Oyster Roundup! Fake Palin, Heckling Cheney & Dirty Valentines
Former Vice President Dick Cheney got a heck of a greeting at CPAC, the yearly Conservative Political Action Conference where conservatives of all stripes come together to wallow in varying degrees of narrow-mindedness, religious zeal, military might, fiscal conservatism, and social backwardness. There are usually some internal squabbles about things like LGBT rights, and how they do or don’t fit into the conservative platform.
But back to Cheney’s greeting. It was spirited and passionate, but not what the former Veep expected. When Rumsfeld’s name was announced, and he took the stage to accept the conferences “Defenders of the Constitution” award, loud boos erupted, accompanied by jeering and leaving the room in protest. Then Dick Cheney took the stage to present the award, and was also met with boos, and cries of… wait for it… “Draft dodger!” and “Where’s bin Laden at?”
That would have been worth a trans-continental flight had I known. Maybe next time.
Speaking of those CPAC attendees, they seem to be easily impressed. In the absence of the actual real Sarah Palin, a fake one got a whole lot of attention at the event. Even when the crowd discovered the red-jacket-clad, spectacle wearing, doppleganger wasn’t who they hoped it was, they stayed and took pictures with cell phones and listened to the interloper talk about how she heard there were mooseburgers around somewhere.
The actual Palin of course would never darken the door of CPAC. She promised once and had all the fans at Team Sarah in a froth, spending their savings to make the pilgrimage. But then she denied she’d ever committed leaving the Conference and the Palinbots holding the bag. At least this year they got a fake one. OK…. the other fake one.
The last trial in the Jack Abramoff scandal has come to a close, with a conviction. And not surprisingly it leads right to Alaska and our one Congressman Don Young – specifically to his aide Fraser Verrusio. Now just recently I said thanks to Don for voting against the extension of three provisions of the Patriot Act, and for not taking his shirt off and hawking his wares on Craigslist. But, today he’s back in the corruption spotlight.
Verrusio accepted World Series tickets, airfare, steak dinners, strippers,… the usual. However, he
…maintained he did nothing illegal and that Capitol Hill aides and lawmakers commonly accepted travel provided by corporate sponsors with business before Congress. Verrusio attorney Joshua Berman suggested in closing arguments that FBI agents pursued his client because he refused to wear a hidden monitoring device in their investigation of Young and his connections to an Alaska businessman convicted of bribing state lawmakers.
Ah, yes. The investigation of Don Young that got suddenly and mysteriously dropped. What ever happened with that?
The Legislature is considering a bill to extend Alaska’s film tax credits program, which has attracted Hollywood productions like Everybody Loves Whales.
The current film tax break program is set to expire in 2013 and the House Special Committee on Economic Development, Trade and Tourism heard a bill Thursday which would give the program another 10 years.
Currently Alaska has no large sound stage, but Everybody Loves Whales worked around it, and other films with large budgets seem to be checking out Alaska as a possible location for shooting, thanks to the program. In addition to major motion pictures, other productions have taken advantage of the program…
One in particular which may have benefited from the state subsidies is (you know what’s coming) Sarah Palin’s Alaska. There’s no absolute confirmation, but an application was filed by one of the show’s producers. So, if it’s true, the first-time pioneer will be subsidized by the state of Alaska. What is with these conservatives and their dang government handouts?
There are only a couple days left before Valentine’s Day, and if your to do list still involves a little trip to the jewelry store, remember this! There are now fifty-four jewelers in the United States who have signed a pledge never to buy gold from a future Pebble Mine project, should it get permits and become a reality. Even jewelers whose livelihood depends on gold recognize that the risk to Alaska’s wild salmon, and 60% of the U.S. seafood harvest is too great to take. Tiffany, Zales, Helzberg Diamonds, Ben Bridge and dozens of others deserve our thanks and our business!
About that Palin impressionist who punked the CPAC: Check out her website, http://www.sarahpalinimposter.com — Patti Lyons does have a remarkable likeness to $P, and she must be having great fun with her own 15 minutes (or more) of fame. I’m guessing this may be one of the reasons for VanFlea filing the trademark application for $P. On Patti’s website, there is fun embedded video of her performance at an Alabama Democratic party evening event.
And don’t forget dental gold.
If you think the gold from Pebble is going to rings and things you are wrong. Most gold is used in our lap tops, cell phones, game-boys, flat screened TV’s and on and on and on. Now if you get Apple to swear off Pebble gold, then you have some leverage. How much of the earth our we going to wreak just for our toys?
WOW! of topic but that vial MEG MOUTH STAPLETON is on the kakm pbs auction tonight how sickening… PBS really!! you would think she would be screaming that’s socialism!!! I’m offended.
