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The Bus to Nowhere – Palin Hits the Road

Sarah Palin has a bus.

It’s not the one that she unceremoniously hurls her personal and political enemies under, nor the one she flew to via private jet during her book tour for Going Rogue.

Like any good Tea Party bus, it comes complete with a giant Constitution on the side. Just in case you didn’t get it, there’s also a redundant “We the People” in gigantic letters on top of the Constitution. Then there’s a One Nation logo, with the ‘A’ as the Liberty Bell, with “One Nation Under God With Liberty and Justice for All” underneath. Then there’s the stripes of the flag, and a map of the United States, and sweeping mountain vistas, and Sarah Palin’s signature, website address, and “Paid for by SarahPAC.”  To top it off we are all invited to “Join the Fundamental Restoration of America.” All it needs is one of those flashing signs on the front and back that tells you the next stop is WHITE HOUSE.

As Sarah Palin sets out on her bus tour, she’s planning to stop at strategic locations up the east coast. If you didn’t get enough patriotic symbolism from the paint job, fear not. The bus will be stopping at various points of interest like The Liberty Bell, and Gettysburg.  The road trip will begin in the nation’s capital on Memorial Day at a veterans’ event. The fact that there is no bald eagle in the mix (at least so far) is almost disconcerting.

The spokesman for the Memorial Day motorcycle rally ‘Rolling Thunder’ was less than pleased that Palin was foisting herself upon his fellow vets at the event. Despite claims that Palin had “accepted an invitation” to participate, it seems that wasn’t the case.

During an interview with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell, Shpak seemed particularly miffed that Palin was planning on attending the rally and made the point that she wasn’t invited. Rolling Thunder does not endorse candidates and seemed annoyed that his cell phone would not stop ringing since this news broke.

Here’s the clip of Mitchell’s interview talking about the serious and important nature of the event which focuses on vets, POWs and those missing. The event’s spokesman Ted Shpak goes out of his way to say that she was not invited to come, or to speak, and that his organization was not endorsing her.  “It’s taking away from the reason we’re here,” he said. “Maybe she’s coming because she knows we’ve got a half a million people in town.”  Astute.

“We can’t stop her from coming…” he went on. We know how you feel Mr. Shpak.  We can’t stop her from running for office either.

Comments

comments

Comments
273 Responses to “The Bus to Nowhere – Palin Hits the Road”
  1. JUST A THOUGHT says:

    WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF HUFFINGTON POST.
    SARAH WHO ?? HAS GOTTEN LOTS OF PRESS IN THE
    MAY 31, 2011 HUFFINGTON POST WEB LINK.

    WHY?

  2. Judychicago says:

    How far is her limo riding behind her?

    Please, she actually thinks we believe this load of crap. Two miles out of town she hops out of the limo and climbs the steps of the bus for the photo shoot of her stepping OUT OF IT.

    Sure hope someone will follow every inch of this charade and nail her lies to her phony behind.

  3. Joe Noway says:

    Palin Jacked you Once!, Twice!, One Nation Bus Ride! !

    http://edge.imgur.com/LusFr.jpg
    http://i.imgur.com/XEZgK.jpg

  4. Aleshia says:

    Boots on the ground report here in Washington DC…she finally showed on, lamely as the passenger on someone’s bike..there was more media waiting than actual people to see her…

    • Aleshia says:

      oh yeah…she showed up in a leather jacket…except it’s hotter than hell today in DC..

  5. Lilybart says:

    I want to know what she thinks needs to be “restored.” Is this part of her “we must stop Obama’s fundamental transformation” of America? She does harp on something like that he said once.

  6. JP says:

    As an Australian, it’s no surprise seeing a divisive bigot drape herself in the “One Nation” slogan. Anyone who doesn’t know what I’m talking about can google Pauline Hanson to find out. I hadn’t really considered them similar before, but they really are quite similar: intellectual lightweights with nasty, divisive positions wrapped in nationalism to make them palatable to rednecks who think they’re hot, despite evidence to the contrary. Ugggh.

    • Crystalf says:

      .. so interesting that you mention Pauline Hanson .. wikipedia’s photo has her in a red leather jacket, states that she did the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars (& made it to the finals) and kept pondering returning to politics long after her star had waned, losing in a contest coming back as an independent. Sounds a lot like mama grizzly

  7. Califpat says:

    I agree with Pepper and Zyxomma!!! Sheesh!!

  8. Zyxomma says:

    I am very pleased to report that neither my local nor my national news broadcast mentioned her at all. Sometimes it’s a real pleasure to have no cable (even if the digital box screws up sometimes, which it does).

  9. bb says:

    Seeing the bus I can’t help but wonder, did she ever pay her taxes on her ‘cottage’?

  10. Pepper1939 says:

    I am so sick of everything Palin.

  11. fishingmamma says:

    Completely Off-Topic, but too much fun not to share!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9APqLA2YKs&feature=player_embedded

    Hope you are all having a good weekend.

  12. Kevpod says:

    You say: To top it off we are all invited to “Join the Fundamental Restoration of America.”

    No, you misquoted that slightly, leaving out nested quotes.

    They have “Fundamental Restoration of America” in quotation marks. Why? It only clutters the slogan.

    It sounds like they are holding the concept at arm’s length, not really believing it themselves.

    • johnny says:

      Uh, most of that crowd wouldn’t know what to do with quotation marks, semicolons, etc.

  13. Bob Benner says:

    I wonder if this historic institution will be part of Sarah Palin’s “historic” bus tour??? And who to better celebrate with then former bartender and ex-seminary student Sean Hannity… who recently wagged his finger at Frank Bailey for not keeping the dirt he had on Sarah private…

    http://tinyurl.com/qu2xgd

  14. AuntieRuth says:

    I wonder if she has any clue that her supporters from the Deep South are a little bitter about the outcome at Gettysburg. Or that by focusing on Philadelphia and New England she is ignoring the Revolutionary history and the historical importance of Virginia, Savannah, NC etc.? Or can we expect to see a “Southern Leg” announced next weekend?

    • Shan says:

      Oh please don’t give her any ideas to come to my home state of NC! We don’t need that dark cloud.

  15. Skagway Kid says:

    It’s funny how americans get so worked up over a slick con job. SP from the very beginning planned to take out her revenge for electing a black man rather than a powered face. Let’s hope she trashes the republican party and their candidates like the great job she did in getting Joe the beard miller elected. Some folks (the scared, the ones lacking self worth or hope) cling to SP to drag them to the promise land. Feel so sorry for these people, when the awake up form seeing their SP rapture dissolve into dust bunnies, what they will discover is they are a little less wealthy. Alaskan’s caught on to here BS rap and wish her well in Arizona, “don’t let the door hit you on the way out”

  16. Megaera says:

    Like Colbert only she’s not kidding.

  17. California Dreamin' says:

    I’ll bet she’s not driving that bus to Iowa either:

    “What you would likely see if Palin were to run is an unconventional and modern campaign focusing more on mass communications, internet contact, and mass assemblies as opposed to the more traditional one-on-five coffees,” the insider said.

    The Undefeated: the Palin Film Suggests She’ll Run
    http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-05-26/the-undefeated-sarah-palin-film-suggests-shell-run-in-2012/

    • Cammie says:

      “Mass assemblies”? I heard a few hundred people if that showed up to see her at Gettysberg, a good deal of them media. She doesn’t draw crowds on her own, no matter how much the media tries to build her up.

  18. Martha says:

    Wooo Hoooo……..The BiPolar Express is rolling out for the last bit of chump change she can milk out of her followers, before she has to $hit or get off the pot, announcing her bid for POTUS.

    Of course she won’t, so this is her desperate attempt for her hangers on.

    $arah thinks she has a NEW set of suckers in this group of bikers and their associates.

