Always follow the money, and when a union is involved always watch your back.   It is looking more and more like Troopergate is all a big witch hunt.   It started out as the PSEA’s way of getting back at Palin for beating their picked candidate for governor.   But after she was in the running for VP with McCain, it looks like the Democrats took over and trying to get her bogged down with an investigation.   It looks like she has really upset the whole establishment in Alaska and has enemies on both sides of the aisle in Alaska.

Strata-sphere has a great post about all of this from a commentor on his site.

Reader SBD, who is one of the best researchers I have seen, has pulled together an exhaustive history of events and reports surrounding Palin’s battles with Walt Monegan and is allies. It is a comment worthy of being a post all on its own, and is being copied here.

Not surprising, the records shows that at the time Monegan was asked to take another position (he was not fired, he quit instead of taking the other job) all the reporting and screaming from Palin’s opponents revolved around the budget issues.—-Strata-Sphere

Go and read the whole thing.   Very informative in a the whole ridiculous inquisistion

What once, not so long ago, was a quiet little inquiry in a quiet little capital of a remote state better known for History Channel fodder has, thanks to the Democrats’ Palin Derangement Syndrome, erupted into just the sort of Donk witchhunt that is par for the course inside the Beltway.  Yep, now, even on The Last Frontier, the politics of personal destruction are alive and well.

And some non-Obamanoids in the Land of the Midnight Sun are fighting back:

Five Alaska Legislators, Representative Wes Keller, Representative Mike Kelly, Representative Bob Lynn, Senator Fred Dyson, and Senator Tom Wagoner, will file suit in state superior court in Anchorage tomorrow morning (9/16/08) at 9:00 am (Superior courthouse 4th Avenue) against Senator French, Senator Kim Elton, Stephen Branchflower and the Alaska Legislative Council in order to halt the investigation of Governor Sarah Palin and others because the investigators have lost the appearance of impartiality required under the Alaska Constitution. The Legislators will ask for declaratory and injunctive relief in the investigation, stating that it is an attempt to use the Alaska Legislative Council to further partisan politics.

The Legislators cite in their lawsuit that the investigation into the firing of former Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Public safety Walt Monegan, led by Sens. Hollis French and Kim Elton, with Stephen Branchflower and the Alaska Legislative Council, is being driven by partisan politics in an attempt to unlawfully smear Governor Palin and others.

“The Partisan actions of Senator French, Senator Elton and the Legislative Council have tainted the investigation beyond the appearance of impartiality required under the Alaska Constitution,” said Kevin Clarkson, Esq., of the firm Brena, Bell & Clarkson, P.C., and counsel in the suit.

The investigation, which began after Monegan’s dismissal in July 2008, is being led by outspoken supporters of Barack Obama and members of the Democratic Party. Senator Elton, the Chair of the Legislative Council donated $2,000 to the Obama campaign but has failed to disclose this to the Legislative Council and he continues to preside over the Council with respect to the investigation, refusing to convene meetings of the Council at the request of a majority of the Council’s membership. Senator French the investigation “project manager” failed to disclose to the Legislative Council the comments he made on a radio program criticizing the Governor’s conduct regarding the termination of Monegan as “criminal” prior to being appointed as the investigation “project manager” and even prior to a vote to investigate at all. Senator French also failed to disclose to the Legislative Council that he had a personal bone to pick with the Governor over the Monegan firing because Monegan was a friend and because he had worked closely with Monegan during the 2008 legislative session regarding attempts to include in the state budget items that Governor Palin had vetoed.

Some aren’t convinced that “impartiality” is legally required.  It would certainly seem to be a political requirement, though, and one which Senator French has wantonly thrown aside in his mad quest for the requisite fifteen minutes of fame as the man who produced the “October surprise” that would destroy Barracuda and doom her septuangenarian running mate.  If you wondered why Governor Palin stopped being so cooperative with this bloodworm and the subpoenas started flying, now you know.

