But First…

…a word about Bristol. Because it’s been killing me not to have been able to weigh in on this sooner.

One can’t sit on a $3,000 sofa overlooking a private, Olympic-sized swimming pool in a Hollywood mansion filled with modern conveniences, paid gardeners and bidets, sobbing into a $900 throw cushion, whining about how life is such a struggle and expect anyone at all to believe it. I’m not an idiot. I know all these supposed reality shows are scripted. But don’t most reality show producers at least try to emulate reality on some level? The only thing Lifetime got right about Bristol Palin’s reality is that she is – in fact – a single mom. But that’s it. That’s where the line between her reality show and reality part company.

Most single moms trying to make ends meet would have been happy just to have the money Bristol spent driving her gas-guzzling Ford F-150 from Alaska to California and back again. For many I’m sure that alone would have represented several months of day-care and grocery money. Are we really meant to believe she earned her car, her gas money, her clothes, a food allowance for three (herself, Tripp and Willow) from a short stint in a dentist’s office? How much are they paying dental assistants in Alaska these days? Maybe we should all move there…

Most single moms I know have had to move back in with mom and dad just to get their footing and when they do move out on their own the budget is tight. So, not everyone can afford $10 an hour for a babysitter to go shopping with a friend or clubbing. In fact, I’ve had more than one young mom tell me it doesn’t pay to go to work full time these days because after you put gas in the car, buy lunches and appropriate clothing and register for day-care, you stand to lose money each week. And I’m pretty sure that’s accurate because I remember once working for a company that paid me $50 less per month than what I needed to pay my bills – and when I quit it was because I couldn’t afford to keep it up.

Not everyone can afford a car. In the real world most single moms have to make careful decisions on which vehicles to purchase because it’s often the case one can afford either the car or the insurance but not both – so when it’s possible, a lesser, older make and model is settled on (usually risking getting stuck on the road when something breaks down, however). In cities where buses and local trains are accessible, a lot of single moms forego the expense of a car altogether and just rely on public transport.

Single moms also lose time from work to nurse sick bubs, rush to school to pick up a child who has been injured in a soccer game, or – and this is considered an extravagance by many – to see your child receive an award at a school assembly. Sometimes one can make up the lost pay by working overtime or taking an extra shift – but mostly it’s just sacrificed income that is never recovered.

And this is just a sampling of what actual single moms in the real world go through to raise their children and stand tall in society.

So while Bristol tries to promote an image of being an average, struggling single mother making ends meet by working a menial job in a dentist’s office, we know the truth:  She made a small fortune being a paid lecturer (don’t even get me started on this one) and giving a few speeches and then placing third (or this one either, for that matter) on DWTS and doesn’t even remotely resemble a struggling single mom in America. And she has a millionaire mother who will never let her daughter or grandson be out in the cold. (Even if Sarah wanted to turn her back on Bristol, she has an image to protect and knows the public is always watching.)

So, Bristol, until you’ve:

*spent a frantic hour at your desk talking in whispers so as not to be overheard by your boss while trying desperately to find someone to pick up your sick child from school so you don’t jeopardize your job and/or lose a couple of hours pay -

*had to stand in a checkout line deliberating which food items to put back on the shelf because the docket was more than you had the cash to pay -

*had to go to work sick yourself because you couldn’t afford to miss any more days off -

*had to beg the power company to give you another extension on your bill because your son had a bad cough and you had to pay for a doctor visit and medicine up front -

*had to work co-operatively with your neighbours to arrange shared babysitting so each of you could have the freedom to go shopping or on a date and then have to take care of six kids when it was your turn -

*stood in line waiting to see if you’d qualify for food stamps -

*needed to go through the sheriff’s department to collect child support because you couldn’t afford an attorney -

*worried if the new babysitter was treating your son well or if you’d made the wrong decision and wondered who else you might call to verify this person’s credentials -

*had to pass on a family trip, special occasion or not accept an invitation in the first place to go – well, anywhere – because there just wasn’t enough money this week…

…then sit down and shut the Hell up you snivelling, spoiled little brat.

And the next time you want to claim you’ve experienced a ghetto – get out of the damned car and hoof it.

Well there – I feel better. Back to work on Princess part 3

 

 

Well hang onto your hats – “Life’s a Tripp” title might belong to Jonathon Tetsuya Tripp

…and is the title of a lead promo video for his company Tripp Apparel.

I stumbled upon it quite by accident looking for clips of Bristol’s new TV series by the same name:

(Is it me or does this guy even look like Levi?)

So it will be interesting to see who claims the name – it’s possible of course that someone at Tripp Apparel is taking advantage of Bristol’s TV series to gather youtube hits – but it should be noted that the company itself was here first.

Knowing how the Palins are so territorial about their ‘brand’ -  this should be a fun ride

 

 

Tripp Palin? With So Much Controversy Buzzing Around Bristol’s TV Show You’d Think They’d At Least Get the Kids Name Right

I have no idea whether Levi Johnston relinquished the surname of his son Tripp to the Palins or not – but I’m pretty sure that had this happened it would have been page one of every Palin-related blog from Alaska to Florida. So why these big-time television productions continue to refer to this child as Trip Palin is beyond my grasp. Do reporters not even bother to get their subject’s names right or are the Palins at the heart of the deceit?

But that’s not even the thing that’s bugging me the most this morning. Promo photos of Bristol’s new show (to air 19 June 2012 on Lifetime) purportedly taken between from last month and this have me chin-scratching.

See for yourself:

Now I know a kids physical appearance can change in a heartbeat and a haircut that removes all the baby curls can add a surprising amount of age to a young boys face – but really – my first impression was “Did they highlight his hair to make him look younger??? Had I not seen other photos of Tripp with the tow-head blonde curls (since 2009) I would have stuck with that impression too.

So let’s say (for the sake of argument) the photographer’s statement of having taken the tow-head photo in May 2012 is accurate (see below) and the unknown date shot was taken in June. That would explain the difference in hair. But it doesn’t explain the difference in size.  The little boy sharing a frosting kiss with his mom looks so much taller and bigger in his upper body than the small boy sitting on his mom’s lap I can barely keep from shaking my head in disbelief.

Then it occurred to me that the photographer’s statement actually reads this:

Bristol has been shopping her reality show for close to if not more than two years. If this ‘pose’ was taken during an earlier promotion, that would place Tripp’s age as three years old more than a year ago – and his new older look for the newer promos would then make perfect sense.

Did the Palins shanghai his real surname and his real age?

I’m guessing one way or another this reality show is going to bite Bristol in the ass.

 

Keri Slams the Old Man who Nailed the Palin Women

From the comments on the previous post:

@Keri,

Perhaps the man was from New Zealand where the world dictionary defines ‘poof/poofter’ as a ‘contemptible person’ which – sorry – fits quite accurately into my personal definition of the Palin money-grubbing clan.

I don’t know where you live in Australia but I can tell you that I live in southeastern Qld where the term gay-bashing is used to identify actual gay-bashers and the term ‘poof’ is not taken very seriously at all. In fact, the word poof is freely used in front of small children (where using the word bloody will catch a glare and an elbow in the ribs); is used in the same context as Deborah who mutters the word idiot to refer to her husband, Ray Barone when he’s well, being one - and is commonly tossed about among my gay friends as a term of affection. If it has roots in the homosexual community the same way nigger has roots in the black community, I think it has outgrown those roots where I live.

But I do humbly apologize for my whimsical offence if it did, indeed, offend a member of the gay community. I meant no disrespect to gays, blacks or anyone. Honest.

That said, relax a bit Keri. The meanings of words become diluted over time and can actually mean entirely different things in different locations. In England for example, a fag is just a cigarette. In Los Angeles California, ho-ho-ho is apparently a collection of prostitutes while in most other places it’s just what Santa says while cllimbing down the chimney. 