    She can’t even be original in this, remember the McCain campaign was actually INVITED for John to speak at the annual Sturgis bikers rally.

    I wonder if Tawd will offer $arah up for a topless beauty pageant, like John did with Cindy?

    Now that might bring in a few immediate donations to their “cause”

    • Lilybart says:

      YOU WIN the Award for Best Bus Tour Title!!!

      BiPolar Express indeed.

  19. AuntieRuth says:

    I wonder if she applied to Gettysburg for a Special Use Permit or a Film Permit? If she didn’t ask for one at least 10 days ago, she may be disappointed when she gets there. Here’s the application:
    http://www.nps.gov/gett/planyourvisit/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=286972

    i especially like that they ask whether there may be attempts to “disrupt” the event.

  20. OMG says:

    I tend to agree with the piece about why Palin will run:

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-jw-stickings/palin-on-the-bus-back-in-_b_868124.html

  21. OMG says:

    Sarah Palin presidential ad (by Kimmel sponsored by….you’ll see if you watch to the end)

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/27/kimmel-sarah-palin-ad_n_867901.html

  22. Bearhug says:

    A Quote from MSNBC:

    “She’s not invited to speak. We’re not endorsing her … (but) we can’t stop her from coming to ride, if she wants to ride.” Palin’s people counter that they were invited by former board member Mike DePaulo, who’s emceeing the event.

    DePaulo admits he didn’t tell Rolling Thunder’s leaders, but tellingly says he coordinated the appearance with “the Palin campaign.” And that is Shpak’s problem: “We’re not political. This is not a political event … Maybe she’s coming because she knows we have a half a million people in town and thinking she can start her [campaign]?” says Shpak, calling the whole issue “a big distraction.”

    • mike from iowa says:

      Sounds like she is trying to drive a wedge between former friends and destroy another decent group,for personal gain.

  23. Bearhug says:

    Palin’s appearance at “Rolling Thunder” show’s what a dispicable low life bag of cat puke she really is.

    To use a venue honoring our POWs and MIAs to promote herself and pad her bank account is beyond sleazy…

    She should be banned from making any appearance at this event. She’s inferring that she was invited and being endorsed by “Rolling Thunder”? She is not and has not been endorsed by any part of the event.

    The Director of Rolling Thunder stated that “She will not be permitted to use our stage. We are an apolitical organization, we don’t endorse anyone.”

  24. Jim K says:

    This is a letter to the editor that I wrote last year making a prediction regarding Palins run…It looks
    more real now.

    Predictions come for 2012 election

    The Mayan calendar predicted the end of the world December 21, 2012; the presidential election is November 6th 2012; therefore, even if the end is near, I have the opportunity to make a prediction regarding the 2012 presidential election.

    I prognosticate, though purely speculative , that Palin will run for president-running under the banner of a newly created political party called “ The Tea Party”. This will thoroughly eviscerate the GOP .

    Palin’s motives will be to maintain her celebrity status, knowing she’s not qualified, never could be elected or selected by the GOP.
    Palin chooses the scriptures to define her motives “Vengeance is mine so says the Lord”. Palin’ s nemeses- fear of failure- her motive avid greed; encouraged by the tea party moneyed operatives convincing her running is god’s will. Their goal is to start a party that will eventually replace the GOP.

    The already elected Tea Party affiliates will defect. The GOP will begin to show cracks when they convene in January. Tea party affiliates will split the party causing establishment Republicans to seek-out Democratic cooperation; in essences putting the GOP in the position formerly held by the Democrats, needing to cooperate with the opposing party to achieve governance. These compromises further aggravate the Tea Party knights of the round table out to slay the deficit dragon, giving them an excuse to defect.

    All of these events guarantee Obama’s re-election. The conspirators; however, have more to gain than a single election. Palin will have the prestige of starting a national party, guaranteeing continued fame and fortune. The moneyed politicians have the opportunity to gain power that the GOP has denied them.

    Some may laugh at this prediction as far fetched; however, if on the mere possibility it comes true ,remember you first read it in the News-Herald

    .

    • yukonbushgrma says:

      Jim, laughing is the LAST reaction I’d have to this. I think you’re spot-on. Remember their ties to AIP …… it all fits. This wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

    • bubbles says:

      yup. i agree.

  25. leenie17 says:

    A holiday like Memorial Day should NEVER be used for personal political purposes, particularly by someone as destructive to our country as Palin. Too many of us forget why we celebrate this day and focus on the barbecues and picnics, but we always have to stop and reflect on the reason we are able to enjoy this celebration in a free and safe country.

    Although most of this past week was busy with testing at school, I was able to teach two of my regular classes – one kindergarten and one second grade. When I asked them why we have no school on Monday, they gave me the predictable answers…picnics, going to the park, bbqs in the backyard, etc. We then took some time to discuss WHO we were remembering on Memorial Day and why it was so important not to forget them and their sacrifices.

    I’m sure they’re far more interested in hamburgers and hot dogs, but at least they got a tiny bit of our history from me and maybe they’ll remember our discussion the next time they see someone in uniform!

    We owe our veterans, past and present, far more than to be used as props for Sarah Palin’s National Grifting Tour.

    • Lilybart says:

      This is just a warm up.Wait and see what she disrupts on the 4th and then watch her announce her campaign on 9/11….something Giuliani didn’t dare do.

      • leenie17 says:

        I am not a violent person and the only time I ever hit someone was in third grade when a bully who was a foot taller than me was picking on my friend. I finally had enough and punched him in the stomach (he barely felt it but was so shocked that he never picked on my friend again!).

        However, as a NYer who lost a friend on one of the planes on 9/11, I can honestly say that I would want to do physical harm to her if she dared to desecrate that day with a crass political announcement. And I’m sure there are many NYers and Americans from throughout the country who would line up behind me to do the same. I don’t really care what she does on the 4th since it’s more of a happy celebration than a solemn day of remembrance like Memorial Day and 9/11.

        Unfortunately, you’re right…she has no sense of propriety or dignity and never listens to advice from those who know better. She needs to just go away and never soil our television screens, newspapers or computer screens again.

        • Millie says:

          I’m totally with you on this!!! I’m not physical either, but certainly want to knock her upside the head – along w/Toad and John McCain.

  26. OMG says:

    Palin goes behind enemy lines:

    ““Overall, most of us feel she could be an important force in the party, but I would hope she would not run for president,” said Roddey, who hasn’t endorsed a 2012 primary candidate. “I don’t think she has the intellectual capacity or the depth of knowledge to be president.”

    Madonna, the Pennsylvania pollster, said there’s evidence that putting Palin on the ticket hurt McCain overall in Pennsylvania by turning off the suburban swing voters — particularly women — that are crucial to winning the state.

    Her social conservatism and anti-intellectual posture are a poor match for that segment of the electorate, he said.

    “The overall style, her manner, her approach, doesn’t sit well with college educated, independent-minded women,” he said. “They’re looking for a different persona in their candidate.”

    Over the past couple of years, Palin has been kryptonite to many northeastern Republicans. The leading GOP candidate for governor in Massachusetts, Charlie Baker, had a scheduling conflict when she came to the state for a tea party rally in April 2010 — and so did his running mate.”

    Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0511/55865_Page2.html#ixzz1NetnBKfG

  27. BeeJay says:

    This vet (moi) certainly would have nothing to do with $P, this sometime motorcycle rider (again, moi) would also have nothing to do with her. Two strikes and she’s out! An automatic first strike as it’s Sarah we’re talking about…

    Slightly O/T. I have a poignant tale: I “lost” a great uncle in the Second World War, a sailor in the Navy, who was killed in action in the Philippines in 1944. I have “lost” in quotes because he died 15 years before I was born, but we all learned his story growing up. This is my problem: I am incensed with her for seeking to horn in on Rolling Thunder in any form at all, but if my uncle Tom was still alive, he’d be thinking about trying to pick her up in a bar, which is the humorous part of this. You see, he had a bit of reputation, not just because he was a sailor, but because he “liked the ladies” as they used to say, before he ever donned a uniform. He would be in his 90’s now, but that wouldn’t stop him…

    • Nan (aka roswellborn) says:

      Your Uncle Tom sounds like a wonderful – well, once I would have said a “rogue” but that’s been taken. He sounds like he was – and is – much loved,

      You, Uncle Tom, my FIL (both of ’em), my uncle and so many, many more are the best examples of real Americans.

      We won’t forget.

      • BeeJay says:

        Hi Nan,

        Well, he was “rogue” enough to apparently father a child while serving in Australia! This story includes letters to my grandfather from OZ during the war, money being sent to OZ, and the letters being burned at the end of all this. My grandfather, as the brother in law who had some money, was on the hook for all this. Sooo, there’s a distant cousin somewhere Down Under. 🙂

    • mike from iowa says:

      Automatic first strike-one can only dream of such.

  28. johnny says:

    http://www.rollingthunder1.com/PDFs/SPEAKER%20&%20MUSCIAL%20BIOS%20-%20SUNDAY.pdf

    She’ll probably elbow her way in between Gates and Mullen. Or if that doesn’t work, she’ll conveniently be right by the stage during the musical portion, easier to sneak on then.

  29. johnny says:

    Apparently they will park their bikes separate from where the speaking event is. http://www.rollingthunder1.com/PDFs/Gen%20Public%20Schedule.pdf

  30. johnny says:

    BTW, that is. I don’t know what BTY means. lol

    • jimzmum says:

      Bring The Yogurt?

    • Nan (aka roswellborn) says:

      I’ve got my own typo up there, no worries.

      ” Anyone want a cyber bet? She WILL muscle her way onto the stage…”

      and that’s why I hope they have the Harley’s charged up and idling, when that happens. Because frankly, the thought of a hundred, or two hundred, or fifteen hundred big honkin’ hawgs and assorted other bikes roaring away, obscuring the voice of a flummoxed Plain in their exhaust just tickles me far more than I like to admit.

      Just sayin’

      • johnny says:

        Well they have the speaking part after the parade, so maybe by that time the bikes will be turned off. I did see one article that said that her, her husband, and SaraPAc staff were going to ride, I don’t think it’s going out on a limb to predict that she will have someone filming her participation, maybe even some of them will have Sarah T shirts. Actually there is nothing too crass to imagine with her. She will probably have some of them screaming “Sarah Sarah” at the speaking part, and she will undoubtedly be right there ready to get pulled up.

      • Lilybart says:

        Do it! Let’s bait her. THAT would be just even more hilarious than the BiPolar Express* already is.

        *best tour title down below, not mine.

  31. Nan (aka roswellborn) says:

    At the end of the Politico piece where Ben whats his name states she was invited after all, he states:

    ” ‘ The invitation is still open for her to ride and speak at the Rolling Thunder event,’ Joseph N. Fields III, the Chair of the State of Alaska Veterans Advisory Council wrote Palin in one email, dated May 13.”

    “…and speak…” ?? Sounds like there are still some wires crossed somewhere.

    Here’s hoping they do allow her to speak; just as they all fire up the engines and start off down the road. Even that screech couldn’t overcome a gazillion Harley’s, Hondas, etc..

    Just daydreaming, really. But i like it.

    • Nan (aka roswellborn) says:

      Oh lordee, I meant to check his name before hitting “send”

      It’s Ben Smith’s blog on Politico (apologies to all)

    • johnny says:

      Ok I think someone pointed out her crassness, and she jumped on the horn to one of her biker buddies in AK to say, oh sure, we invited her. IE after her announcement that she was invited. That guy from AK has no say on who speaks, and the people that ARE in charge of the event made it clear that she has not been invited to speak. But OMG the same person who nearly commandeered the stage after McCain’s defeat speech, and the same person for whom they had to actually cut the lights and the video feed to the stage so she couldn’t perform her own rally at the end…..I guess I predict she will muscle her way onto the stage with her baby, spouting off about being the mother of a combat veteran. Anyone want a cyber bet? She WILL muscle her way onto the stage, she will have boats parked by the route with run sarah run banners, and she WILL figure out a way to get bikers photographed in front of her bus.

      BTY, there are articles out today showing that she hasn’t contacted any of those historical sites, after DC, about permission to park her bus at the sites, to hold news conferences, etc. Apparently she just thinks all she has to do is show up and commandeer our national monuments to use for her money raising events.

    • Irishgirl says:

      I think the Palin camp had to scramble to find someone that “invited” them. Gatecrashing the Rolling Thunder event seems to have backfired. I wonder will this be another Blood Libel moment?

      • johnny says:

        Apparently everyone invites everyone, all the local chapters try to get people to show up for support. So the fact that she decided to go doesn’t really offend, (I do think she lied about beeing invited, though) it’s the fact that for her it’s a publicity event. If she really wanted to support the outfit then she would do it privately like Obama did, and not use it for fund raising. O’Donnell has done a couple of segments on his insider knowledge that she has confirmed with Ailes that she won’t run, and that is why they aren’t suspending her from FOX as they did Santorum and Gingrich. So basically I think we will all see that this is just a major fund raising event so her family can rake in the dough for a few more months without working.

    • Bob Benner says:

      Joseph N. Fields, III the guy who they are now claiming sent her an invite was appointed as Chair of the Alaska Veterans Advisory Council on 2/13/2009, which was during Sarah Palins half-term as Guv… Wow… what a coincidence…

    • Bev says:

      Speak on what???
      That she is the only real American that had a son in the service, one that was told to go or face jail?

      She is so unbelievable, my skin crawls and stomach turns even when I hear her name and to think she has that much power to weld over our vets.

      I think the vets have too much class to degrade her or drown her out, they will honor the fallen and MIA and go on with their work.

      She will be but a footnote to their service.

  32. jimzmum says:

    She apparently has a permit to park on Henry Bacon Drive, near the Memorial. Wonder if any Pups in that area have a weak bladdered dog with an affinity for tires?

    • AuntieRuth says:

      At events of this size, all of the Mall becomes a fire-at-will zone for men of a certain age, because there are NEVER enough porta-potties.

    • yukonbushgrma says:

      Uh-oh ……. alert to Martha Unalaska Yard Sign!!! Alert! Alert! Alert! Time to start making those little doggie-do things again that worked so well in Juneau!
      (Wonder how well they’d hold up in shipping from Alaska …….)

      • yukonbushgrma says:

        In fact, AKM or MUYS should revive the photo of those again — they were just precious.

  33. Muppet says:

    I caught the tail end of Laurence O’Donnell’s show on Thursday (I believe or was it Friday?) where he illustrated the tour of the ‘Palin bus’.

    He asked his viewers to consider that if she was truly running for President, why would she start the tour in Washington DC at a rally she wasn’t invited to?

    Also, why would she go north along the east coast which is packed with liberals?
    Shouldn’t she be starting in Iowa or some other red state?
    This tour isn’t about running for President, he concluded.
    This is Sarah Palin getting as much media attention for her ‘reality show’ that she can get just like what Trump did.
    He also mentioned that on March 2nd, Fox news announced that they would suspend Huckabee and Palin if they announced their runs for President…which neither has.

    This is all for publicity and fund raising so that Palin can get even richer which is exactly what Frank Bailey concluded in his book. Thanks mudflats. Still love you all.

    • OMG says:

      I hope O’Donnell is right but this woman can still spew her hate-filled rhetoric to further the political discord in the nation. She remains a danger to stability.

