaign supported Palin, saying: "Governor Palin has been fully cooperative in this situation and has nothing to hide. She has been a leader and proven reformer, demanding accountability and transparency from Alaska's government which resulted in landmark ethics legislation."

The domestic dispute entered the public arena when the governor's sister filed for divorce from Wooten on April 11, 2005............

i heard some of the testimony

(read by the news reporter) on npr
Exxon Makes Case on Valdez for High Court
by Nina Totenberg

All Things Considered, February 27, 2008 · The Supreme Court heard arguments from Exxon today that the amount the corporation has been ordered to pay as a result of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska is unreasonable.
Lawyers representing fishermen, Native Alaskans and others say the punitive damages are necessary, because Exxon has not shown that it takes responsibility for the spill and it has fired only one person over the incident: the captain of the Exxon Valdez............... (if you click the npr link above, in addition to the rest of the article, there's an audio link)



i was shocked, astounded and very disturbed. it seemed the justices had NO problems with exxon making money hand over fish (yes, i meant that) while the effected citizens of alaska STILL suffered. seems like they didn't hold exxon responsible even though it sure as heck appeared they knew the captain had 'drinking' issues (for at least 3 years they knew). sure they fired the captain (ONLY), AND EVERYONE ELSE GOT A BIG FAT EFFING BONUS.



it's GOOD to be an american (BIG CORPORATION that is)

At the High Court, Damage Control

By Dana Milbank

Exxon Mobil, the giant oil corporation appearing before the Supreme Court yesterday, had earned a profit of nearly $40 billion in 2006, the largest ever reported by a U.S. company -- but that's not what bothered Roberts. What bothered the chief justice was that Exxon was being ordered to pay $2.5 billion -- roughly three weeks' worth of profits -- for destroying a long swath of the Alaska coastline in the largest oil spill in American history.
"So what can a corporation do to protect itself against punitive-damages awards such as this?" Roberts asked in court.
The lawyer arguing for the Alaska fishermen affected by the spill, Jeffrey Fisher, had an idea. "Well," he said, "it can hire fit and competent people."
The rare sound of laughter rippled through the august chamber. The chief justice did not look amused. ........

chief marie smith jones

goodbye and thank you

Eyak language dies with its last speaker

The last traditional speaker of the Eyak language died yesterday, making the language extinct. Eyak Chief Marie Smith Jones was 89 years old. She was the last person to have learned the language the traditional way, taught as a child from her parents.
Her long-time language documentarian, linguist Dr. Michael Krauss began working with her in 1962. He says Chief Marie kept the language going for many years after her older sister died in the early 1990s.............

Last Native speaker of Eyak language is dead at 89

Marie Smith Jones was a well-known activist and leader
By DEBRA McKINNEY

Chief Marie Smith Jones, the last full-blooded Eyak and last Native speaker of the Eyak language, died Monday at her Fairview apartment.

She was 89.
According to her son, Leonard Smith, she was found in her bed. Her family believes she died in her sleep.
"Everyone is like, she not in pain anymore," said granddaughter Sherry Smith. "Because she has been in pain a lot."
Smith Jones was well-known in Alaska and beyond as an activist, and a feisty one. She took on her own Native corporation in a fight against clear-cutting on ancestral lands near Cordova. She oversaw the repatriation of bones when the Smithsonian Institution was forced to give them back. And she spoke at a United Nations conference on indigenous peoples. ........

(picture: alaska public radio network)

boy am i stupid (yeah i know i stepped into that one)

i didn't know shooting wolves with a high powered rifle from the comfort of an airplane was one of the CORE REASONS this country was founded. boy do I FEEL FOOLISH NOW (special shout out to rep miller on this one!)

Lawmaker seeks to ban all wolf hunting from aircraft

By Erika Bolstad McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — Alaska hasn’t done its part to observe a 35-year-old federal ban on hunting wolves from aircraft, said a California lawmaker who has filed legislation that will end the practice.
With an Arctic grey wolf named Atka at his side, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., introduced a bill Tuesday that bans wolf hunting from planes or helicopter. The legislation will close a loophole in the 1972 Airborne Hunting Act that has allowed the state of Alaska to issue permits to shoot and kill nearly 700 wolves from airplanes over the past four years, Miller said. ...

..........“This bill is another deliberate attempt by radicals to federalize our country and defy the core principles upon which it was founded,” Young said. “States have the inherent right to manage their own wildlife populations. For the federal government to step in to one particular state is on par with a selective dictatorship, and as a population, we should be fearful that those in power are actively working to make this a reality.”.......

picture: www.hickerphoto.com/.../40/arctic_wolf_sc5.jpg

why do the people of alaska keep electing stevens?

i just don't know

Fisheries Netted In Federal Alaska Probe

By Laura McGann

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) had his son, former state Senate President Ben Stevens, head a board that distributed $12 million in federal grants to promote seafood companies that, at the same time, paid the younger Stevens upward of $775,000 in "consulting fees."
This arrangement has caught the FBI's attention. Last fall, at least three fisheries were issued grand jury subpoenas to hand over documents related to the lobbying and consulting work provided by the younger Stevens and a former aide to Sen. Stevens, Trevor McCabe. The subpoenas also sought any documents connected to the older Stevens. Two of the companies are based in Seattle, and another is in Juneau....................

and their congressman is not any better. he made one of the top five pricks in congress (at cracked)

...........REP. DON YOUNG (R-ALASKA)

In a Nutshell
Don Young is a buffoon who's constantly trying to steal money from the federal government, but is too obnoxiously stupid to get away with it.
Why He's a Prick
When he's not misquoting Lincoln, brandishing an 18-inch walrus penis on the House floor (yes, he did this), or directing hundreds of millions of federal dollars to roads bearing his name, he's just generally being a total ass. One gem: "Environmentalists are a self-centered bunch of waffle-stomping, Harvard-graduating, intellectual idiots." After all, if there's one thing our senators should be teaching the children of tomorrow, it's that graduating from college and being intelligent is for hippie fags.
Biggest Prick Moves
Earmarking $223 million in federal funding for an enormous—and egregiously unnecessary—bridge connecting the small Alaskan city Ketchikan to Gravina Island, which boasts a population of—drumroll—50 people.
When questioned by House members why he'd removed a limiting of carbon emissions from a bill, Young claimed that it was unnecessary, because Greenland is already cooling down (it’s not; Greenland's ice loss doubled between 1996 and 2005), that it’s not America’s fault it needs to burn more oil, since it’s so darn big (China’s also pretty big, and it burned 7 million barrels last year to the USA’s 20.6), and that the polar bear population is increasing (it’s actually due to be placed on the Endangered Species list later this year). Take-away point: Don Young has no problem making up shit to support whatever he feels like doing. That’s a skill they simply don’t teach at them fancy Harvard intellectual schools. ............