Hazards of balloon drops

Attorney General Bill McCollum said he's been to six Republican National Conventions and he had never seen so many balloons. Some of Florida's elderly delegates were kind of stuck for a while, so younger delegates took off their John McCain pins and started popping a path for them. The sound of popping echoed throughout the convention center like some sort of gunfight.

Also, circular paper medallions featuring John McCain and John and Cindy McCain fell in the balloon drop.

*

Comments

[Becky]

Wow. That's exciting news. Thanks, Times.

[Becky]

Wow. This is exciting news. Thanks, Times!! Keep the headlines coming.

Get John Edwards. He can find someone to sue.

[Old Fart/Young Tart 2008]

Old Fart/Young Tart 2008

Looking out over that sea of eager Republicans made me reflexively hold tight to my wallet. They looked like a horde of Zombies just waiting to be let loose to feed on the middle class. After that disturbing scene, I'm more afraid than I was when Bush let Bin Laden escape. Heaven protect us from the GOP.

[N. O. Morebush]

Brave Republicans. I hate to burst your bubble, but McSame did nothing to shed the Bush III image, neither with his speech, nor with his VP pick.

[NPA]

N. O. Morebush

I agree--it sounded a lot like the Dmeocrat Convention....more of the same old, same old. But I'll go with McCain to get more change than Obama/Biden. At least McCain has a real change maker as his VP, not some old has been like air bag Joe Biden.

It sounded nothing like the Dem Convention. The Dems actually put forth a positive agenda to improve this Great Nation. The R’s used the tired old politics of fear, a moronic Mormon, a whinny turncoat, a cross-dressing adulterer, a unqualified milfwannabe, and a senile old man who p’s himself and is sincere as Jim Dobson at a gay wedding.

Just as your minions said when they thought their mic was turned off… “It’s bulls-it” and “It’s over”.

What a stupid story

I'm glad the Republicans didn't try to distract voters talk of any "issues" that affect the American people. I want to hear more about personality!

Hey, where's that guy who always rails on about how Republicans won't let their kids serve in the military? Haven't heard form him in a while ...

9:14,

The Republicons will only let their children serve, it their death will get them a vote.

and democrats use the death of other people's children to try and get votes.

9:48,

Who do you think you're kidding? Dubya and that pathetic freak Judy Ruliani have been exploiting the death of the innocent Americans on 9/11 for personal and political gain since it happened. Get a clue you brainwashed moron!

[Thorny]

Wonderful symmetry and imagery.

"Florida's elderly delegates were kind of stuck..."

So once they leave fantasyland and get back to reality they can face the real balloons. Ballooning fuel prices, ballooning health care costs, ballooning violence....

But unlike the fantasyland balloons those bucking young GOPers aren't willing to pop those others.

Younger delegates...don't confuse da pins with the elderly delegates' depends.

Young Cynical/Old Predictable '08

4:35

and yet, it's Obama's plan that raises taxes on the middle class.

[Donald Lance]

BHO's real plan to fix this country:

http://www.ibdeditorial.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=305420655186700

[The Other Tim Russert]

In the wake of Sarah Palin's smashing debut as a major American political figure last night, some in the media are sulking over the public backlash to their outrageous treatment of her in the first few days of her national role, since being announced 6 days ago as a running mate. Case in point: the normally level-headed Roger Simon of The Politico:

On behalf of the elite media, I would like to say we are very sorry.

We have asked questions this week that we should never have asked.

We have asked pathetic questions like: Who is Sarah Palin? What is her record? Where does she stand on the issues? And is she is qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency?

We have asked mean questions like: How well did John McCain know her before he selected her? How well did his campaign vet her? And was she his first choice?

Bad questions. Bad media. Bad.

It is not our job to ask questions. Or it shouldn't be. To hear from the pols at the Republican National Convention this week, our job is to endorse and support the decisions of the pols.

Bitter sarcasm accompanied by studious ignoring of the trashing of Palin by the liberal media is most unbecoming, Roger. Are you unaware of Campbell Brown's snarky comments about Palin as a mother? How about Sally Quinn? Or the three NYT front page stories in one day attacking her.