I’m pretty sure when the Christmas carole lyric of “don we now our gay apparel” was written the author didn’t envision a parade of homosexuals prancing about in sequined dresses. I’m pretty sure the lyricist meant party clothes – which is what gay apparel would have been in the sixteenth century when the song Deck The Halls was written. Putting on one’s gay clothing meant it was time to stop working and celebrate. It didn’t mean a man was a cross-dresser.

Fruitcake is a good one. Originally intended to liven up a party during the holidays, it somehow morphed into an insult meaning someone was crazy. However it evolved, the brandy-soaked holiday dessert somewhere along the way became associated with people acting nutty. There is a sort of reasoning one can follow in that.  However, how it made the leap from crazy to becoming a derogatory expression meant to degrade homosexuals in the mid 1900′s I have no idea – but leap it did and as a teenager who lived in San Francisco, I grew up knowing most fruitcakes lived on Castro St. (Haha sorry Tom!)

For the record, too also, you can say fruitcake in front of small children without fear of anyone gasping for breath. And that’s kind of been my measuring stick for knowing what is appropriate or not while living in a different country from that of  my birth. If no one scolds me for saying something in front of the littlies, then it must be okay to say in public, in mixed company.

I stand by my usage of the word poof and apparently so does a very big dictionary. But Keri, I am genuinely sorry if my reference to the Palin women of ‘Silly Poofs’ offends you or any of my readers. You obviously share a history with the word that I do not. And while I can respect your history, I expect the same respect in return.

If only Sarah were equally open to offering apologies, perhaps we would stop thinking of her as quite so big an idiot.

Or not.

 

An Old Man Nails the Palin Women

Had occasion to be at my local Newstand this arvo and while looking over the new arrival display, casually asked the clerk if they would be getting Bristol Palin’s book Not Afraid of Life.

The clerk looked up from the register and said “who?” so I explained that Sarah Palin’s daughter, Bristol, aged 20 had just published her memoirs and I wondered if we would be getting copies. She fiddled for a moment on the computer then left to ask the manager. A rather matronly woman standing next to me said (to no one in particular) “How does one write their memoirs at age 20?” Then she answered her own question by cocking her head and snickering “Yankee arrogance!”

The clerk returned to say there were no plans to have the book available in the shop but I could order it online, probably. Then she said “Isn’t Mrs. Palin the one who ran for president and lost?” But before I could answer, the snickerer beside me chimed in with a hearty ” Yes, she’s the one who demanded an audience with Margaret and was put in her proper place. And now her daughter’s written her memoirs at age 20!” The sarcasm in her voice dripped onto my shirt. I stepped aside.

An old man in a beanie and flannel jacket, flipping through the newspaper he was waiting in line to buy chortled “Silly poofs!” and I thought – I’d never heard a more appropriate description of Sarah and Bristol Palin than that… Silly Poofs!

In Australia, the term ’poof’ began as slang for a gay man. It has evolved through the years to mean more like a man behaving unmanly, and is in general used among mates to tease each other. Like when a bloke loses a bet and has to wear his wife’s skirt in public. I’ve heard the term often while living downunder and I can’t recall a single time when it was meant to be derogatory.

Except! (And there’s always that exception) when it’s meant to imply someone’s complete idiocy. An old man calling two women ‘poofs’ is definitely meant to convey to the listener “pfft – idiots!”

I’ve pinched the phrase and intend to use it a lot from now on so Sarah? Bristol? Let the trademark wars begin!

I wonder how many ghost-writers will get thrown under the Silly Poof bus before Harper-Collins figures out there’s no more money to be made from these two monumental frauds.

Oh and speaking of idiots, this made me giggle:

 

The Not-a-Family Not-a-Vacation Not-a Campaign (something-something) Tour *pic added* *UPDATE*

I don’t mean to sound old-fashioned and I certainly don’t want to appear all nitpicky and semantical (if Sarah can make up words so can I) but – if Sarah wants to keep calling this bogus bus tour a family vacation wouldn’t it be prudent to actually include – oh I dunno – the family?

Ok Track’s a newlywed but in most big families just getting hitched wouldn’t be an acceptable excuse for not showing up for the big family road trip. The newlywedded (don’t bother spell-checking that one either) son would just be expected to bring along the newlywedded Mrs. So what gives?

Willow’s in schoo- no? uh yeah Sarah took Willow out of school so she could personally home tutor her. Umm how do you personally tutor a kid who is back in Alaska while you’re on vacation in New York?  And wouldn’t this ‘family vacation’ where the family is ‘tooling around educating folks on stuff like the constitution and liberty bell and statute statue of liberty and the Paul Revere ride to warn the British with bells and whistles’ be the perfect tutorial for your teenage tutoree? No, huh?

Bristol is worki – oh wait. Bristol isn’t working. Unless the filming of her new bogus reality show has started there’s actually no reason why she and her son couldn’t have gone on this family vacation with the rest of her siblings. Tripp would have been a great brother cousin uncle companion for Trig – wait – where’s Trig again? Not on the bus?

Well it can’t be that he’s too young because Sarah carted the poor kid around on her hip like a football just about 18 months ago during her book signing tour on that very same bus! So we know that can’t be the reason. Hmm…

Well Todd – wait – where’s Todd anyway? Wasn’t he there at the beginning of this trip? Sure he was we saw pictures of him and Piper riding a motorcycle at that pesky invite-me  invite-me-not Memorial Day rally. So where’d he go? He’s not out on the family fishing boat like he is every other year in June. He’s not on the slopes working a mine – where’s  dad? How do you have a family vacation without dad?

So the primary family unit of two parents and four five kids and two one grandsons plus new daughter-in-law and Sarah’s parents who by the way could easily all fit into this titanic-sized motorhome has dwindled down to Sarah, Piper, Grandma and Gramps?

Wow. A family vacation with only one of your five kids, no grandkids and only a cameo appearance by your husband. Doesn’t sound to me like the Palin clan got the memo about family values and sticking together. No wonder little Piper’s nose is so out of joint. All the fun people abandoned ship!

 Sarah – you might have at least let her bring a friend along, There’s no one on this bus her own age with whom to interact? That’s just really bad planning, bad parenting and I hope your peers in Alaska call you out on it. -Oz

============  UPDATE  ============

Sarah took a detour on Friday and landed in Arizona to ‘thaw out and regroup’. Watch video here.  (H/T to tm68 for the link.)

Sure because everybody takes a break from a family vacation less than a week in the making… must be nice to have that much money eh? Transporting the family bus from Alaska to Washington DC – then flying the family from Alaska to the bus – then flying people back to Alaska – then flying yourself, your daughter and parents to Arizona – in the middle of the vacation…

Oh wait – Sarah’s not paying for all this transportation her devoted fans are! You remember them – the people who donate to her PAC thinking they are contributing to making America better! Turns out they’re really just paying for room service and airfare.

Idiots.

 

Sarah’s Political Websites Openly Solicit DWTS Votes For Bristol *Update: New Dance Step – ‘The Bristol Bump’

Perhaps in the interest of fairplay the producers of Dancing With The Stars should have  provided each Season 11 contestant with a national, political website from which to garner public votes. Flashing their names and vote-numbers across the screen a few times during each of the live performances doesn’t quite compare to the 24/7 national vote-solicitation campaign granted Bristol Palin by her mother’s PAC websites. Oh look here’s one now:

From Conservatives4Palin:

So let me get this straight… I don’t have to watch the show or even like dancing. I just have to know this is Sarah’s kid and she wants myvote. Umm… ok! Wait… Sarah’s tweeting…

“Passion of the Christ” waltz eh? Oh that sounds so spiritual…

Wow. Christianity sure has changed since I went to church every Sunday. Because I definitely don’t remember anything in the bible about pulling your skirt way over your head while a half-naked guy leers at your bare legs, flailing his arms and drooling.

