Palin: Where's the story?
September 5, 2008 So, I've been exploring the blogsphere lately and all the political mumbo-jumbo out there trying to make my decision on the next President of the United States. Everywhere I turn, there is controversy over McCain's pick as VP Sarah Palin. From Troopergate to the Librarian scandal to questions on whether or not Trig is her biological son to attacks on whether her daughter is really engaged, I just don't get it. Where's the actual, factual stories? Where do I turn to learn the facts? No one seems to be reporting those these days. The mainstream media is so pro-Obama that I'm not going to learn anything about any of the other candidates from them. Plus, they've picked up all the buzz on the blogsphere and are now reporting it, calling for documents, interviewing people in Alaska, etc. I'm all for pulling all the skeletons out of the closet for those running for public office, but haven't we learned from previous mistakes that when you start reporting on things, you need a credible source to back up your story? There's nothing in the blogsphere or in mainstream media that backs any of the stories as credible, not even close.
So, in a service to all those who want to be informed, here are the facts I have been able to uncover...
So, in a service to all those who want to be informed, here are the facts I have been able to uncover...
Troopergate
Yes, Gov. Palin did dismiss Walter Monegan, Alaska's Public Safety Commissioner, on July 11, 2008, after Monegan turned down the offer of executive director of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. The dismissal is under investigation by both the Alaskan State Legislature and the Alaskan State Personnel Board. Palin herself filed the complaint with the Personnel Board to get the investigation started because according to Alaskan law, the State Legislature has no authority to order an investigation, any ethics violations are handled by the Personnel Board.
So, why was Monegan dismissed? Here's where all the facts start to fall apart. It turns into a he said-she said battle. Palin's office has said that the dismissal was because the Governor wanted to take the department in a different direction. Specifically, the dismissal had to do with Monegan inability to fill vacancies in the State Trooper Department. inability to fight alcohol abuse and issues regarding budgets. Monegan alleges that the dismissal is a direct result of him not dismissing Trooper Mike Wooten from duty. Mike Wooten is the ex-brother-in-law to Governor Palin. Wooten was found guilty of issuing a death threat to Palin's father, shooting a moose without a permit, using a Taser on his 10-year old step-son, and driving under the influence of alcohol. For these offenses, he received a 10-day suspension which was reduced to 5-days upon union appeal.
OK, where's the story? Palin dismisses a guy in 2008 after offering him a new position. Somehow, the 2008 dismissal relates back to a 2006 investigation into her ex-brother-in-law? If you look at Gov Palin's record, you will see that if you can't get the job done, you're out. If you're not a team player, you're out. I don't necessarily agree with it, but that's her record. The guy did not meet Palin's expectations, so she offered him a position elsewhere, which he turned down, and replaced him.
The Librarian
Here I find very little facts about this controversy. Here's what I do know. When Palin became mayor, she wanted to make sure everyone was going to be a team player, so she asked everyone to resign. Several sources have said the issue was over censorship, but there is no credible evidence to back this claim. No one can list titles Palin wanted censored, and no one is really talking. What I do know is that several supporters for the librarian rallied for her to keep her job. What exactly happens next is completely unclear, although, the librarian and Palin come to terms and everyone is happy, without censorship.
Trig
Here's a story that is very near and dear to my heart. My step-son is autistic. While his autism is not at a level that is debilitating, he is still a special needs child. I have a step-daughter who is severely ADHD, and myself, I am bipolar. So, when my wife and I found out she was pregnant, I began to wonder if my baby was going to be ok. My wife and I talked, and despite the doctor's recommendation, we decided against testing for down syndrome simply because, no matter what the outcome, we were having this baby, and God would provide for us when the time was necessary. So, I respect the Palin's very much for their choice to raise Trig.
People out there are claiming that Trig is really Bristol's baby. First, reporters in Alaska have stated publically that they have worked with Palin throughout her claimed pregnancy, and she was in fact pregnant. Also, Bristol is five month's along in her current pregnancy, which makes it impossible for Bristol to be the mother of Trig and pregnant right now.
Some people have said that Palin shows a lack of family values because she returned to work shortly after Trig was born. I have a problem with that arguement because most of those people are the same ones who are shouting about equal rights for woman in the workplace. When my son was born, we had to make a very difficult decision on whether or not my wife would go to work or be a stay-at-home mom. We needed her income to survive. By the grace of God, I found a second job that equaled her income so she could stay at home with my son. I worked two jobs to support my family just so my wife could stay at home, but not everyone has that opportunity. Many U.S. families have two working parents. Plus, it was a lot easier for my wife to quit her job where 2 or 3 people counted on her, and she could easily be replaced, whereas Palin had the whole State of Alaska counting on her, and resigning a public office does not look good on your resume with the American people. What would people be saying if she had resigned to raise Piper or Willow and then tried to return to office? Would they be saying that we can't have her as our next VP because if she gets pregnant again, she's just going to resign to be with her children. Having to make the decision between work and family is a very tough decision to make. Learning to balance work and family is a talent, and one that I find very impressive in Palin.