      While I hope that what O’Donnell believes is true, in my heart I don’t think he is correct. I think she’s told Fox that she’s not running but will change her mind and announce (even though ‘changing her mind will be a lie since she always intended to run). She’s gotten away with committing to something then backing out for too long. In fact, I hope that she will do just that, making a fool out of Ailes, which will not please him at all.
      Of course, if it can be proven that he’s in cahoots with her, after pulling Gingriches contract, then I hope he faces all kinds of legal challenges for supporting a specific candidate without giving equal time to the others.

      Ailes seriously needs rethink his support of this opportunist 6itch.

      • yukonbushgrma says:

        Yes, OMG, totally agree.
        – FOX: I think she’s leading them on, -or- they’re all complicit in a plan that’s later to unfold. Either way, it’s all about Sayyy-ra. That Fox hasn’t dumped her yet means nothing whatsoever.
        – Whether she’ll run: I think she or her machine is testing the waters right now. They want to know if she has enough support to make the nomination as a rethug. If they don’t have enough confidence in that, or if they think she could break off enough TP’ers, then she could either run as an independent/third party or if it came to worse, run for Kyl’s Senate seat.
        No matter what, she’s running for something. And honestly, I’m not so sure even she knows what for. She just lives for the running – we all know that.

    • mike from iowa says:

      She can’t possibly start anywhere she was invited for the simple reason she hasn’t been invited. I wish someone would hire a couple of goons just to make sure this ant doesn’t get to the picnics,so to speak.

  34. mike from iowa says:

    Someone needs to tell the egotistical one that America is closed for the holiday so she can park her bus where the sun don’t shine until further notice.

  35. Bob Benner says:

    My friend got some of the first photos of the Sarah Palin Bus Tour. This was right before they painted the bus and my understanding is that Sarah was teaching Willow how to drive again, similar to her Alaska reality show, only this time it was with a bus… Enjoy…

    http://tinyurl.com/3fl8mju

  36. Paula says:

    Did Greta get her own room on that bus?

  37. Paula says:

    I hope they egg her bus.

  38. johnny says:

    Some woman has just offered to park her boat right by one of the bridges that the rolling thunder goes over. The boat will have a huge banner that says “Run Sarah Run”. I betcha that Palin will figure out how to photograph that along with the vets biking by, some way to claim an endorsement when she doesn’t have one.

    • Lilybart says:

      FOX will report that a half million people showed up to see her.

      Wait, did I say FOX? then make that a full million.

    • Nan (aka roswellborn) says:

      Are we sure it didn’t mean “Run, Sarah, Run away!” ?

    • g says:

      “Run away, Sarah, Run away!”

    • mike from iowa says:

      Jump Sarah,Jump. I’ll catch you,Ooh I got something in my eye. Splat!!!

    • Writing from Alaska says:

      Can we have someone parked along side that says “far, far away”?

  39. beaglemom says:

    Just he thought of Sarah Palin and her hyped-up magical history bus visiting either Arlington National Cemetery or the Gettysburg battlefield is a desecration of those hallowed grounds. My husband and I are both originally from Pennsylvania and we visited Gettysburg a couple of years ago, having both been there last as children half a century earlier. Walking around what once were farm fields and looking at the monuments and thinking of the carnage that all war brings, and that war in particular, is a very moving experience. As is visiting the cemetery at Arlington. These are places are sacred to this country’s history and should not be turned into a circus by someone who has not the least idea of their significance.

    • johnny says:

      Part of her blurb says that she will “educate” the American people. Oh yeah, like she herself has ever heard of those places. I bet she’s got the Cliff Notes stuffed into her bag.

  40. OMG says:

    It’s time to turn of the (non) news as wall to wall coverage of the Palin circus parade begins. I hope all the other republicans in this clownish field of presidential wannabes demand equal time. And I hope that Gingrich and that other guy sue Fox for not terminating her contract.

    Here’s a look at how Palin is now the ringmaster in the GOP circus:

    http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-05-27/sarah-palins-calling-the-shots-for-the-2012-gop-presidential-field/?cid=hp:mainpromo4

  41. PHILADELPHIA PHREEDOM says:

    Stopping at the Liberty Bell? Perhaps she wasn’t treated to a Philly cheesesteak on her last go-round and getting her hands on one of them is on her bucket list. I hope her newly rehired gofers remembered to round up some of her rabid followers to ride the buses. All the reporters are down at the southern Jersey shore towns (as are many of the residents). And no chance of throwing out the first ball at a Phillies game as they’re on the road. Keep motoring, nothing to see here.

    • AuntieRuth says:

      In 2008 she a Willow went to Tony Luke’s at about 1 am and bought cheesesteaks, but got them “to go”. To me, that was an act of cowardice. If you are scared to eat a cheesesteak in public, you just have no balls whatsoever. I bet she gave them to her security detail.

      • Gramiam says:

        Sarah? Making nice with the security folks? NOT! she treats “underlings” like underwear!

    • Bucsfan says:

      Hopefully when she is in Philly she won’t talk about how disappointed she was that the Steelers lost the Super Bowl but at least Hines Ward won DWTS. I still remember in 08 when she was in the Burg and spoke of how excited they must be with the Phillies winning the Series. That went over well.

  42. tigerwine says:

    Ha, Ha! That bus is so big it needs hinges in the middle to turn corners! I grew up in NH, and can just imagine it on those quaint, curvy roads. Oh, wait, she’ll probably just hit the “historical” parts, in which case she’ll be in Portsmouth, my home town. She will have to stick to the Interstate, and can just see the driver trying to figure out the cloverleaf!

  43. Laurie says:

    Apparently, some people in NH have heard that Palin might be in Concord on Thursday. Her “campaign to educate and energize Americans” plans a stop in Concord, New Hampshire. At this point, it looks like she is not going to Concord, Massachusetts where the American revolution started. There is an awful lot of history there but it’s a blue state and they don’t have an early primary.

    I’m sure the people in the states on her tour of the east coast, which were the first to join together to form the United States, will appreciate that the ex-governor Palin from Alaska, the 49th state, is visiting them in order to educate and energize them about history.

    I’m sure there are 10 year old kids who know more than Palin does about the history of this country.

    http://www.unionleader.com/article/20110526/NEWS0602/705269991

    • Nan (aka roswellborn) says:

      Maybe she’s going to the Concord that Bachman referred to.

      Talk about the halt leading the lame!

  44. Baker's Dozen says:

    Since she is free to go where she wants, and the Rolling Thunder are also, I suggest that they line their bikes up all around the bus, so it can’t move, and put up large signs all around it–“Your Federal Tax dollars at Work,” “Quitters for Palin,” and so on. Also too, a vehicle should follow her on her tour with a big sign on top, “Follow me to some historical landmark.”

    In the mean time, who would you vote for?

    http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=question&id=10150193713599658

  45. beth says:

    It’s obvious Saint Ronnie will be with us for as long as Sister Sarah is slithering and sliming and oozing her way across this nation. On that note, I’ve seen many pieces of information and lists over the past couple of years setting the record straight on St. Ronnie; facts that completely and utterly refudiate the tripe Sister Sarah and fellow GOTPers now spread about him and his uber wonderfullness, intelligence, leadership, insight, far-sightedness, trickle-down-edness, constitution-following-ness, law-abiding-ness, uprighted-ness, etc.

    Like a danged fool, though, I’ve not kept track (and/or copied for safekeeping) any of those lists or pieces of information. I admit it: I’m not a very smart man.

    If any of you pups happen to have been smarter than I’ve been, and have compiled said information — or even have snippets of it — , I’d sure appreciate if you’d share it with me. I have a feeling we’re all going to need all the truth about St. Ronnie we can get, to help put a final stop to Missy Quitty Pants. beth.