Resistance is not limited to certain Alaska legislators, either.  A citizens group has filed a similar lawsuit, the probe may itself come under investigation for what French and Elton have hijacked it into, and Alaska Attorney-General Talis Colberg, a Palin appointee and darned proud of it, is flatly refusing to comply with the subpoenas short of the entire Legislature compelling him to do so.  Which is looking increasingly unlikely.

Just to leave no mistake about her being on the defensive on this matter, ‘cuda decided - belatedly, in my view - to release documents of her own accord setting forth just how ample was her case for the dismissal of Walt Monegan from his former post of Director of Public Safety beyond the threats of his star pupil Mike Wooten against her family:

Walt Monegan lost his job as public safety director because he resisted Governor Sarah Palin’s budget policies and showed “outright insubordination,” say papers the governor’s lawyer filed Monday with the state Personnel Board.

It was Palin’s strongest effort yet to snuff allegations she sacked Monegan because he refused to fire a state trooper involved in an ugly divorce with the governor’s sister.

Along with the papers filed Monday were a slew of e-mails from the governor’s office purporting to show Monegan’s “rogue mentality” as a member of Palin’s Cabinet.

In one message, the governor’s budget director, Karen Rehfeld, wrote that she was “stunned and amazed” that Monegan appeared to be working with a powerful state legislator, Anchorage Republican Representative Kevin Meyer, to seek funding for a project Palin previously had vetoed.

Ensign Ed has more:

• 12/9/07: Monegan holds a press conference with Hollis French to push his own budget plan.
• 1/29/08: Palin’s staffers have to rework their procedures to keep Monegan from bypassing normal channels for budget requests.
• February 2008: Monegan publicly releases a letter he wrote to Palin supporting a project she vetoed.
• June 26, 2008: Monegan bypassed the governor’s office entirely and contacted Alaska’s Congressional delegation to gain funding for a project.

If Monegan had had any honor or integrity, he’d have resigned on principle rather than trying to undermine Palin and usurp the powers of her office for himself.  And, frankly, if ‘cuda had been the pit bull she claimed to be in her convention acceptance speech, she’d have fired his ass a lot sooner than she did.  Instead, what we have is what we always get in these partisan scrums: Republicans being reasonable, playing by the rules, and putting up with more abuse than they ever should, and Democrats (and, in this case, Alaska establishment ‘Pubbies) lying, cheating, plotting, and conniving.  Republicans trying to govern, and Democrats playing for keeps.  Nice guys (and gals) versus perfidious devilspawn.  Mumbledypeg versus hardball.

That’s why it is so gratifying to see the Governor and her state allies fighting back.  Why does it always take so long for such resistance to manifest itself?  A little righteous indignation goes a long way.

“Troopergate” was the Left’s best shot at actually damaging Sarah Palin.  Alas, now Obamanoids are thrown back on demanding documentary proof that she’s the mother of her children, demanding to inspect her stretch marks (h/t: Barracuda herself), and unearthing such bombshells as the fact that she owns a tanning bed.

Perhaps that explains this:

Sometime early this morning, between approximately 3:00am - 4:00am, members of an infamous group of hackers broke into Governor Sarah Palin’s private Yahoo e-mail account. The incriminating discussion threads included screenshots of Palin’s e-mail and private e-mail addresses of her contacts. The threads have since been deleted.

Hacking e-mail is a federal crime. A TV anchor who broke into his colleague’s e-mail account recently pleaded guilty and faces a maximum five years in prison.

The law will catch up to the hackers, but what about the lowlifes who are now gleefully splashing the alleged contents of Palin’s private e-mail account all over the Internet?

The Gawker smear machine — see here for all the background you need — has posted private family photos of Palin’s children that were apparently stolen from the e-mail account.

They have used Bristol Palin’s illegally obtained private cell phone number from her mom’s private account, recorded her voicemail message, and posted it on their website.

They have reprinted her husband Todd’s private e-mail address and son Track’s private e-mail address.

You think this is just a harmless prank? Those of you who have had to deal with break-ins and identity theft know exactly what a burdensome process it is to recover from crimes like this.

Gawker knowingly and deliberately published illegally obtained photos of the Palin children.

Where are the privacy absolutists now?

You think Palin Derangement Syndrome is bad now? These by-any-means-necessary lunatics are just warming up.