Bristol
Bristol's 17 and pregnant. She's marrying the father of the baby. Here's where the mudslinging has got to stop. Yes, Palin is for abstinence education in schools. She's against explicit sexual education programs in schools. Now, how does that relate to her lack of family values? I fail to see the connection. I have kids, and I was a kid raised on abstinence education. I was sexually active well before my wedding day. Does this mean that my parents don't have good family values? As any parent knows, you can raise your kid to be the best behaved child in the Universe, instill good morals and values, but when it comes down to it, the child will make the choice, not the parent. At some point you have to let your child go, and let them make their own decisions and live with the consequences of their actions. That's how you learn, cause and effect.
Now, some will say, "Was it Bristol's choice to keep the baby and get married?" Why is that any of our business? Bristol is 17, in my book, she's still a minor, which means, when her parents say jump, she says how high. She chose to engage in sex, and the ultimate outcome of sex is one of two things, a STD or pregnant. If you aren't willing to risk one or the other, you should not be having sex! Sex is not a recreational activity. It's not like baseball or fishing or hunting. Those are games. When you start having sex, you are talking about lives, human lives, either created or destroyed. I'll save the "Woman's Right To Choose" rant for another post. As with any action, there is a reaction...cause and effect...action and consequence. My autistic son had a hard time grasping this topic, the action and consequence of his actions, but he understands it now. Why other kids don't understand it, I will never know. Bristol took action, and now she has to deal with the consequences of her action. Plain and simple. Kudos for the Palin's if they did force her to keep the baby. Even bigger kudos to Bristol if she made the decision to keep the baby herself. As for the marriage thing, I'm not going to touch it. Personally, I think they are too young to get married, but back when my grandparents were young, getting married right out of high school was the thing to do, and my grandparents were married for 56 years before my grandmother passed. So, only time will tell if this marriage is going to work out or not.
So, with all of that out in the open, what do I think of Palin? I like her. I think she is a no-nonsense woman who knows what she wants and goes for it. She's family-oriented, with strong morales and values. As for a choice as VP, for the McCain ticket, I think it was an excellent choice. Why? She's everything McCain is not. She balances out the Republican ticket that no other VP candidate could or would. By nominating her as VP, the Republicans have tried to toss aside the image of the "good ol' boys" club. This could bring real change to the Republican party and to Washington as a whole. Of course, she's not Hillary, and McCain knows this. The choice really couldn't be to go after the Hillary supporters, they would never stand for someone like Palin. Well, not all of them. However, she brings balance to his campaign. She brings the conservative voice that McCain lacks. Plus, she's not from Washington. I loved the opening of her speech at the RNC, "Fellow Citizens..." Now there was an honest address to the American people. Call us by name. We're not your "friends" as some would call us. Honestly, we don't know you from Adam. You're just a political figure we hear, see and read about in the news. I don't call you up for Poker night, my wife and your wife don't swap recipes, our kids don't play sports together. The only thing we share in common is that we are citizens of this great country. "Fellow Citizens..."
And as an addendum to this article, I'm still an undecided voter, and I probably will be until November.
Yes, Gov. Palin did dismiss Walter Monegan, Alaska's Public Safety Commissioner, on July 11, 2008, after Monegan turned down the offer of executive director of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. The dismissal is under investigation by both the Alaskan State Legislature and the Alaskan State Personnel Board. Palin herself filed the complaint with the Personnel Board to get the investigation started because according to Alaskan law, the State Legislature has no authority to order an investigation, any ethics violations are handled by the Personnel Board.
So, why was Monegan dismissed? Here's where all the facts start to fall apart. It turns into a he said-she said battle. Palin's office has said that the dismissal was because the Governor wanted to take the department in a different direction. Specifically, the dismissal had to do with Monegan inability to fill vacancies in the State Trooper Department. inability to fight alcohol abuse and issues regarding budgets. Monegan alleges that the dismissal is a direct result of him not dismissing Trooper Mike Wooten from duty. Mike Wooten is the ex-brother-in-law to Governor Palin. Wooten was found guilty of issuing a death threat to Palin's father, shooting a moose without a permit, using a Taser on his 10-year old step-son, and driving under the influence of alcohol. For these offenses, he received a 10-day suspension which was reduced to 5-days upon union appeal.
OK, where's the story? Palin dismisses a guy in 2008 after offering him a new position. Somehow, the 2008 dismissal relates back to a 2006 investigation into her ex-brother-in-law? If you look at Gov Palin's record, you will see that if you can't get the job done, you're out. If you're not a team player, you're out. I don't necessarily agree with it, but that's her record. The guy did not meet Palin's expectations, so she offered him a position elsewhere, which he turned down, and replaced him.
The Librarian
Here I find very little facts about this controversy. Here's what I do know. When Palin became mayor, she wanted to make sure everyone was going to be a team player, so she asked everyone to resign. Several sources have said the issue was over censorship, but there is no credible evidence to back this claim. No one can list titles Palin wanted censored, and no one is really talking. What I do know is that several supporters for the librarian rallied for her to keep her job. What exactly happens next is completely unclear, although, the librarian and Palin come to terms and everyone is happy, without censorship.