    • slipstream says:

      Would that be the same Saint Ronnie who napped during meetings, faded into Alzheimer’s, let Nancy’s astrologer make important decisions, and whose staff down in the basement was busy shipping guns to Central American death squads and shipping money to the government of Iran?

      Sheesh. Talk about palling around with terrorists.

      • Gramiam says:

        That be him, Slip!

      • Lilybart says:

        he QUIT Libya too, ran after we got bombed there. Not saying I agree or disagree but it looks weak, now doesn’t it ronnie?

      • mike from iowa says:

        Yeah,well he paid for that microphone and besides his heart told him we wouldn’t sell arms to terrorists even though his staff told him they did. Ronnie Raygun presided over taking America from the largest creditor Nation to the largest debtor Nation in less than eight years,and rethugs claim Jimmy Carter was a bad Potus.

    • ks sunflower says:

      I would recommend the following for a start:

      1. The Man Who Sold the World: Ronald Reagan and the Betrayal of Main Street America by William Kleinknecht. (2009). This is perhaps the best starting point. Kleinknecht also wrote a book on Reagan that is very difficult to find: One Sweet Guy and What He Is Doing To You. I’ve read The Man Who Sold the World and found it to be eye-opening, a valuable book that cuts through the myths that have been built around Reagan.

      2. I think one dark and disturbing aspect of Ronald Reagan was his leadership of the Screen Actor’s Guild when he turned in lists of actors he suspected of being communist to McCarthy. He was responsible for many people being blacklisted in Hollywood based upon those lists. Researching this will turn your stomach. I think he sold out his fellows in order to gain attention.

      3. Here is one other source that investigates the psychological impact that being a child of an alcoholic parent had on Ronald Reagan’s personal and political life. I just found this and find it fascinating. I can see parallels between Reagan and Palin — even though we have no proof of parental dysfunction in Sarah’s case. It is still intriguing to see some of the same personality traits in both and makes me wonder if some day someone will investigate Sarah’s childhood to see how it influenced her behaviors and attitudes. I am making no judgments not casting any fault on Sarah’s parents – just wondering why she identifies so strongly with Reagan and why they seem to share so many of the personality traits described in this article (my opinion).

      http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9221.2008.00662.x/full (Ronald Reagan’s Presidency: The Impact of An Alcoholic Parent)

      4. A book that received bad reviews from Reagan fans might be worth reading (though I haven’t): Ronald Reagan: Biography by Kenneth T. Walsh. Some believe it shows both the good and bad aspects of his presidency while others consider it just a slam.

      5. One rather provocative read I discovered was the Nobel Prize-winning economist, Paul Krugman. He really stirred things up when he claimed Ronald Reagan was a racist who used buzz words and “innocent mistakes” to further his beliefs. That Krugman is married to an African-American makes his column on this even more powerful.

      http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/10/innocent-mistakes/

      • Zyxomma says:

        If you don’t have time to slog through an entire Reagan bio, check out “Ronald Reagan’s Reign of Error.” It’s a tiny book, but packs a punch. The first edition was what Ronnie said, then the facts. The second edition was what Mr. Raygun said, next the facts, and finally what the White House SAID he meant (once the truth got out). It’s fascinating and disgusting all at the same time. If I could locate my copy (perhaps I don’t own one anymore; I have too many books), I’d post some examples.

  46. CK says:

    The problem with Palin’s “one nation” is that it consists solely of only those people she considers real American enough to fit her definition of American. There’s no room for anyone who doesn’t think like her or vote according to her beliefs. This is why she will never succeed as a national candidate because her nation will never be open to all Americans.

    • seattlefan says:

      So true. Her “one nation” excludes more than it includes and is most divisive, rather than “indivisible”. God, I hate how she taints what our nation stands for and how she totally ruins the word “patriot” for me.

  47. Ratfish says:

    She may have invited by the head of a veterans advisory council in Alaska who is a friend of Palin’s and a Palin/Parnell political appointee. While he may be a well-respected veteran in some circles, being invited by an individual is not the same as being invited by an “Alaska Veterans Group.”

    After all, an official State of Alaska advisory board did not- and these days would not- invite Sarah Palin to anything.

    An individual who happens to be a member of the advisory council did.

    ps Can you imagine what Palin would do if someone was trying to crash her party?

  48. Millie says:

    Thank God we have President Obama and his wife at the head of our nation. They never display drama!!!

    Palin and Toad are nothing more than idiots trying to grab the limelight. Americans that follow and support them are ones that assuredly need to vet them in Alaska. Please read the books just published (Frank Bailey and Geoffrey Dunn) regarding their lives and lies! Trust me – they are NOT what they try to make themselves out to be. I hope the motorcycle group knocks Toad sideways and provide sister Sarah w/no speaking ability at their rally.

    • ks sunflower says:

      I agree. President and Mrs. Obama are great role models for the country. They are adult in their demeanor, intelligent in their statements, and compassionate (truly compassionate, not that phony :compassionate conservatism Bush tried to sell). I am so proud they are our First Couple. I sincerely hope President Obama gets re-elected.

    • Couldn’t agree more, Millie. I’m about a third of the way through Blind Allegiance and the only thing that has really surprised me is that SP is the way she’s always been. But it seems that when it was on a local or state level, it just wasn’t as noticeable.

      • johnny says:

        To my mind, the lemonade story personifies SP. I know you aren’t there yet so I won’t spoil it.

    • yukonbushgrma says:

      Ya know, Millie, I was thinking along the same lines. Our President & FLOTUS don’t take the bait and react to negative attacks. They keep working on the nation’s challenges and try to push for solutions. They are the total antithesis of $P. She isn’t intellectually or morally capable of formulating plans to better our country; all she can do is whip up her cronies into a frenzy of negativity and attack.

      And I like that idea of bystanders just turning their backs to her. Along with good shots in the media.

  49. BigPete says:

    Gone Fishing

    The Grifters were once commercial fishermen.
    They’d set out on a boat to see what they could catch.
    This caper is nothing but trawling for dollars.
    It’s a short-ish bus trip to pay for SaraPac private jet travel.

    Before the season’s over.

    • Nan (aka roswellborn) says:

      Since another definition of “troll” is “to fish for or in with a moving line, working the line up or down with a rod, as in fishing for pike, or trailing the line behind a slow-moving boat.” (from dictionary.com), one could say

      “This caper is nothing but trolling for dollars”

      Seems fitting.

    • Man_from_Unk says:

      The word “trawling” makes me see red because of the blind destruction of the Salmon in the Bering Sea from the pollock fishery trawlers.

      I agree with Nan that “trolling” fits better.

  50. g says:

    Neither Gettysburg nor Liberty Bell Park have any events listed on their websites. Gettysburg doesn’t seem to have an event space where you could park a bus and hold a rally – I’m sure if you did so impromptu in a parking lot you might get rousted.

    Liberty Bell Park has a First Amendment space designated. Maybe that’s where they’re going?

    I really can’t see this working at all.

    • Bev says:

      Is not the Liberty Bell set up in a glass building in the center of a small park?

      Asking because I was there in 1985, I know long ago LOL, and am trying to figure out where she could park as it looked like it was almost in town.

      Did they move it to a bigger place????

      • Writing from Alaska says:

        It is in a fairly large building, but it is inside with windows behind it facing a mall (park mall, not shopping) and has a view behind it of Independence Hall. There is a street in front of the hall, but if I remember correctly, it is not a street open to traffic, but I have only been there once and may not recall correctly.

  51. EatWildFish says:

    I can hear it now — Fox News claiming that a half million people showed up to see $arah.

    Will they repeat Ted Shpak’s comments in its ‘fair and balanced’ coverage???