Why’d these bastards (Double-M’s term) commit this crime?  Simple:

1) Sarah Palin is a Christian conservative Republican, so, ipso facto, she must have something “juicy” to hide;

2) Since the “conservatively biased” media has been “protecting” her from “proper scrutiny” of her record and personal life, they were justified in breaking into her private Yahoo account to find the dirt they just KNOW is there;

3) So what if they didn’t find anything “juicy”?  They’ll just MSU anyway and claim it came from there.  Besides, Sarah Palin is a dirty, rotten, stupid, slutty piece of holy roller trailer trash who isn’t entitled to privacy or rights or the minimalist modicum of respect as a fellow human being.  And if splattering the personal information of her and her family on the ‘Net endangers their physical well-being or very lives, so what?  They deserve anything they get.

That’s the mindset of Obamanation as the looming spectre of their god’s defeat frays any last existing tattered cords of sanity they have left.  Not a pretty picture, is it?  Now picture that brownshirt-ism under an Obama administration.  That’s uglier.  A LOT uglier.

Speaking of which, where is The Chosen One in all this?  Wasn’t he the one that declared the candidates’ families “off limits”?  Now his zombies are committing federal crimes against them in his name.  Wouldn’t this be a good time for him to stop schmoozing with Hollywood [*ahem*] CELEBRITIES, realize how out of hand his minions’ hate campaign has gotten, call a presser and forcefully pull back on the reins by sternly condemning not just this crime, but the entire persecution of the Palin family?

Seems like the least a “post-partisan,” “unifying” “messiah” could do.

[cross-posted at ]

Of all the storm cells of Slimeicane Sarah, ”Troopergate” is the only one that could potentially have legs of any sort because it is under investigation by the Democrat-controlled Alaska legislature.  So it should come as no surprise at all that the lead Democrat on its Joint Judiciary Committee wants to cherry-pick who gets subpeonaed and who doesn’t:

Investigator Steven Branchflower admitted he had ceded control of his subpoena list to Senator Hollis French (D) during Alaska’s Joint Judiciary Committee September 12 hearing that was scheduled to approve subpoena requests. [CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO.] French is a partisan who has endorsed Palin’s Democratic presidential ticket rival Barack Obama for president and is actively supporting his candidacy.

Lawmakers approved thirteen of Branchflower’s subpoena requests that day, which included one for Palin’s husband, Todd. Four other subpoenas were approved for aides Branchflower believes participated in a meeting called by Palin’s former chief of staff Mike Tibbles where Wooten’s firing was allegedly discussed.

Representative David Guttenberg (D) asked Branchflower why he was requesting subpoenas for only those people attending the meeting and not Tibbles himself.

Branchflower said he would “have to defer that question to Mr. French.”

When asked this question, French weakly murmured that there isn’t “the political will” for to subpoena Tibbles.  Which is beyond odd because if this meeting is so critical to this investigation that everybody ELSE in it WAS subpeonaed, why would Governor Palin’s chief of staff who called and oversaw it not be?  If there’s any “scandal” to be found here, wouldn’t Tibbles be closer to the heart of it than four nameless flunkies?

Or could it be that Senator French believes this quartet of minor functionaries might be more easily intimidated into supplying the anti-Palin narrative he’s looking for versus Mr. Tibbles who might well shoot it down in short order?  At the very least, it would keep this “distraction” going longer, perhaps long enough for some sort of exploitable testimony to emerge that could finally knock Barracuda, and Team Sith, on the defensive.

I also find it interesting that it wasn’t that long ago that Governor Palin was being commended by this same Alaska legislature for cooperation so thorough that they hadn’t seen the need to issue ANY subpoenas.  Barely two weeks into her vice presidential candidacy, though, and they start blizzarding down like winter come early.

Coincidence?  I think not.  It’ll keep “snowing” until SuperMom is forced to skid off into the ditch.  The only question is which side can get to the finish line first.