To be fair, Simon has not been in the gutter with this lot. But why haven't we read more about the clash between Sarah and Big Oil? Why haven't we read about the billions of dollars she has added to state revenues at the expense of Big Oil? Why haven't we read about the indicted pols in Alaska?

The media continue to slit their own throats with their arrogance, meanness, and contempt for not just Palin, but all the people in Middle America who identify with her. Like cornered animals, they lash out regardless of the effectiveness.

Sarah Palin knows a lot about dealing with cornered animals, I suspect.

You can tell when school's back in and the teen chat rooms are empty... cause Lance shows up.

Why is Palin proud of her teenage daughter’s “Choice” to have premarital sex and a ba-tard child, and then promise to make sure that the rest of America’s daughter’s never get to make a choice?

Oh, that’s right; she’s a hypocritical and blasphemous Republican.

McSame/McMilf ’08 “Continuing the Destruction of our Nation!”

drip..drip..drip..its over. The unvetted Palin has a closet full of campaign killing issues bigger than her washington lobbyist earmarks.

Palin aides peeked into trooper's files, union says

From Matt Smith and Scott Bronstein

CNN) -- Aides to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin improperly obtained her former brother-in-law's state police personnel files and cited information from those records to raise complaints about the officer, the head of Alaska's state police union said Thursday.

"It's apparent to us that the governor or someone on her staff had direct access to his personnel file, as well as his workers' comp file, and those are protected," said John Cyr, executive director of the Alaska Public Safety Employees Association.

drip..drip..drip..its over. The unvetted Palin has a closet full of campaign killing issues bigger than her washington lobbyist earmarks.

Palin aides peeked into trooper's files, union says

From Matt Smith and Scott Bronstein

CNN) -- Aides to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin improperly obtained her former brother-in-law's state police personnel files and cited information from those records to raise complaints about the officer, the head of Alaska's state police union said Thursday.

"It's apparent to us that the governor or someone on her staff had direct access to his personnel file, as well as his workers' comp file, and those are protected," said John Cyr, executive director of the Alaska Public Safety Employees Association.

The Two Conventions in a nutshell:

Democrat… 85K in attendance… Here’s where we are, here’s where we think we should be, here’s how we think we should get there – vote for us and we just might have a chance to improve this nation.

Republican… 3867 in attendance… Death, fear, 9/11, partisan attacks, more death, pictures of 9/11, more fear, more hypocrisy, 30-years ago at the Hanoi Hilton, a milfwannabe that can read an attack script, more fear, American Volunteers and Community Organizers suck, here’s a loser morman, here’s a whinny turn coat, American Volunteers and Community Organizers really suck, here’s a cross-dressing adulterer, loads more of hypocrisy, American Volunteers and Community Organizers reallyreallyreally suck, more fear – vote for us or die!

Palin's daughter's high school dropout boyfriend isn't so stupid. The army won't take him without a high school diploma or GED. Sarah Palin can't tell him he is going to Iraq. He is going to hang around Palin's house probably doing nothing.

that convention was awfull

The two Parties in a nutshell:

The Republican Party – predominantly wealthy and elite

The Democrat Party – everyone else

---

The Democrat Party – If you don’t agree with us; we will respect your right to “disagree”, attempt to convince you of our position, use non-violent means if called for, and blow you up in necessary.

The Republican Party - If you don’t agree with us; we will chastise, condescend, and ostracize you, and if that doesn’t work… we will just blow you up no matter the cost to us.

… if you don’t believe me, just read the following posts and decide for yourself.

[Rudy G]

9-11
9-11
9-11
9-11
9-11
9-11
9-11
9-11
9-11
9-11
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9-11
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[surfdog]

hey McCaniacs....where they gettin the money for these?????