  52. Laurie says:

    The way that Politico and ABC backtracked in a hurry makes me think Palin has way too much power over media. Someone big is making calls for her or she is making threats and everyone just backs down. I wish someone would put her in front of a camera and call her bluff.

    • ks sunflower says:

      It doesn’t surprise me that Politico backtracked. It has long had a Republican slant.

      Perhaps we should investigate who owns both.

  53. Rolling Thunder After Party says:

    ROLLING THUNDER AFTER PARTY?

    I heard there might be a Rolling Thunder after party at Sarah Palin’s new home in Arizona. My understanding is if she is not there, just let yourselves in. All she ask is that you do not pee in the pool and do not use all of the Grey Poupon.

    I’m sure you guys have a Willow Palin type who is pretty good at entering lock houses.

    • Gramiam says:

      Sorry, but we Arizonans have other plans. We are having a”burn Joe Arpaio and his crooked deputies in effigy” party, followed by a “register to vote” after party. The Margueritas will flow with abandon!

  54. Phoney Sarah says:

    Sarah is a phoney…. a poser!

    All those men and women going to Rolling Thunder are riding cross country to participate in this event. That’s part of the festivities, they are making a statement with their cross country ride. Some are sleeping on the side of the road.

    How much do you want to bet Sarah and Todd will board a Lear jet or fly First Class and meet the bus in Washington DC?

    These men and women of Rolling Thunder are not rich and are paying for their way to this event… Who is paying for Sarah and Todd’s Lear jet or their First Class commercial air fair and deluxe hotel rooms with spa treatment? We all know Todd loves his spa treatments.

  55. seattlefan says:

    For all you David Byrne fans….I give you “Road to Nowhere” in honor of the Bus to Nowhere.

    😀

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWtCittJyr0

  56. mike from iowa says:

    My best guess about this whole brouhaha is Palin will make it all about herself and her close association with families of our brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their Nation. A Palin presidency would include the need for more ceremonies honoring fallen soldiers because she would find an excuse to put our soldiers in harm’s way and place the blame on Obama. Nixon,Ford,Reagan,Bushes 1 and 2(twice) have sent Americans into battle for dubious reasons and have caused so many civilian casualties and destruction in all parts of the world. Then we get lied to about the reasons why our soldiers paid for these decisions with their lives. War doesn’t provide peace and stability when used as Rethuglicans use it. Somehow god is always infused into the debate, before or after the fact. The war-mongers are never punished for their crimes so we get an endless cycle of war and lies and death and sorrow and then the next one comes along and tries to eradicate any mistakes their predecessor left behind. The thought of a Sarah palin with her finger on the nukular trigger ought to give everyone nightmares.

  57. Help Me Piper says:

    Hey Sarah since this event is for the POW’s, MIA’s and the vets of America, are you bringing your home raised combat vet from Wasilla… GI Track?

    It would be very impressive to his fellow vets out there if he wears his combat medal, you know, the combat award America gives its combat vets.

  58. Help Me Piper says:

    I betcha Sarah called Alaska and asked that Piper catch the earliest flight to catch her bus.

    Sarah said it worked a couple of years ago and hopefully it will work again. With Piper acting as her shield, hopefully the Rolling Thunder people won’t “BOO” that retarded Sarah and Todd

    I betcha chicken sheet Todd won’t get in the face of a Rolling Thunder person like he did that elderly man at the airport in Alaska. We don’t play that bullsheet down here.

  59. Egg Her Bus says:

    I wonder if Costcos throughout Sarah Palin stops will hide their eggs and prevent customers from buying them until she leaves?

    You can always go to the corner store, don’t let Costco stop your fun!

  60. gens says:

    🙂

    OH..MY..GOD! – theimmoralminority.blogspot.com

    “…Does anybody else ever get the feeling that Palin stopped paying attention to history after about the second grade, and so can only name the initial President’s that American children first learn about during their early elementary school years?… ”

    Video
    http://goo.gl/G7OuW

    • Zyxomma says:

      Best comment after the video/article:

      “We know that our best days are yet to come.” Yes, dear Sarah, the day they put you in the orange jumpsuit and lead you away will be our very best day since we met you.

  61. WakeUpAmerica says:

    Same license plates as their RV. Hmmmm. Guess it got a make-over.

  62. I saw that interview this morning and it made my day, especially as I’m reading Blind Allegiance when I get the chance. I’m almost a third of the way through and the thing that amazes me is that this whole putting herself in a light that is favorable is nothing new. I guess we already knew that, but it’s a good confirmation as was the interview with the spokesman for Rolling Thunder.

    • Gramiam says:

      I would like to see every Rolling Thunder rider and supporter there just simply turn their backs on her wherever she appears. Simply that. No signs, no shouting, just ignore the silly wench until she goes away.

      • fishingmamma says:

        I would like to see this happen all over the country – on her tour. To have her disembark at the monumounts and at malls, etc, to people that simply have their backs turned to her…..

        • 1smartcanerican says:

          This would be such a strong, but quiet and dignified, message. It would be great to see that on our news channels!

  63. scout says:

    I wore a POW/MIA bracelet during the Vietnam War. It was silver. As an impressionable young person watching war images on the news each evening, I gathered my babysitting coins and sent in my meager donation that I might be so honored as to wear a bracelet engraved with my MIA soldier’s name. I could have been his daughter.

    I wore that bracelet for many years. I wore it until, aged and worn, my bracelet broke in half. I could have been his sister.

    My soldier has never been accounted for. He did not come home and his whereabouts remain unknown to this day. I will never forget his name. Today I could be his Mother.

    In honor and tribute to him: Sarah is the face of today’s GOPTP. They get to own that. When she decides not to run because the Presidency is beneath her/ the Presidency infringes upon her 1st amendment rights, she’ll preemptively quit. I know a couple of dedicated Rolling Thunder riders. It is not a day about her; it is a day about POWs/MIAs. My Veteran brothers will not hesitate to tell her precisely what they think: Memorial Day is NOT a day for cheap political stunts.

    Memorial Day is a day that reminds us we are each one citizen-bit in the greater collective of a Nation. Our focus is not on ourselves this day, but rather, E Pluribus Unum, we honor our fallen and the families they’ve left in our care. Together, WE pay tribute to the families that have made the ultimate sacrifice.

    • MNDorothy says:

      Thank you, Scout, for your eloquent words.

    • fishingmamma says:

      Thank you, Scout. Well said. We lost my Son-In-Law in Iraq, and I am deeply offended by anyone’s crass attempts to politicize this day and our loss. It is an unforgiveable crime.

    • LibertyLover says:

      Very nicely said.

    • Gramiam says:

      Well done of you, Scout! You honor the memory of your MIA, and of all of us, when you remind us of what this day is for. Thank you.

    • Thank you, scout. Well said, and you have done more to remind us what Memorial Day is really for than any of the “news” shows that talk about Sarah or people like her. I wasn’t aware of Rolling Thunder until I saw the interview with their spokesman on Friday, and I’m very impressed that this is something they do every year. Now, if they can just keep Miss Fluff from distracting from their message, it will be a good weekend.

    • Bev says:

      And the tears flow….thank you 🙁
      We should all be humble.

    • bubbles says:

      beautifully spoken Scout.

  64. AKaurora says:

    “These enduring truths have been passed down from Washington, to Lincoln, to Reagan, and now to you ,” so sayeth the maniacal woman who blathers from a bus that screams, “Look at me, I’m a great patriot also too!”

    She hasn’t a clue that Washington and Lincoln never recited, “…one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Or that her beloved Ronnie was married, divorced, and remarried before “under God” was added to the pledge during the McCarthy era. But then, most of her groupies are as clueless as she.

  65. LibertyLover says:

    The bus will be stopping at various points of interest like The Liberty Bell, and Gettysburg.