Maybe I was sick that day.

Here’s the thing. This little peek is brought to you by the video folks at PalinTV. (You knew mom was organizing her own TV network, right?) It’s posted on Conservatives 4 Palin, right beside the SarahPAC donation button, just beneath the Sarah’s Legal Defense Fund button, just on the other side of the Buy These Sarah Palin Books buttons and…

But thats ok because Bristol told us herself – her votes all come from ordinary folks just like her, not anything to do with her mom’s political connections. People who say that are just jealous.

Riiiiight… and I’m tall and blonde.

I’m not big on these reality shows. The winner is seldom the guy I cheered on. But this is so unbalanced it’s just dirty wrong and I hope the producers of DWTS-11 catch a lot of flack over this obvious stacking of the deck, with voting rules overwhelmingly favouring one contestant over the rest.

Dirty dancing  is one thing – dirty voting is quite another.

============UPDATE============

H/T @ Commenter Joe (thanks for the link!)

This posted at Evil Beet Gossip - a photo of Bristol coming out of the Cheesecake Factory in L.A. 16 November 2010

I don’t mean to be mean but… let’s lighten it up shall we?

Wait… what’s that?

Yanno… where I come from that’s not junkfood.
Looks like a five-month bump to me.
So much for abstinence, eh?

To comment on this post, please scroll up to the title “Sarah’s Political Websites Openly Solicit DWTS Votes For Bristol” and click on the word comments just beneath.  Thanks, OzMud

 

Scattered Opinions About Bristol & DWTS

People across the country are noticing how those contestants who are genuinely working at becoming good/better dancers are being forced off the show while Bristol, who puts in almost no effort at all is voted back on week after week.

I read about how the Christian Right has organized massive votes to keep Bristol Palin on DWTS over at The Immoral Minority and went surfing to see what I could find from other posters. Because really, week after week, we all sort of grit our teeth and just pray she doesn’t fall and hurt herself  because let’s face it - the girl is just an abominably bad dancer. 

This is what I found:

Lovely Mittal – NewsXonline.com
Almost every week she gets the lowest scores particularly from the judges but she manages to slip back due to the voting system in the show which has a call in facility ,wherein the fans and supporters can just call and contribute to the number of votes to the contestant of their choice.
However in Bristol’s case there are reports doing the rounds that she gets her support from her mom Sarah Palin’s supporters.

As Sarah Palin is being seen as a strong contender for the forthcoming 2012 Presidential elections in the US, it is being floating around that the supporters of Sarah Palin are quite supportive of Bristol’s position in the coveted contest.

AAyles – Twirlit.com
Bristol Palin is not a good dancer. America may be stupid enough to waste their votes on a contestant who clearly shows no talent and little passion for the competition but the judges are there to do a job… For the first time in the history of Dancing with the Stars, that is not happening.

Celebrity Circuit – CBSNews.com
NEW YORK (CBS) After Tuesday night’s “Dancing with the Stars” elimination, many were surprised that Rick Fox was sent home - and equally as shocked that Bristol Palin is still in the competition.

Some may be wondering if her mother’s devoted Tea Party following is what’s keeping the young competitor afloat.

Jeff Kane – RobotCeleb.com
[Kane reports that Bristol tells Ellen - even though she obtained an absentee ballot, she forgot to mail it in so she didn't actually vote in the 2010 midterm elections. ] My favourite line comes at the very end:

“I wonder if her mom being on the (2012) ticket would be motivation enough for Bristol Palin to take five minutes out of her busy day to fill out a ballot and mail it in. She has to have at least some free time because judging by how she is dancing; she clearly isn’t spending her time in rehearsals.”

Jeff Kane – RobotCeleb.com
So did Bristol Palin really get that many calls? We will never know. DWTS has never revealed how their scoring system works. They have simply said that they take the judges scores and combined them with the votes, plug those numbers into a formula and come up with a final score. Since nobody knows how many votes people are getting it is impossible to know how this formula really works. Or, for that matter, if there is a formula at all. Perhaps Bristol has such a connection with the conservative side of the audience that they call in en masse and those votes help keep her around. Or maybe the producers know she is good for publicity and stirs up controversy and helps with ratings so they massage the numbers and keep her around.

I might have my tinfoil hat on, but after last night I think maybe there might be some truth out there among the fog.

A few of the comments:

Katttie: have not watched the show this year at all; very disinterested which started with “professional” dancers winning the competition in prior years. Now we have a very incompetent dancer who should have been voted off the first show, embarrassingly remaining, week after week…..thanks to the unfair advantage of the Tea Party. Shame on the show for not foreseeing this problem – it is very unfair to the remaining dancers. I don’t plan on ever watching again, haven’t missed it one bit.

mariapalestina: agree Bristol has worked hard and improved a lot along the way. But she must know she’s not up to the level of any of the other dancers, and I think part of the reason she is depressed (which she said she is) could be that she knows she doesn’t deserve to still be there. I don’t blame her if the Tea Baggers are trying to skew the voting. It’s just a shame because people should be judged for their dancing rather than for their mother’s politics.

ELBK: I’ve seen a couple of Tea Party blogs where they praise Bristol’s dancing and diss some of the other dancers’ style as “over the top.” Every week they post the number to call for Bristol and Mark. You know, though, the show should have foreseen this happening and, what’s more, they put this poor girl who is the only contestant without a performer background, in a position where she suffers humiliation week after week … If she wins the whole shibang, I don’t care. It’s just a dance contest.

ELBK: I like Bristol and really feel for her as she struggles to keep up on DWTS. She has landed “in jeopardy” so often, based on the judges’ scores, but then is magically lifted back into the contest by the voters. I voted for Bristol at the beginning and the night her mother was on I could not get through on the phone, which is unusual for DWTS. There is no doubt in my mind now that the Tea Baggers are voting for Bristol en masse and, if it keeps up, she will end up winning. That would be so unfair to the other, more talented people. DWTS should have foreseen this scenario. Not only is it unfair to the other dancers, but to Bristol also, who probably will catch on to what is going on if she hasn’t already, plus make the other dancers resent her.

Gary: SHUT UP ALREADY! If that was Chelsea Clinton up there you would all be stumbling over yourselves to vote for her! I think its great shoving another PALIN in all the liberals faces and actually the shock is they have yet to MANIULATE the vote to get her off! Sorry but the fat black dude from Disney goes tonite! Your lives are so meaningless that all you have to do is attack anything to do with Sarah Palin the rest of your lives? GO GET ONE!

One thing’s sure noticeable… people who are clearly not Palin fans are kind and generous with their comments about Bristol. People who clearly are Palin fans are nasty, threatenting and have no room in their world for any opinion other than their own. hmm…

But I’ve saved the very best for last:

Regan: Bristol’s mother is paying for people to attend the show???? I just read the article @ this link, and I have to say I was honestly disgusted.  It’s sad to see performing arts come to this.

The link provided in this comment leads us to the People.com TV Watch page and this tidbit:

It’s a long and expensive flight from Alaska to Los Angeles, but Bristol Palin has had a steady cheering section in the ballroom for Dancing With the Stars. How? Her parents, Sarah and Todd Palin, have been treating family and friends to plane tickets …As for how Piper, 9, and Willow, 16, manage to be in the ballroom on school nights, Palin says, “We work with the school to bring their schoolwork with us.”

You know I’m over 6,000 miles from Alaska but I swear I just heard Gryphen spit coffee across the room.