LOL! I can have an 8.5×11 print of Meg Stapleton getting assaulted by Santa’s Reindeer (see link below) sent to anyone who will contribute $200.00 to the KAKM PBS auction… Talk about artwork… Let me know…
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/.a/6a00d83451c45669e201310f38688a970c-popup
Bob-
Is this why her boss is taking out caribou?
I just called into KAKM when I saw Meg Stapleton being a part of the auction tonight. I’d planned on bidding for a particular piece, but as soon as I saw her decided not to.
Remember, she was an absolute b—- during the time she was Sarah Palin’s spokeperson.
I’ll never forget Meg’s confrontation w/Les Gara on the steps of the Captitol in Juneau and her ugliness when involved w/Sarah Palin.
KAKM’s auction has done themselves a hugh disservice by having her a part of the auction in my estimation.
In the past, I’ve supported public television, but sorry have absolutely no resect for Meg – the mouthpiece.
I’m watching, and Meg is doing a good job on the auction. I lost all respect for her when she turned into the witch, smearing the good character of those who Sarah wanted thrown under the bus. But I don’t hear her associated with Sarah anymore nor have I seen any evidence of her being bankrolled by the vindictive Queen. I’m willing to forgive and even forget and let Meg move on. Life is short and we all make mistakes. Perhaps Meg has seen the Queen for what she is and reflected on the errors of her ways. Who knows?? But I’m not going to let any of these yahoo’s influence my life. So if you want to bid on a piece of art for a good cause, go for it.
Sorry, Bob – I’m not as forgiving as you! Meg Stapleton was so damned onery to so many people when acting as Palin’s mouthpiece. Palin taught her some pretty nasty stuff and she should have gotten out from her a lot sooner than she did.
Okay all, this is a shameless effort to revive a moribund discussion just because I contributed to it and have received no reply, it is primarily directed at Polarbear and Simple Mind in the EPA thread.
Apologies for butting in.
I just want the Sarah impersonator to show up at the IronDog start.
Sarah WTF?
$arah, Prostitute, Reality Show Queen, $arah Get Your Gun Annie,
Faux Comedy Act, Hillbilly Cheerleader from Wasilla, Quitter Gov.,
Desperate Housewife from Alaska, ….such an impressive resume.
Maybe someday she will be swallowed by a whale. Meanwhile, Scary
$arah thinks she is the Prez.. Just hired a chief of staff. Will Brisket
be appointed as her Secretary of State? Anything to keep the Palin
circus act in the media. Cheap merchandise always for sale. SARAH
WHO? SARAH WHO?
Re: CPAC and “where’s Bin Ladin at?” About 25 years ago I was mugged on my street on the way home from work and the “stick up man” put a (later found to be fake but looked real to me) gun on my chest and said “Where’s your money at?” And, as God is my witness, the first thing I thought was “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to end a sentence with a preposition?”
That Donald Runsfeld got an award for Defending the Constitution tells us all we need to know about these people. And Dick Cheney, who clearly sold his soul to the Devil, looks like the evil one is coming to collect.
The SPAK/tax credit thing should not turn out well. There must be tax laws that work against this blatent political speech. But I’m guesing in Palin Land this has been a pretty good few days. Things in Opposite World are always looking up.
Ok. For the concern regarding prepositions at the end of the sentence while at gunpoint, you take my “Post of the Day” award from the facebook friend who asked, in re to Egypt Revolution, whether the “tea party revolution” would involve swarms of mad old white people on ride-on mowers.
amazing times we live in.
Way to leave us in suspense. Then what happened??
Then what happened was Cops came, my description of the car caused the vehicle to be pulled over, one guy gave up, the other guy was shot, I was asked to climb into the ambulance and ID him, I had the one and only serious moral dilemna of my life, it went to court and both guys went back to jail, where both of them had come from. It’s as real tonight as it was then. But I still react the same way to ending a sentence with a preposition.
Glad that you came out of it okay and with your sense of humor and moral compass intact.
OMG, I would probably think the same thing about the preposition. It’s nice to know that other people have the same quirks I do. I’m glad things turned out well for you.
Northway Mall. No soundstage? We need to get those hollywood types over to the north side of town, where empty indoor space is large.
Here’s a scary book cover sent to me by our daughter.
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lez3bfyxbx1qczxc6o1_400.jpg
Damn right that’s scary,
I’m going to go hide under the bed.
oh my. yes that’s scary. i read Ms. Atwood’s ‘the Handmaid’s Tale’ a long time ago and it was what Sarah Palin and her vision for America made me think of a little more than two years ago. when i sat and watched Palin unleashed like a rabid ferret on this country. i sat there and i saw, except for a few token minorities, exactly what the America of tomorrow; and to a certain extent is rapidly in the process of becoming today, will look like.
when i finished the book i sat for a while and gazed upon my child. i decided to educate and to prepare her for a future where she would more than likely live far away from here. in another land. among strangers. it is a terrible thing to read a nightmare of a novel and then to see the nightmare unfold before your very eyes.
off subject a tad….some here might also enjoy:
Native Tongue by Suzette Haden Elgin
http://www.amazon.com/Native-Tongue-Suzette-Haden-Elgin/dp/1558612467
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzette_Haden_Elgin
Good read ! and Author/Person
Thanks for that ….I just ordered it..