    Awww… isn’t that nice she’s taking the kids on a historical marker tour. 😉 Homeschooling is such a incredible undertaking.

    • Gramiam says:

      LibertyLover, you really need to issue a spew alert to save computer keyboards before posting a remark like that!

      • LibertyLover says:

        So sorry, Gramiam…. tissues are over there———————————————–>

        😉

  66. Lacy Lady says:

    Beaglemom——–Ass also starts with an A.
    and that is just what she is.

  67. CoyoteMarti says:

    Contrast this with President Obama showing up unnanounced and with no press coverage to visit the graves at Arlington in the rain, and when approach by some of the families there, having the Secret Service ask their permission before he talked with them.

    • Miss Demeanor says:

      Sarah Palin – NOCD. “Not Our Class, Darling.”
      Clueless and Classless.
      Rolling Blunder, indeed. Good one, Lilybart!

    • Nan (aka roswellborn) says:

      He actually asked their permission? That is some serious consideration. Wow.

  68. beaglemom says:

    I am so thoroughly sick and tired of how Sarah Palin keeps co-opting events and holidays. Memorial Day is a time for reflection; she’s turning the weekend into a free-for-all.

    How could Alaskan Vietnam vets involved in the Rolling Thunder event be so stupid as to end up inviting her along? She’s abandoned your state. She’s moved to Arizona. Just because the two states begin with the letter “A” doesn’t mean they are one and the same. Even Elmo on Sesame Street would know that.

    Whenever there is any negative publicity out there (like two recently published books and lots of internet static about “babygate”), you can count on Sarah Palin to take over the airwaves and the television screens with her noisy and obnoxious infantile behavior. But this week has been worse than ever. The fact that President Obama has been receiving rave reviews in Europe has only egged her egomania on. So, we’ve been treated to, not only a viewing on Dancing with the Stars, but a two-hour movie and now a magical history bus ride and, to top it off, a visit to the Constitution and a motorcycle rally. And throw in fake pr about how she “disapproves” of her daughter’s current reality tv boyfriend. (Of course, that fake disapproval is intended to get more idiots to tune in to darling Bristol’s reality series.)

    And mainstream so-called journalists keep taking her seriously! Is she going to run? Or isn’t she? I just want her to take her creepy family and go AWAY – whether to the desert or to the snowy mountains, I don’t care. Where I live there are neither deserts nor snowy mountains. AAAGHHHH!

    • ks sunflower says:

      Do the state units line up in alphabetical order? If so, she might try to force her bus in (thought they said she’d have to ride a cycle) after Alabama to look as if it is her honor guard and she is leading the parade.

  69. PollyinAK says:

    She stinks.

  70. Lilybart says:

    Rolling Blunder.

  71. LoveMyDogs says:

    And now I can’t get the kid’s song “The Wheels on the Bus” out of my head so I am making up new verses as I do my chores:

    The tires on the bus go “thump, thumpity, thump”
    Rolling over her enemies…

    The people on the bus go “look at me, look at me, look at me me me”…

    You get the picture.

  72. LoveMyDogs says:

    Anyone who lives near any of the places she plans to visit should give her a “welcome” just like Madison did. Don’t let her walk on you.

  73. nswfm says:

    Bimbo used the plate from her motor home for SPA for the paid for by SarahPAC

    http://twitpic.com/5301gs

    • Elizabeth says:

      Do we know if it is the same vehicle?

    • ks sunflower says:

      Is that even legal? (Gosh, I hope not, hehe.)

    • Nan (aka roswellborn) says:

      Did anyone notice the “h/t to commentors [name] at C4something-or-other and [‘nuther name] at [nuther hate-filled website]” at the bottom of the picture? Interesting.

  74. Irishgirl says:

    Sweet Jesus!

  75. Mattie says:

    She will take credit for the half a million crowd and fox will back her up he’ll all msm will probably back her up

  76. nDjinn says:

    There is much to be said about a tour bus with NO WINDOWS.

  77. Laurie says:

    If she really did get invited by the Alaska group and she was smart (I know I’m really stretching it here), she should have gone to the event unannounced. She could have meet lots of people and might have been asked to speak.

    Now she has stepped on their toes and disrespected the event by making it about her. I hope they ask her to leave.

    • fishingmamma says:

      You are right. She could have rolled through on a motorcycle, wearing a helmet, and given a statement that she had been happy to participate and that the experience was humbling, and people would respect that.

      Key word. Humble. Not in her vocabulary.

      • ks sunflower says:

        Exactly!

        I think someone should consider making a parody of Carly Simon’s song “You’re So Vain.”

        Palin probably, in her gut, thinks this event is about her.

        • Man_from_Unk says:

          As in Vainupid – vain and stupid. Her bus is the guadiest I’ve ever seen.

    • seattlefan says:

      You are so right! As it is she will probably have a huge entourage with her rented bike and her leather, zippered gear in full view of the cameras. Will she be actually riding or a passenger? Will she be in a side car waving and smiling?

      My theory is this whole bus tour thing is just another “reality show” in the making. You heard it first from me right here. 🙂

      • Sally says:

        I read they were trying to rent a motorcycle for the day…wonder if Toad thinks he can drive it because he’s such a pro with the snow machines. I’m hoping for a small crash for the cameras…nobody hurt but Sarah’s pride.

      • benlomond2 says:

        GGAAAACKKKKK ! Visual flash of Scarah in shorts and midriff bare top on back of bike !!! Cottage cheese thighs flapping in the wind and …no no.. I can’t go any further !!!! ..ggggaackk!

      • AKPetMom says:

        Todd looks like a little hairy “bear” that will be wearing his chaps pantless, with a nice dog collar and leash around his neck.

        • Zyxomma says:

          I appreciate your imagery, AKPetMom. There is an aura of dominance and submission surrounding that unholy union.

  78. Thomas says:

    Underneath all that “All American” paint job is a short yellow “special” bus The American public will not be fooled

  79. benlomond2 says:

    I’m guessing she’s latching on to someonelse’s rally, cuz SHE certainly hasn’t been a large draw by yourself…how many came out in Wisconsin to hear her speak?? A couple hundred that had been bussed in ??

    • ks sunflower says:

      “Latching on” reminds me of disgusting leeches. Oh, wait, that’s not fair to leeches – at least they actually do some good sometimes.

  80. Ripley in CT says:

    Mr. Shpak, if you’re reading this, thank you. For everything. And especially speaking out about the attempted hijacking of your honorable cause by a dishonorable woman.

    Best wishes to all of you on the road.

    • Gramiam says:

      Our President invited the organizers of the rally to a “private” meeting to express his appreciation on behalf of veterans. Now that is how a real leader does it. This silly fool has no clue how a real adult acts!

    • fromthediagonal says:

      Ripley, you said it better than I could have.
      I thank you, not merely for myself, but for the next generation for whom we are concerned.
      Best wishes right back to you…

    • Bev says:

      I lost a very dear friend in Nam and I love this Rolling Thunder for what they say and do….we will always remember.

      Thank you.

  81. fishingmamma says:

    That bus reminds me of that guy that used to drive down from the valley in his truck with the huge signs and all the writing about the evil government and the end of the world and all that nonsense. Anybody remember him? Flags and signs and bumper stickers, the guy just couldn’t filter his message, so it turned into a huge, messy pile of words that made no sense to anyone but him. Oh, wait….

    • fishingmamma says:

      For those outside Anchorage: “the valley” is the Mat-Su valley, and Wasilla is in the middle of it.

    • Sourdough Mullet says:

      That was “Wild Bill” Nelson. Had it in for lawyers in a big way. He used to raise hell all over The Valley, driving his placard-festooned “hatemobile” around and being as loud and obnoxious as he could be in order to draw attention to himself. Hey…. wow…. kinda like You Know Who!! Congratulations, “Wild Sarah” Palin! I’m sure she remembers Wild Bill, but do you think shed ever acknowledge that he is her long-lost soulmate?