Trig
Here's a story that is very near and dear to my heart. My step-son is autistic. While his autism is not at a level that is debilitating, he is still a special needs child. I have a step-daughter who is severely ADHD, and myself, I am bipolar. So, when my wife and I found out she was pregnant, I began to wonder if my baby was going to be ok. My wife and I talked, and despite the doctor's recommendation, we decided against testing for down syndrome simply because, no matter what the outcome, we were having this baby, and God would provide for us when the time was necessary. So, I respect the Palin's very much for their choice to raise Trig.
People out there are claiming that Trig is really Bristol's baby. First, reporters in Alaska have stated publically that they have worked with Palin throughout her claimed pregnancy, and she was in fact pregnant. Also, Bristol is five month's along in her current pregnancy, which makes it impossible for Bristol to be the mother of Trig and pregnant right now.
Some people have said that Palin shows a lack of family values because she returned to work shortly after Trig was born. I have a problem with that arguement because most of those people are the same ones who are shouting about equal rights for woman in the workplace. When my son was born, we had to make a very difficult decision on whether or not my wife would go to work or be a stay-at-home mom. We needed her income to survive. By the grace of God, I found a second job that equaled her income so she could stay at home with my son. I worked two jobs to support my family just so my wife could stay at home, but not everyone has that opportunity. Many U.S. families have two working parents. Plus, it was a lot easier for my wife to quit her job where 2 or 3 people counted on her, and she could easily be replaced, whereas Palin had the whole State of Alaska counting on her, and resigning a public office does not look good on your resume with the American people. What would people be saying if she had resigned to raise Piper or Willow and then tried to return to office? Would they be saying that we can't have her as our next VP because if she gets pregnant again, she's just going to resign to be with her children. Having to make the decision between work and family is a very tough decision to make. Learning to balance work and family is a talent, and one that I find very impressive in Palin.
Bristol
Bristol's 17 and pregnant. She's marrying the father of the baby. Here's where the mudslinging has got to stop. Yes, Palin is for abstinence education in schools. She's against explicit sexual education programs in schools. Now, how does that relate to her lack of family values? I fail to see the connection. I have kids, and I was a kid raised on abstinence education. I was sexually active well before my wedding day. Does this mean that my parents don't have good family values? As any parent knows, you can raise your kid to be the best behaved child in the Universe, instill good morals and values, but when it comes down to it, the child will make the choice, not the parent. At some point you have to let your child go, and let them make their own decisions and live with the consequences of their actions. That's how you learn, cause and effect.
Now, some will say, "Was it Bristol's choice to keep the baby and get married?" Why is that any of our business? Bristol is 17, in my book, she's still a minor, which means, when her parents say jump, she says how high. She chose to engage in sex, and the ultimate outcome of sex is one of two things, a STD or pregnant. If you aren't willing to risk one or the other, you should not be having sex! Sex is not a recreational activity. It's not like baseball or fishing or hunting. Those are games. When you start having sex, you are talking about lives, human lives, either created or destroyed. I'll save the "Woman's Right To Choose" rant for another post. As with any action, there is a reaction...cause and effect...action and consequence. My autistic son had a hard time grasping this topic, the action and consequence of his actions, but he understands it now. Why other kids don't understand it, I will never know. Bristol took action, and now she has to deal with the consequences of her action. Plain and simple. Kudos for the Palin's if they did force her to keep the baby. Even bigger kudos to Bristol if she made the decision to keep the baby herself. As for the marriage thing, I'm not going to touch it. Personally, I think they are too young to get married, but back when my grandparents were young, getting married right out of high school was the thing to do, and my grandparents were married for 56 years before my grandmother passed. So, only time will tell if this marriage is going to work out or not.
So, with all of that out in the open, what do I think of Palin? I like her. I think she is a no-nonsense woman who knows what she wants and goes for it. She's family-oriented, with strong morales and values. As for a choice as VP, for the McCain ticket, I think it was an excellent choice. Why? She's everything McCain is not. She balances out the Republican ticket that no other VP candidate could or would. By nominating her as VP, the Republicans have tried to toss aside the image of the "good ol' boys" club. This could bring real change to the Republican party and to Washington as a whole. Of course, she's not Hillary, and McCain knows this. The choice really couldn't be to go after the Hillary supporters, they would never stand for someone like Palin. Well, not all of them. However, she brings balance to his campaign. She brings the conservative voice that McCain lacks. Plus, she's not from Washington. I loved the opening of her speech at the RNC, "Fellow Citizens..." Now there was an honest address to the American people. Call us by name. We're not your "friends" as some would call us. Honestly, we don't know you from Adam. You're just a political figure we hear, see and read about in the news. I don't call you up for Poker night, my wife and your wife don't swap recipes, our kids don't play sports together. The only thing we share in common is that we are citizens of this great country. "Fellow Citizens..."
And as an addendum to this article, I'm still an undecided voter, and I probably will be until November.
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