John Mccain and all his Mccainiacs

love iraq more then america

Iraq eyes Lockheed F-16 fighter aircraft purchase
Friday September 5, 12:16 pm ET
By Jim Wolf

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Iraqi government has asked for information about buying 36 F-16 fighter aircraft built by Lockheed Martin Corp (NYSE:LMT - News), the U.S. Defense Department said on Friday.

Surfdog-

Oil revenues perhaps?

You should be happy...Lockheed Martin is a very large employer of Americans. The more they buy from us, the more wealth is created here.

[Bush and Cronies War Profiteering Again]

Surfdog-

Are we surprised?

You should be happy...4000+ Americans died for those no-bid government contracts. Remember one of those Cessnas we were selling to Iraq crashed in the 'glades a few months ago. Boy did they cover that up fast. Don't ever get the impression that they don't want you to know about this, though - especially in an election year.

Her's a little info for everyone's enlightenment:

"Dick Cheney's son-in-law, Philip J. Perry, a registered Lockheed lobbyist who had, while working for a law firm, represented Lockheed with the Department of Homeland Security, had been nominated by Bush to serve as general counsel to the Department of Homeland Security. His wife, Elizabeth Cheney, serves as deputy assistant secretary of state for Middle Eastern affairs.

Vice President Cheney's wife, Lynne, had, until her husband took office, served on the board of Lockheed, receiving deferred compensation in the form of half a million dollars in stock and fees. Even President Bush himself has a Lockheed Martin connection. As governor of Texas, he had attempted to give Lockheed a multimillion-dollar contract to reform the state's welfare system."

Here's the full story - don't want to be accused of plagiarism:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larisa-alexandrovna/lizzie-cheney-the-pride_b_39398.html

[2:19 is stuck in the Twilight Zone]

2:19-

Careful, i think i hear the black helicopters circling over you right now...

[1:11]

Thank you all for participating and confirming my position.

May God have Mercy on us all.

I wonder if the Beer Queer is afraid that Lil’ Johnny Napoleon will dump her and go after Palin… like hid did his first wife for her?

[The Kids of Amerika]

Posted on Investors Business Daily today:
Barack Obama was a founding member of the board of Public Allies in 1992, resigning before his wife became executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies in 1993. Obama plans to use the nonprofit group, which he features on his campaign Web site, as the model for a national service corps. He calls his Orwellian program, "Universal Voluntary Public Service."

Big Brother had nothing on the Obamas. They plan to herd American youth into government-funded reeducation camps where they'll be brainwashed into thinking America is a racist, oppressive place in need of "social change."

The pitch Public Allies makes on its Web site doesn't seem all that radical. It promises to place young adults (18-30) in paid one-year "community leadership" positions with nonprofit or government agencies. They'll also be required to attend weekly training workshops and three retreats.

In exchange, they'll get a monthly stipend of up to $1,800, plus paid health and child care. They also get a post-service education award of $4,725 that can be used to pay off past student loans or fund future education.

But its real mission is to radicalize American youth and use them to bring about "social change" through threats, pressure, tension and confrontation — the tactics used by the father of community organizing, Saul "The Red" Alinsky.

"Our alumni are more than twice as likely as 18-34 year olds to . . . engage in protest activities," Public Allies boasts in a document found with its tax filings. It has already deployed an army of 2,200 community organizers like Obama to agitate for "justice" and "equality" in his hometown of Chicago and other U.S. cities, including Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York, Phoenix, Pittsburgh and Washington. "I get to practice being an activist," and get paid for it, gushed Cincinnati recruit Amy Vincent.

Public Allies promotes "diversity and inclusion," a program paper says. More than 70% of its recruits are "people of color." When they're not protesting, they're staffing AIDS clinics, handing out condoms, bailing criminals out of jail and helping illegal aliens and the homeless obtain food stamps and other welfare.

Public Allies brags that more than 80% of graduates have continued working in nonprofit or government jobs. It's training the "next generation of nonprofit leaders" — future "social entrepreneurs."

The Obamas discourage work in the private sector. "Don't go into corporate America," Michelle has exhorted youth. "Work for the community. Be social workers." Shun the "money culture," Barack added. "Individual salvation depends on collective salvation."

