Roland Martin wants Sarah Palin to "sit down and answer tough questions. "
With less than three weeks to go, this is doubtful. But a man can try.
It's A Little Late, But...
No Nailin' Paylin' While Flyin'
From Wired:
Carriers Say No to Airporn
People get bored on long flights, which is why we love in-flight Internet access. It lets people check email, read Wired.com, watch the stock market collapse and enjoy their favorite scenes from On Golden Blonde and Forest Hump.
Airlines, worried the wi-fi services they're rolling out will turn planes into flying porn theaters, are installing filters to prevent passengers from surfing smut. The decision is hailed by flight attendants -- who've so far been responsible for preventing porn peeping -- and by activists concerned that children and other passengers might be subjected to objectionable material. They also worry unfettered onboard Internet access poses a security and safety risk.
American Airlines says it will "implement technology to filter pornographic content over it's Gogo in-flight Internet service." It's an about-face for the airline, which had said it would leave the nannying to flight attendants. The course correction was prompted in part by the vocal concerns of flight attendants who didn't want to be morality cops after the airline started offering in-flight wi-fi last month.
"Flight attendants are on board to provide security and safety for passengers, not to monitor their Internet usage," Corey Caldwell of the Association of Flight Attendants told Wired.com. "We're glad the airlines have responded to our concerns and to those of passengers."
But at least one privacy rights advocate opposes the idea and says blocking porn is the first step down a slippery slope.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
White House Officials: Get Palin Off the Ticket
According to Kathleen Parker:
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Gut Feeling
From the HuffPo:
Bush Strategist: McCain Knows He Put Country At Risk With Palin Pick
Matthew Dowd, a prominent political consultant and chief strategist for George W. Bush's reelection campaign eviscerated John McCain on Tuesday for his choice of Sarah Palin as vice president.
Dowd proclaimed that, in his heart of hearts, McCain knew he put the country at risk with his VP choice and that he would "have to live" with that fact for the rest of his career.
"They didn't let John McCain pick the person he wanted to pick as VP," Dowd declared during the Time Warner Summit panel. "When Sarah Palin got picked instead of Joe Lieberman, which I fundamentally believed would have given John McCain the best opportunity in this race... as soon as he picked Palin, that whole ready versus not ready argument was not credible."
Saying that Palin was a "net negative" on the ticket, he went on: "[McCain] knows, in his gut, that he put somebody unqualified on the ballot. He knows that in his gut, and when this race is over that is something he will have to live with... He put somebody unqualified on that ballot and he put the country at risk, he knows that."
They Were Obsessed
Conor Clarke read the entire Troopergate report. Does this sound like the behavior of people with their head on straight?
So they stalked the trooper and then said they feared for their lives. These people are clinically unfit to be near the White House.In support of its contention that Palin acted unethically, the report cites 18 separate events in which Palin, her husband Todd, or one of her employees put pressure on Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan to fire Trooper Michael Wooten, the ex-husband of Palin's sister. Of these my favorite is an occasion in fall of 2007 in which Wooten "was seen [by Todd Palin] dropping off one of his children at school" in his patrol car. Palin called Wooten's supervisor and complained in the hopes of getting him fired. Months later a top Palin aide saw Wooten "driving around the Good Shepherd Church early in the morning dropping off one of his kids in a marked patrol vehicle." The aide also called and complained. Both calls were made in the fervent hope that dropping children at school or church in one's work vehicle was a sackable offense. And on both occasions it was found that Trooper Wooten had obtained permission to drop off his kids.
The McCain campaign tries gamely to put the law-and-order spin on this sort of thing by noting that the Palin family was "Understandably concerned about a pattern of behavior demonstrated by someone entrusted with the responsibilities of law enforcement," and thus "reported the behavior to the appropriate authorities." Nice try. Perhaps the Palins really thought Trooper Wooten was a threat to Alaska's first family and an embarrassment to the state, but if you're afraid of someone it's probably not a great idea to hang around outside the school to understand the manner in which he drops off the offspring.
A Mama Bear in Idaho?
From Stumper:
Judging by the polls, Sarah Palin may not propel John McCain to the presidency. But at least she'll make the path to Election Day a little more melodious.
At Palin's rally yesterday in Richmond, Va., the loudest applause was reserved not for the Mooseburger Queen of Wasilla but for her special guest, Hank Williams, Jr., who performed a new, pro-McCain rendition of his late-1970s hit "Family Tradition." "The left-wing liberal media have always been a real close knit family," he sang, somewhat redundantly. "But most of the American people don't believe 'em anyway, you see." Later verses blamed Democrats for "bankrupt[ing] Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac"; accused Bill Clinton of forcing "bankers" who "didn't want to make all those bad loans" of doing just that; and praised Palin for "protecting your family's condition" like a "mama bear in Idaho" protecting her "cubs." History? Hardly. Poetry? Not quite (sadly, the lilting, lonesome line "I have loved some ladies/and I have loved Jim Beam" was inexplicably AWOL). But certainly entertaining--even if Stumper greatly prefers Hanks I and III to Bocephus.
Who's Nailin' Paylin Stills
Palin Keeps Lying, Media Takes Notice
Remember the first finding in the Troopergate report? Here it is just in case you forgot:
Governor Sarah Palin abused her power as Governor in that her conduct violated AS 39.52.110(a) of the Ethics Act, which provides "The legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust."So on MSNBC this afternoon, Andrea Mitchell asked Palin campaign spokeswoman Meg Stapleton if Palin was overstating her innocence when she said she did nothing unethical or unlawful. A fair question, given that the first finding of the report clearly states that Palin acted unethically and violated the Ethics Act (which is a law). Stapleton's response?
“This Governor did nothing wrong and did nothing unlawful.”
Monday, October 13, 2008
It's Funny Because They Can't Hear Because They Are Old
Sarah Palin was speaking to a large audience at a rally today. Some folks in the audience could not hear what she was saying. So they started chanting 'louder':
Palin stopped her remarks briefly and looked toward the commotion.
“I hope those protesters have the courage and honor to give veterans thanks for their right to protest,” she said.
Oopsie!
Major Mix-up
Wow. First she reprimands Obama's supporters, now her own! Luckily the First Dude stepped in to save the day.
From CBS:
Protesters at Sarah Palin’s rallies can always expect to be shot down with some choice words from the candidate. But at a rally here today, the confused Alaska governor mistakenly issued a stern rebuke to her own supporters.
The outdoor crowd was so massive that many were unable to hear Palin speak, so about midway through the Alaska governor’s remarks, some of them tried to take matters into their own hands, shouting in unison, “We can’t hear you!”
When that didn’t get the candidate’s attention, they tried a new tactic.
“Louder!” they shouted.
Palin appeared flustered as she stopped reading from the prepared remarks, which were coming across her teleprompter.
“I would hope at least that those protesters have the courage and the honor of thanking our veterans for giving them the right to protest!” she admonished the confused crowd.
Palin’s husband Todd tried to put an end to the awkward episode by approaching his wife on stage and telling her, “They just can’t hear you back there. That’s it.”
Palin responded, “OK. I’m doing that,” and then continued with her stump speech.
Another Day, Another Minister Scandal
From USA Today:
[Sarah Palin's former minister] has preached that critics of President Bush will be banished to hell; questioned whether people who voted for Sen. John Kerry in 2004 would be accepted into heaven; and preached that the Sept. 11 attacks and the war in Iraq were part of a world war over Christianity, The Huffington Post reported after reviewing recorded sermons by Kalnins.