An Interview with Suzette Haden Elgin
http://www.womenwriters.net/editorials/hadenelgin.htm
I’d go with rabid mongoose…they are meaner.
You mean getting paid in steak and hookers isn’t the norm? My husband has som ‘splainin’ to do! (wink)
..if that’s the benefits package that goes with being in politics, I may have to consider a career change !! ….. Guess Todd may have thought the benefits pacakge extended to dependents of the office holder….. 🙂
Don’t forget Mayor Sullivan, the paid party planner, and the . . . . um . . . benefits of that association.
It figures that the State still somehow perhaps as some would say that the people of this great last Frontier has somehow continued to subsidize Sarah’s new lifestyle via perks and benefits of big government socialist handouts to become even, perhaps a nanny state via progressing icentivizing delicate little starlets in the state of which she once was Chief Executive of before she even retreated in a different direction on her obligations to this great State desiring the portrayal and betrayal of real Alaska. Also.
two hands clapping. You do salad-speak really well.
$P’s “higher calling”
taking your $$$$$
hear. hear. well…er.. said there. too and forsooth.
I misread some of the perks for Young’s aide – I thought it said they supplied him with slippers……how homey…..!
LOL…i find that, though I might need new glasses, my misreads are often more fun than what is actually written!!
Even though Cheney is obviously dying, I still have to admit I am glad he heard someone boo him and Rumsfeld. I’d heard that some in the crowd also accuse them of war crimes. I sure hope they did. Perhaps he has time to reflect and admit the truth.
It figures that TLC would benefit from the tax incentives. It may actually be one of the reasons they decided to back her program. As much as I hated the whole concept and its execution, I must admit it did nothing for her popularity – in fact, it smacked her on the behind. I wonder if she regrets having done it because no one in her family comes off well (except maybe Trig).
I love the fact that all those petitions we’ve all been signing about dirty gold have been working! Thing is, it must be more than just US jewelers who back the environmentalists. Otherwise, the deal makers will simply look overseas for outlets. At least it is a good start – a very, very good start!
Cheney is just another hawk happy to send other people’s kids off to war, yet he received multiple deferments and skipped out on service himself. If wars could only be authorized by those who have actually fought in them, they would be far less in number.
Cheney and his associates make buckets of money off of war…
Absolutely agree. I am not going to miss him or Rumsfeld. I just wish they both could be brought up on war crime charges and spend their last days in a cell.
Following World War II, we tried and convicted Japanese officers for waterboarding prisoners. Then we executed those convicted officers by hanging. Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld admit they ordered prisoners to be waterboarded. When do the trials begin?
I would have dearly loved to have been there and seen both of their faces…..the disappointment…oh, when the arrogance falls….PRICELESS..! THAT would have been wonderful.
I do believe you have an excellent point about the press, overthemoon!
This was meant to be under Comment 1 where overthemoon suggest the a viable reason for Sarah skipping CPAC — no way to ban the press there.
Sorry I got it out of sync.
The rill reason the rill Palin skips CPAC is because she can’t banish the press from the room.
And then there is this.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/11/palin-hires-chief-of-staff/
Please lets just wake up from this bad dream.
Please lets just wake up from this bad dream…comments to that regard from Huffpo / Vanity Fair
“Just the fact alone that this woman was a real live actual choice for VP of these United States of America, is the surest sign of our demise…
…We’ve gone past the tipping point and now are on the slippery ride down to version 2.0 of these United States of Whatever. There is just no way in a real world scenario that she EVER should have made it that close, and is STILL considered a major player in our political discourse and direction. Look at what has followed her, what she spawned. The Tea Party, Michelle Bachman, Christine O’Donnell, Rand Paul, etc etc.”
“Perhaps the next post 911 horror to be visited on this beleaguered nation will be the Tea party ruling under the auspices of the….vacuous Sarah Palin.”
So Obama gets a new Chief of Staff and Palin just has to have one, too. What is it with the “Keeping up with the Obamas” fetish?
Bet her Chief of staff has also too more importlianter meaningfulist rill dill work to do, you betcha ’cause he doe’n’t work for just a community organza. He works for a quitter.
But there’s something else there…if she has someone in that roll, and it is broadly interpreted as a strong indication that she is running, then every time she appears on fox or speaks at a conference of whiffle ball manufacturers her fee and the air time become campaign donations. I hope someone is watching this…I don’t have the bile for it myself!!
role…that may have been more Freudian than typo!!
good one!
And she won’t go if she might lose the straw poll, The only spin for her is….”I wasn’t there!”