And at the very bottom of the article is a bonus announcement… evidently there’s a new People’s mag inteview hitting the stands Friday (oh that would be today!) called an in-depth look into Sarah and Todd’s 22 year marriage… Ok at least a dozen Alaskans lost their coffee on that one

To comment on this post pleae scroll up to the title “Scattered Opinions About Bristol & DWTS” and click on the word comments just beneath. Thanks, OzMud

 

Bristol Palin: Average 19 yr old? Or Like Mother Like Daughter

This is one of those ‘hot pen’ posts where careful outlining is replaced by random doodling. And since I don’t doodle in public very often, I’ll ask that you not look too closely :)

The private lives of teenagers Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston are not, in my opinion, fair game for the media. We should all be butting out and let them work out how to grow up on their own. That said, it’s hard to butt out of something that keeps being shoved under your nose. So like it or not, appropriate or not, here’s my opinion of the ongoing Palin-Johnston Little Theatre, Season Two.

Not that long ago, Bristol set down roots in a condo in Anchorage, Alaska for herself and son Tripp. She presented herself to the world as an ordinary, single mom who worked a nine to five job in a doctor’s office, raising her son alone with little to no help from her son’s father. These were her credentials. They provided the foundation for her to continue her role as poster girl for the Candies Foundation Abstinence Only campaign.

Bristol had barely unpacked when the magazine offers came pouring in for paid interviews. Mom’s ever-diligent attorney set Bristol up as the CEO of an LLC, a convenient, grown-up method of collecting her monies without having to be completely transparent about her earnings. And while she was still riding high on the media coverage, she seized the moment to follow in her mother’s footsteps and register with a speaker’s bureau as a keynote speaker for Abstinence Only. After all, she was an ordinary, single, hard-working mom with a message: Keep your legs closed or this could happen to you.

The problem:  Bristol isn’t believable.  Her peers don’t buy her story. Her mother is a millionaire. Bristol drives a brand new car. She flies around the country in comfortable jets and rests in luxurious hotels. She doesn’t ever seem to need to find a babysitter. For someone who holds down a nine to five job in a doctor’s office, she certainly gets a lot of time off to jet to New York to appear on the Today Show.

When asked (in the many televised interviews) who cared for Tripp while she worked, Bristol gave a few explanations. One was that she had a roommate. Another was she had a live-in babysitter. Or was that live-in help. Maybe it was her relatives upon whom she could always count. And when her answers piqued curiosity enough, people tracked down her condo in Anchorage only to discover her ‘roomie’ was in fact a live-in boyfriend.

So we’re to think that this kind young man graciously cared for baby Tripp while Bristol worked her nine to five job, traversed the country preaching Abstinence Only and that they engaged in a completely plutonic relationship. Oh, and he never contributed to the rent or electricity bills or groceries because Bristol was emphatic about how she’d paid her own way and took help from no one. That she, at age 19, also claimed to have purchased the condo on her own seems to have not troubled a single reporter.

When I said her peers didn’t believe her, I was being kind.

No matter how much money one spends on a production, if the actress isn’t believable, no one’s going to buy it. Bristol Palin once looked directly into a camera and said something on the order of “Abstinence doesn’t work. It’s not a practical solution for teens.” So when Bristol Palin talks about abstinence being the only solution for teens, people remember, and nobody buys it.

Her Candies Ambassadorship flopped out of sight. The speaking engagements that were to fill the LLC coffers never came to pass. The paid interviews slowly dwindled down to none. My best guess is that by mid July the kids -  all of them – were running out of money.

If only they had a unique story to sell…

To comment on this post, please scroll up to the title “Bristol Palin: Average 19 yr old? Or Like Mother Like Daughter” and click on the word comments just beneath.  Thanks, OzMud

 

Rogue Star

Condensed from a post (30 Apr 2010) on The Immoral Minority blog (full story here)  and combined with a post at Palingates of the same date (full story here).

27 April 2010
Sarah Palin, contributor for Fox News and defender of their alleged fair and balanced reporting, appears on an edition of Hannity. The following transcription of Sarah’s own words follows a comment to Sean Hannity in which she describes normal news outlets as ‘lamestream media’ and accuses them of posting a [truly ridiculous] banner at the bottom of the screen during a news broadcast on Arizona’s new immigration law.

Quote: “One of the media outlets the other day just uh… it’s killin’ me on this one Sean where they had a caption across their screen which said this Arizona law will make it… will make it illegal to be an illegal immigrant some, some bizarre type of headline like that, it was just this illustration that they just don’t get it and that they are trying to turn this into something that it’s not…”

Oh dear… could Ms. Palin have meant this lamestream media? You know, the same fair and balanced folks at Fox News Channel who write her cheques?

(Screenshot lovingly lifted sans per mezzo from Gryphen’s post.)

Well it’s a good thing Fox News has that reputation for being fair and balanced, eh? It takes a special brand of generosity to overlook being mocked on one’s own network by one’s own protege. Especially a protege who’s being paid somewhere in the neighbourhood of a million bucks a year to make the mentor look good…

The question now is will Fox Execs respond or just let it go? Let’s have a sticky beak shall we?

Three days later…

From Fox News website:
30 April 2010

A Tennessee jury on Friday convicted the man who hacked Sarah Palin’s e-mail account on two of four charges — computer fraud and obstruction of justice. The panel did not find David Kernall guilty guilty [sic] of wire fraud. It deadlocked on an identity theft charge…

…Palin and her daughter Bristol testified during the trial, which lasted just a few days. Bristol Palin said she was distressed to find pictures of her newborn son in the public eye after her mother’s e-mail was hacked. Defense attorneys argued Kernall, the son of a Democratic state lawmaker, was just committing a college prank.

Oops.  Can’t you just hear someone at Fox whispering sorry, mybad!

In case you’ve missed the subtlety of this particular comment reported by a FNC reporter on the FNC website, let me take you back in time:

Reuters:
01 September 2008

The 17-year-old unmarried daughter of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is pregnant, Palin said on Monday in an announcement intended to knock down rumors by liberal bloggers that Palin faked her own pregnancy to cover up for her child.

Bristol Palin, one of Alaska Gov. Palin’s five children with her husband Todd, is about five months pregnant and is going to keep the child and marry the father, according to aides of Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Bristol Palin made the decision on her own to keep the baby, the aides said.

The Palins, in a statement released by the McCain campaign, said Bristol “came to us with news that we as parents knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned” and that their daughter “has our unconditional love and support.”

“We ask the media to respect our daughter and Levi’s privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates,” their statement said.

Senior McCain campaign officials said McCain knew of the daughter’s pregnancy when he selected Palin last week as his vice presidential running mate, deciding that it did not disqualify the 44-year-old governor in any way.

McCain officials said the news of the daughter’s pregnancy was being released to rebut what one aide called “mud-slinging and lies” that have circulated on liberal blog sites.

According to these rumors, Sarah Palin had faked a pregnancy and pretended to have given birth in April to her fifth child, a son named Trig who has Down syndrome. The rumor was that Trig was actually Bristol Palin’s child and that Sarah Palin was the grandmother

 It’s difficult to imagine how, just one week later, on 08 Sept 2008, Bristol Palin was deeply embarrassed and disturbed about seeing photos of her newborn baby online… you know, the one that hadn’t been born yet?

Now a lot of other bloggers are talking about this and the consensus of opinion from all of us is that we’ll just have to wait for the actual transcripts of the trial to be entered into public record to see if this is an accurate portrayal of Bristol’s testimony. But if this isn’t an accurate statement on the part of the reporter,  it is a bit odd that Fox News would be the group to print such a huge gaffe.

