Palin Church Fire: Accelerant Poured Around Building

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An accelerant was poured around the exterior of Gov. Sarah Palin's church before fire heavily damaged the building, federal investigators said Monday. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the accelerant was poured at several locations around the church, including entrances.

Lab tests will determine the type of substance involved. Possibilities include gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel or even lamp oil, Agent Nick Starcevic said.

The blaze was set Friday night at the main entrance of the Wasilla Bible Church while a small group, including two children, were inside. No one was injured. Fire authorities were called to the scene at 9:40 p.m., unusually early for many arson fires, Starcevic said.

"It's kind of odd to do in the evening hours," he said. "I can tell you that most of the arson fires I've worked on are late nighttime, usually when no one is there."

Palin, the former Republican vice presidential candidate, was not at the church at the time of the fire but visited Saturday. Her spokesman, Bill McAllister, said Monday that Palin knew about the accelerants Saturday morning before a statement she authorized was released that day.

During her visit at the church, Palin told an assistant pastor she was sorry if the fire was connected to the "undeserved negative attention" the church has received since she became the vice presidential candidate Aug. 29, McAllister said.

Wasilla Deputy Police Chief Greg Wood said authorities had no immediate suspects or motive.

Comments

[tel8034]

Well they can't blame it on racism ..........­..........­... From all the Wasilla coverage during the campaign we have yet to see a black face in the crowd.

Palin got into the mix to try to stir up political controversy and to hopefully create a weak link to Obama just like the "B" girl ..........­..........­. We all have seen through that scam.

Perhaps all of the church's witchcraft sessions spurred on this action ..........­.......... Burning the witch at the stake an all that.

While arson is a despicable act this seems to be a local Wasilla problem with nothing to do with politics as Palin is trying to underhandly fabricate.

[JohnJames]

She knows her base, gotta give her that. The wingers can't get enough of supposed "Christian persecution" at the hands of us wicked secular liberals.

[felidaeus]

And yet when "Christian persecution", such as the burning of a church occurs, the rallying cry is "well she brought it on herself" as if that makes such an action justified, and then there is righteous indignation when this is pointed out "well I didn't mean it was the right thing to do".

No, maybe not, most likely most of the people on this site are innocent, but those responsible will take it as tacit approval of what they did.

"She got what she deserved".­.....

Those who don't want to see will never see.

[AprilPA]

I know many people including myself don't like Palin but that's no excuse to setting a fire at a church. That's the wrong way to send a political statement. I hope the police catch this arsonist(s) and sends him/her/them to jail for a longtime.

[kevenseven]

Who told you there was a political motive in this?

Who? Who told you that?

[dogman44]

Joe the plumber.

[Dave01]

Now go back and read the article again. The police don't have the motive or suspect. They don't know if this was politically motivated or not. Palin and the media are the ones making this out to be political.

[dlockatl]

I would like to see Alaska secede from the union and let Mexico join the US. I think ours would be a much better country (without AK)!!!! No, I am not Mexican, but think what it would do for our country and Mexico. AK does not want to be a part of us anyway, Mexicans do.

Oh, but they would have to keep Palin in Alaska.

[balatro]

Where have you been? We have millions of more Mexicans in the lower forty eight than Alaskans. Your also mistaken about what Mexicans want. (You ever talk to any?) MOst are proud of their heritage and just want to make a living and support their families. Many feel it is a hardship to live in America and only do it because they can't find work in their own Country.

[JePenseDoncJeSuis]

Actually, AK is a new popular destination for illegals from Mexico.

[LauraD]

Not cool, guys.

I strongly dislike this woman, but under no circumstances can behavior like this be tolerated. Someone could have been killed, like one of the children that were in the building at the time.

[ThankGodforAtheists]

Occupied building with accelerant at entrances. Doesn't matter what the building is or who the person is that spent time there, the person(s) who did this need to have a long "vacation" away from society.

[geehamp]

the Backwards "B" girl strikes again.