[cross-posted at ]

Last night marked the beginning of a new era in Republican politics. Just 44 years old, Governor Sarah Palin took to the stage at the Xcel Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota to accept the nomination of the Republican Party. She is not your grandfather’s Republican. Heck, she’s not even your father’s Republican. She represents the Republican party that I know.

Until last night, the Generation X Republicans were mostly invisible to the American people. Our image - as created by the Main Stream Media - was one of almost elderly, and smarmy guys that sneak off with the people’s money. With Governor Sarah palin’s speech, that image has been shattered.

She is the face of the party I know. Palin, along with folks like Eric Cantor, has a command presence and a command focus that instills confidence. She doesn’t need the favor of a guy inside the beltway. Or a reporter with just the right connections. Sarah Palin is a woman in full. She inspires the folks around her.

Americans, of every generation, want someone new - more authentic - in power. To challenge the “Permanent Political Establishment.” Women want someone who understands that the word ‘choice’ is about more than an after-the-fact convenience. Choice is also about having sex, unprotected or otherwise. As beings with free will, for many Republicans - including pro-choice ones - the choice is about the act itself. Being a good parent is about a lot more than the caricature painted by Kate Michelman and her puppet, Democrat presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Americans want an energy policy that makes sense. We know that American Energy means American Jobs. We are complex enough to understand that would improve the economy. We don’t need some Harvard professor’s condescending tone to explain how the economy works. We know that when President George W. Bush lifted the presidential moratorium on oil drilling that the price of gas dropped about 60 cents a gallon, and that the price of oil per barrel dropped $25, and continues to fall.

When Barack Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi tell us that the McCain-Palin & House GOP’s plans for Drill here, Drill Now, Pay Less will lead to only a 2 cent drop in 10 years — we know that is a LIE. Because we watched the prices drop. Even with Hurricanes. And the Russians threatening the pipeline in Georgia. And ongoing difficulties with Iran in the Straits of Hormuz.

Governor Sarah Palin is America’s Iron Lady. She is real. She knows where Americans live. She “gets it” in a way that average Americans have dreamed of for a long, long time. Here are a few of the best moments from last night:

“I’m not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But here’s a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this country.”

“Here’s how I look at the choice Americans face in this election. In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change.”

This is a time for hometown heroes. Not apologies to Europe for being ourselves. Americans are tired of the Washington elite feeling ashamed of the 300 million of us that aren’t impressed with their fancy homes, the trappings of power that we gave them, and their disrespect of those who actually provide freedom. The men and women in the uniform of the United States Armed Forces.

Sarah Palin proved, with that amazing speech last night, that America’s best days are before us.

—Media Lizzy

Greetings folks… Media Lizzy here. Tomorrow, BTR Host Eric Dondero will host former US Senator Mike Gravel - a recent Libertarian convert from the Democratic party. Dondero is a US Navy Veteran, former Libertarian Party National Committeeman, Founder of the Republican Liberty Caucus and fmr. Senior Aide to US Congressman Ron Paul R-TX. He is now a national Republican Political Consultant based in Houston, Texas. Please tune in… details are below!!!

From Eric Dondero: Just confirmed… Former two-term United States Senator Mike Gravel will be a guest on “Libertarian Politics Live” Friday night at 7:00 pm cst. Sen. Gravel recently announced his switch from the Democrat Party to the Libertarian Party. Yesterday, he announced in a press release that he plans to continue his campaign and seek the Libertarian nomination for President.

Gravel served in the US Senate from 1968-1980, having been elected twice from the State of Alaska. He participated in most of the early Democrat Party Presidential debates with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, as well as Bill Richardson, John Edwards and others.

Gravel will be on the show for the first 15 minutes. He will be discussing his current plans for the LP Presidential nomination, as well as his stances on some of the issues of the day.

The rest of the show will be devoted to Alaska politics, and will include guests: Brandon Kelly of the Anchorage Press discussing the recent fight within the AK GOP and Gov. Sarah Palin, and our third guest fmr. State Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux who is challenging incumbent Don Young in the GOP primaries for US Congress.

To listen to the show live visit www.blogtalkradio.com/libertarian. Or, download the podcast afterwards at the same site. Call-ins are always welcome at 646-915-9887.