If Bristol actually said this on the witness stand, under oath, she’s just outed her mother in perhaps the biggest political hoax of this century.

If it isn’t an accurate accounting of what the young mother said on the stand, then Fox News, through pure hearsay,  has just made a huge donation to the cause against Sarah Palin ever becoming a legitimate public figure – because that post has already been up for over 24 hours. Even if they retract it somewhere down the road, they are the ones who put it out there and left it out there – unchallenged – for people to think about.

And here’s an additional perspective: If the reporter at FNC who ran this story is telling the truth, it’s entirely possible this ‘leak’ was Fox News Channels way of pulling the plug on their ungrateful, insolent Rogue Star.

If it isn’t, the inaccurate story could be Fox Execs subtle way of letting Sarah know they are still in charge. 

After all, big corporations don’t give you gobs of money without expecting a little something in return. Like maybe not bitch-slapping them around on their own airways, perhaps.

To comment on this post, please scroll up to the title “Rogue Star” and click on the word comment just beneath,  Thanks, OzMud

 

It Takes a Whole village to Raise a Child *footnote*

We raised a son with cerebral palsy. And when I say ‘we’ I mean myself, my husband, our daughters, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbours, friends, husbands new wife after we divorced and all her relatives. Then there were the therapists, doctors, nurses and special ed teachers, classmates, really, the list goes on ad infinitum.

When my son was in high school, he and I had a standing date to watch a television series called “Life Goes On”. It was about a normal family with normal everyday problems – mom, dad, two teenagers (brother and sister) and their collective dilemas creating the weekly plots. Corky, the boy, had Down’s Syndrome. I think this was the first-ever tv show to normalize a special needs kid. The actor, Christopher Burke, was actually a Down’s kid himself, and epitomized the truth that special kids do grow up to be healthy, self-sufficient, independent men and women who not only grasp life’s challenges, but embrace them, just like anyone else. So for about three years, I think, my son and I tucked in after dinner on Sunday evenings to watch this show which more closely portrayed the social problems he faced in life than any other tv show around.

By this time I was a single mom and really quite on my own as my other children were grown and off building familes of their own. This series was like my support system, reinforcing manners and values I was attempting to instill in my son.

From the beginning, he had been mainstreamed. That meant he attended regular schools, with a mixture of regular and special ed classes, tailored by his needs and ability to handle the workloads. For him to be able to watch another male (Corky) work through so many of the social problems he, himself lived, was not just amazing – it helped teach life lessons in a way his teachers and I couldn’t. I was so grateful to the writer’s and producers of this show…

There was a particular episode where Corky, tired of being Mr. Nice Guy, spent the hour behaving like a jerk. At some point, one or both of his parents sat him down and let him know that his ‘handicap’ was not a free pass to behave badly. He was subject to the same social code as the rest of us mere mortals. My son had been hearing from me since he was able to throw a spoon across the room that a bad temper and poor manners were not God-given rights just because he had a couple of physical problems. I expected the same respectful behaviour from him as I did his sisters and that a jerk was a jerk and an asshole was an asshole, regardless of how a person’s legs did or didn’t properly function.

Not too long after the airing of this episode, my son and I were at a bake-sale fundraiser which involved a stack of other CP kids. One of them was in a wheelchair and a bad mood. He kept running his chair into people. They would grimmace, but then not comment as soon as they saw he was ‘challenged’ (good grief why can’t we say ‘handicapped’ anymore?). My son was chatting with a girl when this kid tried to slam into her walker. My son grabbed an arm of his chair, stopping him in his tracks and got in the kid’s face. “Hey pal, that wheelchair doesn’t come with a license to be an asshole. Knock it off.”

I was so proud.

Sarah and Bristol Palin’s outburst over the ten second Family Guy joke about Down’s Syndrome and the Governor of Alaska made me remember this incident, this time in my life, because ‘they’ are the classic jerks. By constantly placing all physically/mentally challenged persons into a bubble to shield them from the rest of the world, they are the ones engaging in discrimination. Publicly pointing the finger and saying SEE OVER HERE! THESE PEOPLE ARE ALL DIFFERENT! COME LOOK! creates a barrier, immediately separating ‘them from us’. 

By treating the DS girl like anyone else in their scripts, Family Guy served to incorporate DS kids into the mainstream, not the other way around.

I’m guessing Chris Burke laughed at the Family Guy bit. It included him in society, with full rights to be made fun of, laughed with and gave him a bit of recognition.

A bit of nostalgia for those who may remember:

This isn’t Corky. What – you thought Chris Burke was the ONLY Down’s kid actor?

 

Sarah, Bristol – stop helping. It’s discriminatory and distasteful. Plus, no one’s asked for your help and you do it badly.

*footnote*
commentor junasie14 brought up the point that the voiceover of the girl in the Family Guy episode portraying the Down’s Syndrome character actually is an actress who has Down’s Syndrome. Her name is Andrea Friedman and coincidentally is the same actress who portrayed Corky’s girlfriend and love interest in the aforementioned series Life Goes On.

Talk about bringing a discussion full circle!

I’ve seen Andrea in episodes of Law and Order, ER and Touched by an Angel and I think she’s a terrific actress.

Hey Sarah! You think maybe it’s constitutionally ’okay’ for a person to make fun of themselves? Or do we now need to get your personal approval before cracking a joke?

To comment on this post, please scroll up to the title: It Takes a Whole village To Raise a Child and click the word comment just beneath.  Thanks, OzMud

 

Sarah Palin: Role Model for Teen Pregnancy (pt-1)

Bristol Palin, IMHO, is just another victim of the era. She certainly isn’t the only unwed teen mother to surface in 2008, she was simply the most visible. Thanks mum, for making this ever-so-personal life experience an international event of epic proportions.

I do not for one minute believe becoming TCF Ambassador for the advocation of teen-abstinence was Bristol’s idea. While I do believe she was comfortable in speaking to an audience about her experience, I’m certain she would have been more comfortable and far more effective a spokesperson had she been allowed to speak about and represent the ideals and problems facing today’s teenagers as she honestly perceived them, not as she was directed to portray them.

Neither do I believe in the advocacy of abstinence-only contraception because it’s been proven unrealistic and ineffective time and time again. In fact, some argue that teaching abstinence-only is almost criminally negligent as it sends unsuspecting teens out into the world uneducated, unprepared and vulnerable to contracting venereal diseases, some of which are absolutely fatal.

And… Bristol Palin, who lives in a big house, surrounded by loved ones, who is never stressed about where her next meal will come from or whether she will have a warm place to sleep and a roof over her head is not like the very teenagers she’s meant to reach. She shares very few of their problems.

It’s observed in several comments on several (conservative included) blogs and websites, that TCF would have done much better to take up a young mother who was living in dire circumstances and offering her a leg up. That by hearing from a young girl who was actually living the negative side of being a teenage mother would have been more responsible on the part of TCF and proffered a more believeable spokesperson to the teenage community. At the end of the day, the most prevelant comment was that these teens would have preferred if TCF had given a more deserving teenager the rewards of being their ambassador. Bristol, quite frankly, didnt need anything.

To paraphrase a few teenagers’ comments, after attending Bristol’s 2009 townhall meeting, It’s hard to identify with Bristol. She flies around the country on a jet. Her mom makes lots of money. She doesn’t believe in abstinence anyway. She said so on TV.

No, I do not believe an abstinence-only regiment was ever on Bristol’s agenda. I sincerely believe the entire poster-girl-for-abstinence idea was yet another ill-conceived, poorly administrated scheme by Sarah to launch a second Palin into the lucrative business of public lecturing. And I’m betting that the ex-governor coached Bristol for the podium herself, as with Sarah’s inflated ego she would have considered herself an expert speaker now that she’s given a few $peeches-for-ca$h and undergone that rigorous *cough* training for the VP debate… (The Palins do have a penchant for circumventing the education process and going straight to the diploma/fund trust/cheque whether it’s earned or not.)