[BCubedReg]

Give Bible Spice a break on this one. She did the right thing by apologizing for the negative attention here campaign brought upon the church. Whether you agree with the tenets of the Wasilla Bible Church or not (or any religion) there is no reason to set fire to the building.

[neesy08]

I agree 100%. Nobody should damage a place of worship

[kevenseven]

WTF are you two on about? This was the act of a firebug. Your pious lectures mean nothing to him.

[TheHandyman]

What makes a "place of worship" so special? If the Great Imaginary Being cared it would have sent a bolt of lightning to strike down the person who did it! The reality is that no one should do anything to harm anyone and yet these people who believe that "their" places are sancrosanct, are first to scream fo war and gladly send their children off to fight and die for some ill perceived slight on their religion, country, or ideology!

[Ocracoker16]

I agree that it really is not acceptable to burn a church or other building to make a political point. That said, I am not implying that the fire had to do with Palin and her politics of hate. There could be many explanations for the fire.

I think the Palin apology is kind of a little late since she only made it after the fire. You know what they say. Hindsight is always 20/20. However, she has a severe deficiency of insight so it doesn't suprise me that she was unaware of the negative atttention the church got. Since she doesn't frequently attend there, she must not know that her comments on the national stage really made the church look nutty. Furthermore, she probably has no idea why some of her Alaskans would appreciate it if she would shut up and do her day job.

[caterpol]

Why are people just assuming this has something to do with Palin? According to the police, there is no motive or suspect.

[doctorwang]

True- there could have been several motivations for setting the fire.

[Usman]

People like to talk about Palin on this site.

[Zofomofo]

Right... on this site...

[LoveAlaska]

I have to agree, just because Palin use to go there doesn't necessarily mean it was because of her. Perhaps it was because of someone in the building? WHo knows but whatever the reason, people shouldn't go burning down buildings, period. No matter what god or spirit you worship, seems to me that when you destroy the house of the lord, you aren't going to get to heaven in a big way!

[Birdman]

Only Sarah and a few of her supporters are doing this, and for obvious reasons. This is yet another attempt by her and her supporterd to keep her in the news. I hope that they find whomever that did this and they say Sarah who?

[whrsdfyr]

In my post during the turkey charade, I rightfully predicted something like this. The woman is a diva. She does not like to be forgotten, as much as we try to.

[Knowbetter]

"Lighthouses are more helpful than churches."

- Benjamin Franklin

[sonoffestus]

Excellent and true! Churches like to keep the folks in the dark.

[whiteboyblues]

AMEN!

[Pinkmarbles]

They both help you to "Find your way."

[sanywhere]

for him, stop making your choice the absolute.

[mh01]

I like this one better:

Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

Ben Franklin

[MNmommy]

Really unfortunate.

Hope they find the arsonist, setting fire to a building occupied by anyone is attempted m u r d e r.

[thegirlnextdoor]

For me burning a church takes me back to the 50s and 60s when crosses were burned on lawns and churchs were burned and bombed and people died.
I am weary of that kind of thinking and action. Burning someone's church is wrong. There is never a good reason to do such a thing.
We need to learn tolerance (something I think Gov. Palin lacks),

[Zofomofo]

Are you suggesting anyone here thinks it was a good idea?

Before you were weary, were you for it?

[Gritz]

After reading several of your comments, I see that you are no different than the people you criticize. There's no reason to burn a church, a church which had people in it at the time. That's attempted murder. These type of people are the same ones that drag a man to his death behind their pickup truck or blew up churches in the sixties. How some of you can say that's acceptable, is just plain wrong. The polarization of this country will be our downfall. The corner where we have painted ourselves in has made it difficult for us to meet and find a middle ground. The wing nuts that are on the far right are the same as the ones on the left. I guess you figure, since they're our wing nuts that's ok.

[RTIII]

WAITAMINUTE!

You're trying to say that the "far left" did this?!

Hardly likely.

The right has always been the ones to use physical violence, and, historically speaking, use of it by the left is virtually non-existent. Take, for but one _type_ of example, all the Dr.s killed and clinics bombed / burned from the far-right's so-called "right to life" group... Nowhere in the record does there exist the history you purport.

