Welcome once again to the wacky world of Alaska politics. When we last left our governor, she was involved in a knock down drag out fight with David Letterman over a crass comment about her daughter getting "knocked up" during a baseball game. We all know how that turned out, and regardless of which side you were on, or whether you were somewhere in the middle, it was quite a spectacle. A battle of the Titans. Former VP candidate and Queen of Alaska Sarah Palin vs. The Undisputed King of Late Night Comedy who can make or break politicians with his sometimes acid tongue, and always razor sharp wit. It was quite a show that culminated in 15 protesters and 35 members of the media showing up outside the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City asking that the aforementioned King of Comedy get fired from his job.
Fast forward a few weeks.
Local Alaskan political watchdog and blogger Linda Kellen Biegel is in the middle of a project. She's working in virtual obscurity in Alaska, to get email records released that she feels will reveal questionable communications between the Palin administration and a local gossip columnist, and a local pro-Palin conservative radio talk show host. Palin herself has appeared on the show many times, in addition to her family members, her lawyer, her spokeswoman and various other members of the administration.
The talk show host in question, Eddie Burke, recently showed up at an Anchorage Assembly meeting to give public testimony about an upcoming Municipal gay rights ordinance wearing this.
A few months ago, security forcibly removed him from another Assembly meeting.
Biegel believes the release of these emails will show a concerted effort between the Palin administration and these two members of the media to coordinate attacks on local watchdogs. She won't know for sure until she can pay the $5500 the state is charging her for costs associated with her records request. Last week she began a fund drive to raise the money online, and each night posted a "thermometer" showing the progress and featuring a different image.
Here's where the fireworks begin. On Tuesday, a picture of Palin holding up her son Trig during that famous speech at the RNC convention became the thermometer graphic. Only in this picture, Trig wasn't Trig. In the image Biegel used, the governor is cuddling a photoshopped baby with the face of Eddie Burke. Disturbing, yes, but meant to illustrate the governor's strange and cozy relationship with this controversial Alaskan figure, according to the blogger.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, an out-of-state pro-Palin blog expressed outrage. At first they did not realize what the face was, as those outside of Alaska were not familiar with the visage of Eddie Burke. But after finding out, one of the bloggers at the site was featured on the Eddie Burke Show in Alaska and expressed the fact that her readers were outraged. This image was making fun of a precious special needs baby, she said. An hour of Burke's radio program Wednesday was dedicated to discussing the issue and callers weighed in from both sides. Biegel was called on to apologize to special needs kids everywhere, and the Democratic Party was called upon to renounce Biegel, who had been Alaska's state blogger at the Democratic National Convention, but whose official relationship with the party ended there.
Today, Meghan Stapleton, the governor's spokeswoman issued a strongly-worded statement:
Recently we learned of a malicious desecration of a photo of the Governor and baby Trig that has become an iconic representation of a mother's love for a special needs child.
The mere idea of someone doctoring the photo of a special needs baby is appalling. To learn that two Alaskans did it is absolutely sickening. Linda Kellen Biegel, the official Democrat Party blogger for Alaska, should be ashamed of herself and the Democratic National Committee should be ashamed for promoting this website and encouraging this atrocious behavior.Babies and children are off limits. It is past time to restore decency in politics and real tolerance for all Americans. The Obama Administration sets the moral compass for its party. We ask that special needs children be loved, respected and accepted and that this type of degeneracy be condemned.
Neither Stapleton nor the governor had commented on a similar photo that had been photoshopped using that same image to show Palin cuddling a baby with a David Letterman head last Friday, points out Biegel who says the photo is obviously making fun of Eddie Burke and the governor, not Trig.
Tactics have changed. This is not a battle of the Titans, but more like Titan vs. Hedgehog. One thing sure to come from this latest turn of events is the evidence that Palin has changed her tactics, and that right or wrong, Linda Kellen Biegel and her blog will be better known by the time it's over. And so will Eddie Burke.
Follow Jeanne Devon ("AKMuckraker") on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Mudflats
"don't blink"
what a wuzz, all that brew haha about bombing a neghbor, and she spats over a cartoon of herself, like others haven;t gone thruough worse.
boot her.
Blogger bashing or servicing Alaska?
It's a battle between people with brains and...
The act of depriving something of its sacred character
To violate the sacred character of a place
C'mon Meghan. Trigg may be sweet and special needs and all. But he is NOT sacred ground. Please find some other more intelligent ways of getting press coverage for the Palin-woman.
AK - great post, as always!
NO! That's the LAST thinng anyone should do is join Sarah's site to give her more hits for her site, and more of a population count.
Absolutely NOT. Nice try though Team Sarah!
http://www.switched.com/2009/06/26/palin-calls-shopped-image-of-her-and-child-atrocious/?icid=main|htmlws-main|dl5|link2|http://
obvious that the blogger's intent had nothing to do
with Trig. Whiners and professional spinners.
Get a life people.
You can see the comments. So transparent.
Once the website decided to share the ' Plan '... on cue, Meg the next morning comes out with a Press statement of 'faux outrage '. The David L. protest happened the same way. One might come to the conclusion that some Conservative bloggers can run the ' political ' Show up there in Alaska. At least Palin and her Mouthpiece spokesperson use their ideas.
I guess Palin didn't have one of her own. Sort of like 2 weeks ago when she " plagiarized " Newt...Out of new ideas? That never was really explained.
Now this web site says the didn't KNOW about the other photo shopping.. with Lettermans's face. They do nothing BUT browse all the other sites ALL DAY and have their minions report back.
A large National Political blog like " Crooks & Liars " (been around forever ) and it had been posted there since last FRIDAY..?... and THEY never noticed....? W o W..!!! Hard to believe. And NO... we don't believe it.
Now they say ( spin ) that Eddie in his T-shirt above was merely making a ' joke '. Eddie... what is the 'punchline'? We didn't get it.
These republicans really need to clean up their act.....geez! Excerpt and link;
http://wonkette.com/409501/drunk-georgia-ex-mayor-arrested-for-being-naked-and-drunk-and-yelling-at-rangers#more-409501
WE ARRIVED AT THIS LOCATION AROUND 2249 HRS. I OBSERVED A MALE SUBJECT SITTING NUDE IN A CHAIR IN FRONT OF HIS CAMPER/HORSE TRAILER.
WE MADE CONTACT WITH THE SUBJECT WHO EARLIER IN THE DAY I HAD IDENTIFIED AS MARK MUSSELWHITE.
I HAD SPOKEN WITH HIM EARLIER THAT DATE IN REFERENCE TO AN ATV HE HAD BEEN RIDING IN THE AREA. HE LOOKED AT US AND SAID HELLO.
I ASKED HIM WHAT HE WAS DOING, HE SAID HE WAS JUST SITTING HERE AND ASKED IF THERE WAS A PROBLEM.
I DID NOTICE HE WAS DRINKING AND APPEARED VERY INTOXICATED.
I ASKED HIM WHY HE DID NOT HAVE ANY CLOTHES ON, AND HE SAID HE WAS HOT AND HAD BEEN IN THE CREEK. AT THAT POINT HE WANTED TO KNOW WHY WE WERE THERE AND WHAT HE WAS DOING WRONG.
I ADVISED HIM THAT WE HAD GOTTEN COMPLAINTS ABOUT A MAN WALKING AROUND NUDE IN THE AREA. STILL NUDE, HE TOLD ME THAT IT WAS NOT HIM.
I SAID THE COMPLAINTANT HAD SPECIFICALLY SAID HIS CAMPSITE, AND THE FACT THAT HE WAS STILL NUDE MADE ME THINK IT WAS HIM.