This morning, however, as my computer is hard at work sifting through resources and research with which to back my next few articles, I’m struck with a slight conundrum regarding Bristol’s infelicitous ambassadorship for TCF.

If Sarah Palin was so privacy-oriented, that she:  

• Felt the need to hide her [alleged] seventh pregnancy from even her closest friends and co-workers for seven-plus months
• Refused to allow news cameras to take the traditional photos of mom, dad and newborn child in the hospital when Trig was born
• Omitted his birth certificate from public record

Why then, did she push her daughter and firstborn grandchild into the international spotlight? For almost a month, newsbites of Sarah all but crucifying David Letterman for a 6-second comedic jab he’d directed toward Bristol’s unwed pregnancy on late-night television (a joke she’d grossly exaggerated and repeatedly misrepresented) monopolized prime-time international news slots (much to the chagrin of most journos who’d preferred to have let the issue quietly die).

But back up a moment – it’s Sarah, herself who kept that particular embarrassment in the forefront of news cycles just as it was Sarah herself who initially walked Bristol out into the center of the gladatorial media ring, tethered her pregnant, underaged daughter to a public pole of humiliaton, then stood back and shouted, let the games begin!

So when Sarah Palin demands privacy at the top pf her lungs – what exactly does she mean? And for whom does she think it should apply?

As a VP candidate, of course the reality of her daughter’s pregnancy needed to be publicly announced. It’s one of those things (like your husband holding a seven-year membership with an active secessionist movement) that’s fated to become public, and the first rule of public relations says it’s better to get negative news out yourself rather than leave it for your adversaries to dig up later to use as political fodder, but…

…wouldn’t someone with such a deep feel for the right of privacy take the more dignified approach of simply making the announcement and then letting their child slip anonymously into the backdrop, gracefully letting her off the hook?

Methinks the lady doth protest too much…

*       *       *       *       *       *       *

P.S. Trying desperately to find which Fox cable channel in Australia might air the US version of 60 Minutes with Steve Schmidt tomorrow night. We used to have that nice cable guide delivered once a month. At some point, while doing the year-end bills, spouse decided since he never read it, we didn’t need to keep paying for it and unsubscribed. It was one dollar a month. One. I told him we could save at least four times that amount by just giving up sex. Hear that? That’s the sound of spouse tripping over himself, frantically trying to find the telephone number of our provider

*       *       *       *       *       *       *

Would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.
To comment on this post, please scroll back to the title Sarah Palin: Role Model for Teen Pregnancy (pt-1)and click the word comment just beneath – Thanks, OzMud

 

Candie’s Ambassador Bristol Palin

A 2008 press release advertising a public service announcement (produced by The Candie’s Foundation) to be aired during an episode of Gossip Girl introduces the video clip shown in the previous post. The release also states the publishing of their talking points list would coincide with the TV ad, proffering parents a discussion tool to use when talking with their teenagers about “the devasting consequences of teen pregnancy”. (It was all about promoting teen abstinence, you see, not their provocative tee-shirts.)

The talking points appeared in the New York Times and the New York Post. It’s reported that USA Today was scheduled to also publish the ad, but pulled out at the last minute using the ambiguous excuse of “unable to accomodate” it [the ad].

Hmm… October 2008. I’m trying to think what might have been going on nationally at the time… well let’s have a sticky beak at the ad and maybe it will jar my memory:

(click image to enlarge)

Oh my.

Could it possibly be that USA Today didn’t want the wrath of the Republican Party descending upon them like a pack of right-wnged vultures wielding giant claw-shaped scrubbers at their hard drives for publicly humiliating the daughter of the then Presidential candidate John McCain’s running mate via their dirty little walk of shame photo?

I have to tell you – and I will only say this one time… Had I been Sarah Palin when this appeared in the newspapers, I would have pounded the NY Times, the NY Post, Seventeen and The Candie’s Foundation into the ground and not stopped until grass was growing above their collective heads.What a horrible way to portray a seventeen year old girl whose only transgression was to announce to the world that she became pregnant and elected to keep her baby. Like, oh I don’t know, a few billion seventeen year olds before her?

The days of having a classmate disappear from school to go off and live on a farm with Aunt Jane long enough to give birth and put the baby up for adoption are over. And thank goodness that primitive way of looking at life is in the past. Well, for most of us anyway. (Either Neil Cole stills lives in that era or he’s just a businessman whose line of clothing wasn’t selling properly and looked around for a gimmick to up his sales. My jury is still out on that issue.)

But… the phrase “the devasting consequences of teen pregnancy” grates on my nerves like fingernails on a chalkbord. (Do we still have chalkboards?) Pregnancy is not a tragic consequence of anything. It’s a part of life. All life. Unless you’re a chicken or a turtle, maybe.

TCF also persists in likening teen pregnancy to an epidemic. Pregnancy is not a disease! It is therefore erroneous to refer to it as an epidemic.The statistical figures comparing the number of today’s teen pregnancies against those of my generation (or even my daughter’s generation) cannot be justified because today most pregnant teens are happy to share their news as opposed to my day when they were all hidden from sight and told to be quiet. We really only have about a 15-20 year window from which to glean almost-accurate stats. So Mr. Cole, looking at your numbers, is there an actual critical rise in teen pregnancies? Or are we just getting better at admitting the truth

Pregnancy is neither a sin nor a crime. Ironically enough, it is the right-wing Republican nut jobs who portray unwed pregnancy or teen pregnancy as such troubling, sinful and criminal behaviour that it must be STAMPED OUT BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE GAHhhhhhh. Their drum-banging only serves to keep our adolescents (and their parents) riddled with guilt long enough to spout sanctimonious sermons on abstinence, all the while repressing any and all sex education techniques which might actually – work.

Onya Repubs… no wonder your party is carking it.

The big thing we (today) need to take away from this ad campaign launched October 2008 is this:

Before they were for Bristol Palin, The Candie’s Foundation was dead-set against her. She was their pin-up girl for family values gone wrong. They paraded her down their walk of shame without a second glance. They didn’t even think enough of her to paint a red letter A on her forehead. Just plastered her photo all over nationally read periodicals under the neon pink & white banner of: WAKE UP AMERICA WE HAVE AN EPIDEMIC.

And yet… I don’t recall seeing this pic-ad until a reader sent it to me a few days ago. Could it be the RNC cut a deal with Neil Cole to back off? Could Sarah herself have negotiated such a deal? Could Sarah have promised full use of her daughter as a gimmick for TCF to exploit in a whole new campaign in return for TCF backing down during her campaign?

It’s just conjecture on my part. But it smells *sniff* somewhat *sniff* dare I say…fishy.

Suddenly Bristol… is chosen to be ambassador for the same organization which held her in contempt only seven months earlier. We’re to believe that in October of 2008, Bristol’s behaviour was the object of TCF’s public ridicule and yet in May of 2009, the very same organization embraced Bristol as their heroine, portraying her exact, same behaviour as a shining example of bravery and maturity… I’m… spent.

Looks like pollies aren’t the only ones who can play the flip-flop game…

You know, it took me almost a year to learn this, but when something smells really really fishy… I’ve only to close my eyes to visualize the fisherman hard at work in the background…

 

And in case you’re like me and have never heard of/seen the television show Gossip Girl, here’s a youtube promo of their Season Two opening episode.