"If you commit to serving your community," he pledged in his Denver acceptance speech, "we will make sure you can afford a college education." So, go through government to go to college, and then go back into government.

Many of today's youth find the pitch attractive. "I may spend the rest of my life trying to create social movement," said Brian Coovert of the Cincinnati chapter. "There is always going to be work to do. Until we have a perfect country, I'll have a job."

Not all the recruits appreciate the PC indoctrination. "It was too touchy-feely," said Nelly Nieblas, 29, of the 2005 Los Angeles class. "It's a lot of talk about race, a lot of talk about sexism, a lot of talk about homophobia, talk about -isms and phobias."

One of those -isms is "heterosexism," which a Public Allies training seminar in Chicago describes as a negative byproduct of "capitalism, white supremacy, patriarchy and male-dominated privilege."

The government now funds about half of Public Allies' expenses through Clinton's AmeriCorps. Obama wants to fully fund it and expand it into a national program that some see costing $500 billion. "We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded" as the military, he said.

The gall of it: The Obamas want to create a boot camp for radicals who hate the military — and stick American taxpayers with the bill.

Gulpity, Gulpity, gulpgulpgulp… What’s my opinion today Mr. Hanity… Gulpity, Gulpity, gulpgulpgulp… What’s my opinion today Mr. Limbaugh… mmmmm, this kool aide is scrumptious; I say we give the launch codes to a Hockey Mom with a nice A S S!

Gulpity, Gulpity, gulpgulpgulp… What’s my opinion today Mr. Hanity… Gulpity, Gulpity, gulpgulpgulp… What’s my opinion today Mr. Limbaugh… mmmmm, this kool aide is scrumptious; I say we give the launch codes to a Hockey Mom with a nice A S S!

Its nice to see the Messiah's bloggers hard at work again.

Ah yes, the hypocrisy of the Republican exposes itself yet again!

Professing to be Christian while blaspheming our Savior by calling Omaba the Messiah.

Professing to be Pro Life while the majority of Abortion on Demand is attributed to 25-35 year old Republican professional women.

Christian & Pro Life; so long as it doesn’t interfere with the P&L Statement!

[Donald Lance]

4:36, do you have proof to back that up or are you just spewing your own pre-conceived falsities once again? Do you know that 70% of black kids in St Petersburg, FL are born out of wedlock, yet 90% of the black population is voting for Barry? That's a remarkable fact! Imagine if the Black pop. could reduce that number by just 1/3? Yet Barry talks about the importance of fatherhood. Is that hypocracy as well?

[Dems Stuck on Stupid]

Liberalism truly is a mental disorder. All of you moonbats just proved it.

A MUST READ Anne currently lives in Wasilla Alaska and has personally known Sara Palin and her family for decades. Very insightful.

A note to all by Anne Kilkenny

Dear friends,

So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the
last 2 days that I decided to write something up . . .

Basically, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have only 2 things in
common: their gender and their good looks. :)

You have my permission to forward this to your friends/email contacts
with my name and email address attached, but please do not post it on
any websites, as there are too many kooks out there . . .

Thanks,
Anne

[ Note by web_admin: This was already posted on Washington Independent
comments area and was meant by the author to be read by many, but
readers need sourcing. The NY Times has talked with Anne since. ]

ABOUT SARAH PALIN

I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992.
Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a
first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her
father was my child's favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a
first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more
City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the
residents of the city.

She is enormously popular; in every way she’s like the most popular
girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and
won't vote for her can't quit smiling when talking about her because
she is a "babe".

It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She
kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents
for seven months.

She is "pro-life". She recently gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby.
There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.

She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.

She is savvy. She doesn't take positions; she just "puts things out
there" and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.

Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a
champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin’s kind of job is highly
sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his
work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or
so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their
major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything
like that of native Alaskans.

Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.

She's smart.

Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000
(at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about
670,000 residents.

During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running
this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been
pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had
gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had
given rise to a recall campaign.

Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6
years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over
33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the
City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation
(1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a
regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she
promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they
benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration
weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed
money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage
the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said
she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a
new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a
multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece
of property that the City didn’t even have clear title to, that was
still in litigation 7 yrs later--to the delight of the lawyers
involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the
community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it
would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that
could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.

While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office
redecorated more than once.

These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.

As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus
in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will
make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she
proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.

In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she
recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while
she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today's
surplus, borrow for needs.

She’s not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas
or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren’t generated by
her or her staff. Ideas weren’t evaluated on their merits, but on the
basis of who proposed them.

While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected
City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from
the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents
rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin's
attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew
her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the
Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.

Sarah complained about the “old boy’s club” when she first ran for
Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of "old boys". Palin
fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as
Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people,
creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally
grateful and fiercely loyal--loyal to the point of abusing their power
to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the
case of pressuring the State’s top cop (see below).

As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla’s Police Chief because he “intimidated”
her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska's top
cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure
and she had every legal right to fire him, but it's pretty clear that
an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn't
fire her sister's ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation
for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen
contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she
later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to
replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded
for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew
her support.

She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in
help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town
introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council
became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She
abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn’t
like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything
publicly about her.

When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got
the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one
of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no
background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great
job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the
high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the
structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this
Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party)
engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some
undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all
her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and
garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a
gutsy fighter against the “old boys’ club” when she dramatically quit,
exposing this man’s ethics violations (for which he was fined).

As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from
Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel
politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the “bridge to
nowhere” after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.

As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget
guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing
projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative
action restored most of these projects--which had been vetoed simply
because she was not aware of their importance--but with the unobservant
she had gained a reputation as “anti-pork”.

She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party
leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated
them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a
fiscal conservative.

Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah.
They call her “Sarah Barracuda” because of her unbridled ambition and
predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly
stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made
point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah's
mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and
experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.

As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package
of legislation known as “AGIA” that forced the oil companies to march
to the beat of her drum.

Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to
global warming. She campaigned “as a private citizen” against a state
initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from
pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the
state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State’s
lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior’s decision to list polar
bears as threatened species.

McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a
heartbeat away from being President.

There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more
knowledgeable and experienced than she.

However, there’s a lot of people who have underestimated her and are
regretting it.

CLAIM VS FACT
•“Hockey mom”: true for a few years
•“PTA mom”: true years ago when her first-born was in elementary
school, not since
•social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill
that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships
(said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
•“Experienced”: Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has
residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska.
No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on
supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city
administrator to run town of about 5,000.
•political maverick: not at all
•gutsy: absolutely!
•open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at
explaining actions.
•has a developed philosophy of public policy: no
•”a Greenie”: no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores
and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
•fiscal conservative: not by my definition!
•pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on
residents
•pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city
government in Wasilla’s history.

WHY AM I WRITING THIS?

First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed
voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting
programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny +
Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local
government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.

Secondly, I've always operated in the belief that "Bad things happen
when good people stay silent". Few people know as much as I do because
few have gone to as many City Council meetings.

Third, I am just a housewife. I don't have a job she can bump me out
of. I don't belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no
fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will
cost me somehow in the future: that’s life.

Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100
or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah's
attempt at censorship.

Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to
say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.

CAVEATS
I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in
spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor)
from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of
Wasilla, and I can't recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust
for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible
for a private person to get any info out of City Hall--they are
swamped. So I can't verify my numbers.

You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the
population of Wasilla, ranging from my "about 5,000", up to 9,000. The
day Palin’s selection was announced a city official told me that the
current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was
5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to
2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90’s.

Anne Kilkenny
August 31, 2008

There is NO Anne Kikenny residiing in Wasilla, Alaska. This has been posted on other sites and found to be "FALSE" and a bogus e-mail.

Try again Obama Troll!!!