Perhaps you should read GeorgeP922's comment above about what this church was indisputably doing. Then reflect on the FAR RIGHT's reaction to many of those things.
.

[kingofscotts]

"The right has always been the ones to use physical violence"

Perhaps you have missed the last 1 1/2 months of LIBERALS using violence becuase of Prop 8 in California.

Go tell it somewhere else sparky.

[mh01]

Yeah, its the religious right that is responsible for the physical violence to 40 million unborn babies over the past 30 years.

If I have to take responsibility for the 2-3 abortion clinic bombers because I'm on the right, that's fine (not that I condone that kind of thing BY ANY MEANS), you can have resposibility for the 40 million dead babies.

And it was the left, in germany (socialism) and the soviet union (communism) and china (communism), that slaughtered tens of millions of their citizens in the middle of the 20th century, and started wars that killed tens of millions more.

If we are going to talk about this historic record of violence, you should at least be willing to acknowledge the record of the left.

it isn't even close.

[Discomustachio]

I disagree. All religion, not just Chrsitianity, is the plague of humanity and needs to be rooted out by any means necessary. This country was moving in a secular direction, the natural evalution of society one might argue, and the Santa Claus worshipers began this "War" and ultamately gave us two Bush terms. You say that the polarization of this country will be its downfall. I couldn't agree more. Pick a side, it is inevitable. Personally I'd rather fight against the side that uses the delusion of religion to implement policies hostile to the middle class of society, ruins the stability of the Middle East for corporate profit, and obstructs the advance of science and critical thinking by promoting "Intelligent Design" and obstructing Alternative Energy research and Stem Cell research.

Like I said, pick a side.

[daffey]

That's right. The 20th century proves that religion is, no, wait. Uh, just a second. That's right, the 20th century was the most secularized century in history. And the record of the nations that rejected religion is the mass slaughter of more humans than were killed in all of the wars ever fought before the 20th century combined. Oh well, another subjective belief falls prey to an ugly fact. But I'm sure it won't stop some to keep pounding the drum for secularism. Why, some I hear are beginning to say all religion must be rooted out. I know, I know. After the 20th century, you wouldn't believe someone would say such a thing. But that's the moto of humans for so many ages: why learn from history when you can repeat it instead.

[daffey]

Gritz, well said. Very well said. All too often any more, those who scream tolerance the most are the same ones willing to endorse things once thought to be unacceptable to those who screamed tolerance. Nice call. Agree with Palin or not, like her church or not, those who are in any way trying to excuse it, condone it, or shift attention away from it, are exposing themselves for what they are, not for what they attempt to portray themselves as.

By the way, I agree about the divisions. There are more ways to divide a nation than civil war. And we are fast discovering them. And of course we all know that a nation divided against itself cannot - will not - stand.

[gevan]

Pretty unusual for polar bears to set fires, isn't it?

[Dave01]

Since they don't have any suspects or motives, I think it would be too early to write off the wolves and the moose population.

[BowlyJones]

Sad and stupid. Reasonable adults don't handle their problems this way. People who set fires, for whatever reason, or none at all, are mentally ill. What if a child or firefighter were hurt or killed? Additionally, this kind of behavior only gives these right wing fundamentalists more fuel for fire (pun intended) They'll feel even more oppressed and attacked. If these arsonists think they are the more enlightened ones, then they need to find a way to act like it.

[VikingKing]

Did you know words can be used as an accelerant too?
http://allanerickson.wordpress.com/2008/12/15/arson-in-wasilla/

[hf2008]

Yes, we know that - Sarah certainly has doneher part in trying to accelerate racism and intolerance.

[ElPerro]

Hey... its a career.

[springsm]

My thoughts exactly. Her hate rants incited acts of hate in her speeches. I still wonder if she even knows what she says or understands it. But a person who stands and talke about pardoning a turkey while a slaughter is going on behind her or who brags and giggles over shooting wolves from helicopters is already suspect with me. An empty conscience.

[daffey]

And?