Yup this will help sell abstinence alrighty! And i’m guessing the shows other sponsors were thrilled

H/T to LisanTx for the October ad… and where it led is coming next

To Comment on this post please scroll back to the title Candie’s Ambassador Bristol Palin and click the word comment just beneath – Thanks, OzMud

 

BSMP-LLC vs DCOTP [2]

To summarize the previous post:

Through public records in an Alaskan court we learn that Bristol Palin has filed for custody of her son Tripp. She claims to be fully employed as the owner of BSMP LLC, a company which offers political lobbying and consulting services. Bristol is 19 and barely out of high school. She uses this (group? firm? one-man business?) to collect (salaries? payroll cheques? donations?) from at least one known source, the Candie’s Foundation. As the Candie’s Foundation Ambassador for 2009, Bristol is charged with promoting abstinence-only education to other teenagers. To the best of public record, Bristol worked all of one day for this organization, headlining an event on 6 May 2009.

It is by virtue of this one day of work that Bristol claims (in court documentation) to be financially solvent. (At 19, I didn’t even know what financially solvent meant…)

And while the major networks along with other bloggers have been concentrating on the legitimacy of Bristol’s court-documented claims, I thought I’d trot over to the Candie’s website and have a sticky beak at the kind folks who are working so hard to teach today’s kids how to don a $15 tee-shirt and just say no to sex. It could actually start a whole new fad: “Read my shirt mister!”

Here’s the website addy again. You should really see it for yourself. No, really, I’ll wait. If you’re a slow reader it might take you all of twelve minutes to view every pic and read every page. There’s that much content *eyeroll* so really, I don’t mind waiting 

It’s no secret that Candie’s originated as a line of quite alluring lingerie aimed at the 15 20 to 30 year old crowd. Founder Neil Cole’s transition from closet wardrobe guru to the saviour of American teenagers via teaching abstinence is well documented. Kudos I say to the man who saw a problem and decided to sieze civic duty by the throat collar and go out there and get his hands dirty do his part…

The Candie’s Foundation website spells out the whole premise of their fundraising organization in bright neon pink and black, proffers a brief history of the foundation and an even more brief bio of the founder, Neil Cole. It offers some tasteful photos of each of the events which have brought in their clamed millions of dollars in donations. It shows the covers of several publications and media logos, which either publicly support the foundation or simply allow Mr. Cole to advertise in their mags, I’m not clear which, to be honest. There’s a full registration page where you can sign up to get a newsletter, a page selling sexy abstinence-sloganed tee shirts and finally, there’s a page sporting all the info you’ll ever need to make a donation to this ever-so-worthy cause.

About the donations: You have two options. You can snail-mail cheques or phone in your CC info to their headquarters in New York. There’s no quick form to make an online donation. The New York telephone number will appear as a long distance call on your phone bill unless you actually live in NY. Don’t bother looking for a PayPal button, there isn’t one. It’s all a bit slack considering … I mean really, if your goal is to collect donations, you might actually want to make making those donations an easy task.

Well, I suppose they aren’t too worried about getting money from the little people. They get all those millions from their events. The Event to Prevent they’re called. One organized fundraiser a year and Neil Cole appears to be happy as a clam in heat a pig in mud.

There’s a page called PSA Campaign. That stands for Public Service Announcement. The campaign features nine different celebs, each with a message about teen pregnancy, set in the style of movie posters. There are three videos, one of which is downloadable. Nowhere does our ambassador appear. Nowhere.

I’m guessing Bristol Palin would have been a tad ineffective in any of these scenarios considering she already has a bub and she’s been on more than one interview, aired nationally, in which she tells the world how truly blessed she is for having Tripp and how wonderful it is to be a new mom, etc. That said, I found it odd that the paid spokesperson for 2009 isn’t anywhere to be seen in any of the ad campaigns. She gets paid for what, again?

But hark! What light through yonder window breaks! Why, it is the east and Britney Spears is the sun…

Two short months prior to Bristol Palin being named Ambassador to Candie’s Foundation and official spokesperson for teen abstinence, there was another Candie’s Girl. Our dear friend Britney Spears.

And you know it just has to be true because it was posted on youtube and well,  nobody sued

So the question becomes, what’s the difference between a Candie’s Girl and a Candie’s Ambassador? I mean besides three layers of clothes and a pole dance…

I’m guessing the difference is having Sarah Palin as your mother, busy in the background pulling strings, paying lawyers and organizing  your life so that it fits neatly into her political agenda.

I’m also guessing Sarah never saw this or there would be a lot of men running around the MSNBC vigilantly keeping guard over their testicles.

And finally, here are some stills from the Candie’s Foundation promotional video of Britney’s 2009 tour, introducing her to the world as the new Candie’s Girl of 2009:

Because nothing says abstinence…

better than being caged in a corset…

and having mock-group sex…

while wearing tassle-twirling pasties.

Full video here:

In 60 days the image of Candie’s Foundation went from:

To:

If I were an Alaskan journalist with credentials that allowed me passage into certain records buildings, I would be questioning the sincerity of the Candie’s Foundation in their goal to educate teenagers on abstinence, investigating their fundraising practices and determining exactly what duties Ambassador Palin has performed in the past eight months to warrant her needing to form a company with which to channel funds on their or her behalf.

And if I were Levi Johnston’s solicitor, I’d be writing up subpeonas for tax records of both Bristol Palin and the Candie’s Foundation, and tossing a bone or two into the IRS lunchroom and see if it attracted any attention from the big  dogs.

And I would consider it my civic duty

 

BSMP-LLC vs DCOTP

The legal struggle between Levi Johnston and Bristol Palin over custody of their son, Tripp, has made it’s way into the media, with speculation of details running hot and heavy on both sides of the Palin blogs.

The Immoral Minority, Palingates and Bree Palin sites, (see side panel “Great Bloggers” for links) just to name a few, have been reporting on the rather odd discrepancies of details discovered in public documents, surfacing as a result of this custody case, and weighed in with opinions and observations. The Huffington Post reported on Rachel Maddow’s observations regarding the validity of Bristol Palin’s Alaska-based business titled BSMP-LLC (an acronym for Bristol’s full name and identity as a Lobbying Consultant).

She is, after all, an Ambassador for Candie’s Foundation, an organization which preaches abstinence to teenagers across America.  Bristol headlined a town meeting last year on 6 May to talk to teenagers and tell them her story.  Many celebrities have preceded her including Alyssa Milano and Britney Spears.

The Candie’s Foundation website has all the bells and whistles of a bona fide fundraising organization. The NavBar works, albeit the menus prove to be slim pickings. The yearly events are named and shown with photos of their featured celebs, but there are only three – one each for 2007, 2008 and 2009. If they have more events they aren’t listed on the website.

Actually, having gone through the site a few times now, I get the impression that it’s not much more than an empty box. The outer trappings are all there but there’s no substance. For a foundation boasting the raising of millions of dollars in three short years, there are no details of how, when, were or by whom the funds have been acquired. And glaringly absent is a donor’s list.

Odd.

So Bristol is the 2009 lead Ambassador for an organization which pays her (salary? commission? expenses?) and she’s only visibly worked one day.  6 May 2009. Well two if you count her TV appearance on the Today Show on 5 May 2009 to promote the event.

By listing herself (on legal documents) as a small business owner, she’s implied to the court that she is a working girl, financially able to support herself and her child. But there’s no money trail.  There’s also no visibility trail of having worked more than just the one day in any of the eight months she’s been Ambassador for Candie’s to date.

I wouldn’t blame her one bit, either, if she decided not to promote Candie’s Foundation. Have a look at their mission statement:

If I was a new mother that would put me off.  And this statement is the primary text, repeated throughout a website which offers little in the way of text.