The Democrat Party and the kool aid drinkers of Obamanation are experiencing a major meltdown. It's over, stick a fork in curious george and the talking hair plug, they're done.

6:18 PM

Probably some Democrat broad who could stand a good weekend in Anchorage with a stud Eskimo!!!!

This person IS REAL and has been interviewed on NPR.

Alaska resident writes about VP nominee Palin
09/05/2008, 4:02 pm
Comment on this story | Print this story | Email this story

By Susy Schultz Managing Editor
815-937-3330
sschultz@daily-journal.com

On the Internet, comments, posts, articles and information fly.
But anonymity rules. So, John Doe just might be Jane. And can you trust that the friendly grassroots campaign you just joined isn't really organized by a top political strategists?

The Daily Journal would like to know and maybe you would, too.

Recently, we received a note about the Web post, "Letter from Anne Kilkenny," about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee. We thought for sure it was not really, "a resident of Wasilla, Alaska" who has known Palin since 1992 as the post claims.

So, we checked it out. Kilkenny does exist, and she does live in Alaska. We reached her by phone and asked if she wrote the rather long note that calls Palin "smart" but also questions her abilities.

We asked Kilkenny, "Did you write that letter?" She replied skeptically, "Well, I don't know. Read me parts of it. I'll tell you if it's mine or not."

After we read it to her, she said, "Yes, I wrote that." She sent it out to 40 people, brothers, sisters and friends, on Sunday -- two days after U.S. Sen. John McCain announced Palin as his choice. On Wednesday, if you enter Kilkenny and Palin's names on Google, about 200 sites refer to this letter.

Why did she do it? Kilkenny told The Daily Journal she wanted to offer people information and her experiences. She does not flatter Palin, but she said she did vote for Palin when she ran for city council.

"How affirming it has been," she said. "I am pleased to know how idealistic Americans are. They want information not just the politics of destruction."

Verdict: Agree with it or not, the letter is authentic.

Do you have something that you want us to check out? Send me a note at sschultz@daily-journal.com. The Daily Journal will try to check it out.

[Donald Lance]

This is more damning:

http://www.ibdeditorial.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=305420655186700

[The Capitalist Mole---Truth to Idiots.]

Democrats and Community Disorganizing
Russ Vaughn
In response to Rudy Giuliani's and Sarah Palin's convention jibes at The O's experiences as a community organizer, the Obama campaign is issuing statements of outrage, reminding us all that Barack Obama was ministering to South Chicago residents whose lives had been devastated by the recent closing of nearby steel mills which had been the economic engine driving that community.

What the O's minions are failing to take into consideration is that much of the economic hardship brought upon his unfortunate constituents was the consequence of actions by two other major Democrat Party constituencies, Big Labor and environmentalists, both over-empowered by an over-regulating federal government.

Yes, culpable steel industry executives were too slow to recognize the new foreign competition that was developing and adapt accordingly, but it was the greedy unions, the hyper-vigilant EPA and the U.S. Labor Department's newly released pit bull, OSHA, hungry for regulatory red meat, which made the needed adaptation impossible to attain.

Too-high wages with too-cushy benefits, too-extreme environmental demands and harassing over-regulation by big government drove the steel industry from America and straight into the hands of growing Asian economies, leaving those unfortunates in South Chicago to wonder just what the hell had happened to their high-paying jobs and the rosy retirements their union-backed, Democratic political machine had promised them.

Under an Obama administration, a similar fate awaits larger segments of America, fired by the same union-driven, high wage, protectionist policies and environmental extremism of those earlier times. Democrats, socialists, Marxists and union leaders (yes I know those terms are redundant) never seem to grasp the truth of hoary aphorisms such as, "Don't bite the hand that feeds you," or "Don't kill the golden goose," and "Don't foul your own nest

Palins Churchs True View of Jews

Are Evangelicals Really Sold on Palin?
Saturday, Sep. 06, 2008
By AMY SULLIVAN

speakers charge that violence against Israelis is divine punishment for the failure of Jews to accept Jesus, as happened at one of Palin's churches two weeks ago