Has the wording struck you as ‘on the nose’ yet? Let it sink in. Shouldn’t that read ‘the devastating consequences of teen sex’ ? Because teen pregnancy is a consequence of teenagers having unprotected sex. Like contracting HIV or venereal diseases. The latter, of course, striking me as more ‘devastating’ than becomng pregnant.

I would be really pissed to be told my first-born was a burden or a devastating consequence. And she was conceived when I was 19.

Well – I thought I could finish this before falling asleep but apparently I was wrong.  More tomorrow – complete with photos that will sock your knocks off .

 

Cyclone Sarah Strikes Again

 Sarah Palin’s cyclonic behaviour this past week has made my head spin.

First and foremost, was I the only one WHO GOT David Letterman’s joke? It was almost cute, actually. Ok, I wouldn’t have used it – but neither would I have accused David Letterman of havng lecherous motives. This is late-night television. Adults talking with adults after the kids have gone to bed. I fail to see the inappropriateness. 

<Insert> For my Oz friends who missed it, the much-fuss-made-over joke can be viewed here.

Comics are wordsmiths. Especially comics as seasoned and successful as David Letterman. It was a play on words. That’s all. A play on words. ‘Knocked up’ is an American expression for falling pregnant. It’s also an English expression for ‘company called’, meaning someone’s either knocked on your door or called you on the telephone. Even in Australia you will overhear people make the remark “Ok, well I’ll knock you up in a day or two…” and I must confess, it makes me giggle every time. 

‘Knocking one out of the park’ is, of course, scoring a home-run in baseball. If there’s something sleazy about the ballplayer used in the joke, it went over my head. I never followed baseball when I lived in the US – so I certainly don’t keep up with it now. 

The Alaska-bred Palin’s attended a ballgame in NY. Their appearance made the news. David Letterman tied all the meanings together into a one-liner joke for his monologue. Just like he’s done with daily news headlines on his show every evening for over thirty years. Just like Joey Bishop and Johnny Carson did for thirty years before him. Just like Jay Leno. NOBODY BUT SARAH would have considered turning this into such an overdone, humongous, public kerfuffle. 

But alas, our Sarah just doesn’t seem to know when to stop. Her maternal instincts are proving oxymoronish, as she keeps engaging her children in public battles inappropriate to both their ages and genders while blasting others for engaging her children in public battles inappropriate to both their ages and genders. If the small hair on the back of your neck isn’t making your brain scream DANGER WILL ROBINSON DANGER! it should be.

As the mother of four myself, I can tell you with all certainty that had a public figure made light of one of my daughters in a public forum and I found the comment offensive, I would have called him directly – questioned him personally – grilled him privately until I was satisfied I had the facts straight, and that it would never happen again. And then he would apologize to my daughter, in person and in private. (Does Sarah not know the purpose of the catch-all phrase ’no comment’?) I would not – in a hundred million years – have thought to air my reactions on public radio or television in a dramatic diatribe of outrage which called upon the very forces of estrogen to ban together in an apocalyptic burst of energy to secure rights for all women, everywhere. Why? Well, besides the obvious fatigue caused just by summoning the forces of estrogen, it’s because: 

* when someone takes a swing at one of your kids – you don’t hold the child over your head like a war flag on a pole and charge – you tuck them safely behind you so the next shot hits you and not your child. 

* any mother worth her salt knows that a public embarrassment – especially with a teenager – is only made worse (for the child) by further publicity. 

Because that’s what maternal instinct IS. It is the deep-seated awareness of your child’s immediate needs. It jumps to the front of your brain in a rush of adrenalin so you have the physical and mental acumen to withstand whatever circumstances are endangering your offspring. It overrides every other instinct you possess, possessing you until you are certain your child is safe.

Unless of course, your name is Cyclone Sarah. In which case you muddy the issue by ignoring the obvious (that the joke was aimed at your 18 year old daughter whom you paraded on national television last year with full belly sans husband), and offer up a different child, claiming that the child to which Mr. Letterman referred in his off-colour joke is only 14 (when in fact she is 15 and a half), then dress her in inappropriate clothing and drag her out in public for all to leer erm I mean see.

These are Willow and Bristol Palin. In this picture, Willow is on stage with her mom at a planned event in front of cameras. Bristol is performing her duties as Ambassador for Abstinence. She, at least, is appropriately dressed for the event she’s attending. It does not surprise me at all that Mr. Letterman or any of his staff could have confused the two girls. Or their ages.

Had I shared Sarah’s opinion of what transpired on The David Letterman Show, Mr. Letterman would already be tied to one of my kitchen chairs, profusely apologizing to my daughter or I would be in his office, lambasting him into the next century. 

But I would not, WOULD NOT EVER consider dragging it into the open marketplace for the media and general public to make further speculation, and I would not, NOT use the insult as a stepping stone to launch yet another crusade to enhance my political career.

Really, it’s rather like brushing your hair, putting on fresh make-up then opening your front door where you know the paparazzi are camped and feign shock at finding them there. ”NO! NO! NO PHOTOGRAPHS PLEASE! LET ME AT LEAST COMB MY HAIR!!!”

And for the record, Sarah, you DO dress like a slutty flight attendant. Not the ones who graciously assist us in the air, but the ones in B movies and adult anime clips. Your clothes are too tight, your skirts are too short, and most of your bright red, too-tall, open-toed shoes are the epitome of the old ‘come fuck me pumps’ from the 1980’s. 

Here’s a thought… use some of the money from your book deal to hire an actual fashion consultant and stop letting 1990’s beauty pageant styles or sordid clothing companies dress you and your girls. Willow’s too young and you’re too old.

PLEASE NOTE: To comment on this post, scroll back to the title: Cyclone Sarah Strikes Again and click on the word comments just underneath – Thanks  OzMud

 

Sarah, Sherry, Bristol, Levi, Tripp and the Law (part 2)

An Anchorage Attorney by the name of Steven Pradell wrote and posted this article regarding father’s rights in the state of Alaska in 1997. One can surmise that as it is still an active link, the article probably still has sound advice.

The article itself is copyrighted, and due to the time differences between our countries, I have not yet attempted to glean permission to use actual quotes from the article, but I see no reason why I can’t link it to this post and let anyone who might be interested have a read. It is, after all, posted on the internet for all to see.

It’s interesting to note that Alaska family law looks pretty much like family law in most of the western US states. Neither gender has an edge over the other one and the courts still use the what’s in the best interest of the child – not the parents yardstick for measuring fundamental custodial decisions.

Alaska family law appears to be no different from the rest of the civilized world, so Sarah does not have the authority or power to bend it to her will. But that doesn’tmean she won’t try.

There’s no reason why Levi cannot procure legal representation and get immediate proper visitation with Tripp – and to wait until Sarah has time to perform her behind the scenes trickery would not be beneficial to this young father and child.

Links of interest on the  subject of father’s rights in Alaska:

Alaska Father’s Rights Lawyers
Free consultations, legal aid, Family Law Attorney listings for Alaska.

How To Learn About Father’s Rights Alaska
List of organizations ready to help single fathers, including links to credible organizations like Fathers for Equal rights and the Chldren’s Rights Council.

From the home page:
If you are a devoted father who is having trouble getting your rights acknowledged, there is help available. In the past, single parenting has usually been thought of as a woman’s dilemma. Today, men can find help with single father parenting from various avenues.

A second article by Steven Pradell has a few paragraphs on grandparental rights in Alaska. This article was written two years later in 1999.

In the state of Alaska, grandparents have the right to petition courts for reasonable visitation of their grandchild, and can, in certain custody cases where it is deemed by the judge to be in the best interest of the child, have those visitations written into the actual custody agreement.

So Sherry – go get ‘em tiger! Sarah may have all the smoke and mirrors and free corporate lawyers on her side, but you and your son have the law on yours.

We’re all rooting for you :)