  82. aussiegal77 says:

    Palin can’t be remotely associated with ANYTHING without turning it into a circus freakshow. Sorry, Rolling Thunder – this year Palin is crashing your event. I feel sorry for the people who worked really hard to put this on only to have the Palin Plague swoop in and trample all over the place. She is nauseating.

  83. mattie says:

    I found it on a search but if you go to ben smith on politico you cannot find it or even when you search on politico. Something is strange.

    http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0511/Palin_had_invite_to_bike_rally.html

  84. Cassie Jeep says:

    Typical of Palin to ride on someone else’s coat tails.

    Good for Rolling Thunder and the work they have done for awareness of military needs for YEARS.

    Shame on Palin for trying to use them for her own personal purposes.

    • Millie says:

      The woman creates problems where ever she goes….always the same. Being from Alaska – we know!!! Suspect this bus tour thing isn’t going to be the success she was hoping!

    • Gramiam says:

      Rolling Thunder has more than a little experience in coping with and thwarting crazy folks. Witness how they deal with Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church at military funerals. I have this heady vision of the “BUS” being surrounded and isolated by a cadre of bikers on Harleys. They will shut her down big time!

      • ks sunflower says:

        Gramiam, I think you made a great choice bringing up the Westboro Baptist in the same sense as the Palin campaign. Both groups share similar “values” and certainly behave inappropriately.

  85. mattie says:

    And now the spokesperson for Rolling Thunder has been thrown under the bus. Ben Smith had a story that she had been invited but now I can’t find it on politico’s website.

    • Alaska Pi says:

      Don’t get bummed out.
      Some of the chapters think it’s ok , some don’t.
      They don’t really know her, remember?
      Some see it as a distraction as the director Mr Shpak does, some see it as a possible way to increase focus on their issues as in any -press-is-good-press quote at the bottom of this article.

      http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/05/rolling-thunder-riders-praise-sarah-palins-participation-in-rally.html
      sorry that some will likely have to learn the hard way they just make handy crowd shots in the background of whatzername’s quest for moi-moi-moi…

      • Gramiam says:

        I once got on the back of a bike after imbibing strawberry daiquiris. The cycle took off and my happy butt hit the dust. You see where this is going, right?

  86. mattie says:

    She is setting out this weekend so she can use our dead and wounded soldiers for her personal gain. How much mo ey has she donated to their causes? Did her and beck actually donate the money they made off their rally’s to any of the soldiers causes? President Obama has donated all the proceeds from his children’s book and half of Nobel prize money to fisher house which provides housing for wounded soldiers families near v a hospitals. She doesn’t even tip for gods sake!

    • yukonbushgrma says:

      Mattie, I hope some interviewer asks her if she has donated to Rolling Thunder or any other Vets organization. I’d like to know.

      Also, the timing of her little tour is pretty interesting. Notice that it’s over Memorial Day weekend, a long holiday weekend when many people will take their kids to historic sites for an inexpensive mini-vacation? (translate: free crowds)

      And right after our President returns from his overseas trip? (translate: lots of new negative barbs to throw at him)

      • Moles says:

        What’s the point? She’ll just lie and say “Yes”.

        • johnny says:

          She’ll just say “They can’t take that away from me, that I am the mother of a COMBAT veteran”. Her poor son must shrink to 1′ tall when she claims that.

      • leenie17 says:

        Pushing herself into a situation where there are guaranteed crowds for something else is the only way she gets enough people to pay attention to her these days. She’ll use any legitimate cause to further her own greedy self and then claim that the people came to support her, just like she uses the Constitution, the flag and the veterans as props for her truly anti-American views. What a disgusting liar.

        If she hasn’t given any time or financial support to special needs kids, why should she waste her precious money on veterans when she can use them for free, like she does the kids?

      • Gramiam says:

        President Obama is “bulletproof” on this one. He will be in Joplin, MO with the folks who lost homes and relatives and friends. Anything she says about him will fall upon deaf ears.

    • ks sunflower says:

      I am so glad you brought up these points, mattie. No one ever pushes her on whether she puts her money where her mouth is, and her mouth is always blabbering about our troops. If the troops got royalties from every time she mentioned them, we would easily be able to lower tax payer input into the military budget (even though the Republicans tripled it in the last decade). The. Woman, Is. A. Fraud.

    • Helen Kromm says:

      “She is setting out this weekend so she can use our dead and wounded soldiers for her personal gain.”

      Nothing speaks to the truth of this more than that one simple sentence. And this is appauling.

      Palin is not running for office, and even if she were, this is not her place. What this is is a pathetic attempt to reinvigorate “Brand” Palin. This is despicable. It is beyond the pale.

      A cheap attempt to capture the news cycle & headlines- all for exposure and profit.

      As a veteran, it is difficult for me to contain my rage over this. This is a solemn holiday. It wasn’t meant for this tawdry type of self-promotion. This is the time when veterans come together and remember and mourn all of our brothers and sisters that never made it home.

      By what right does she insert herself in this? By what sense of entitlement? She has not earned the right to be a part of this, and has nothing to say to these men and women.

      What we have here is someone who never served who is going to show up wrapped in a flag and spout meaningless words. Someone who’s own service and accomplishments are nil. All to serve her cause, which is the promotion of “Brand Palin”.

      This is disgusting. She should be shouted down in the harshest possible terms.

  87. mattie says:

    chris matthews will cream is shorts over this

  88. mattie says:

    no matter what she is involved in there will be drama.

  89. AuntieRuth says:

    According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, she hasn’t asked the Park Service for a special tour permit that would allow her to monopolize the Liberty Bell and hasn’t talked to the Convention and Visitors’ Bureau. If she thinks she can just park that hideous thing at Independence Mall, pop out and start filming, she is in for a surprise. And an even bigger surprise if she thinks she can orchestrate a crowd and a speech. Security is very tight. I wonder if the local Fox affiliate is providing her with a venue and a parking place for that thing. I wish she would come out to Valley Forge so I could slap together a sign and stand around in the blistering heat….well maybe not.

    • Pat in MA says:

      Sarah says: what? you mean there are rules??? Well ok, so there may be rules, but surely those don’t apply to me you betcha, wink, wink. I just don’t see this latest charade going well….

      • Elizabeth says:

        I suspect that was happened at Bethlehem. Remember, she only went as far as the border.

      • Bev says:

        She has money now, she can buy the rules she wants…see what happens when you give an idiot more money then brains.

    • yukonbushgrma says:

      Oh, goody! Leave it to the Inquirer to dig into that. Good for them. I do so hope you’re right and they treat her just like any other “rill Amerikun.”

      But I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if her new advance man (you know, the one she fired and just re-hired) gets all of those silly little details taken care of. (“Aw, c’mon now, this is SAYYYYY-RA we’re talking about!”)

    • Ripley in CT says:

      Shhhhhhhh!!!

      • fromthediagonal says:

        shhhh indeed! Let’s not give her any more oxygen than we have to!

    • Kilia says:

      Yes, here is a short quote from the Philly Inq.

      “A spokeswoman for the Visitors Center said Palin’s people had not asked for a special tour for the bell or applied for any permit.

      Teri Adams, president of the Independence Hall Tea Party, said no one from Palin’s organization had contacted her.

      “She may want us to come out and greet her,” Adams said. “But we’re not supporting any particular candidate at this point in time.””

    • ks sunflower says:

      I find it ironic that a woman whose son vandalized buses now uses one to flaunt her ignorant self using the flag, Constitution, and American “values” to sites where real Americans fought and died for the freedom she misuses and abuses at every turn.

      I seriously doubt she knows anything about the sites she will visit. I would not want to shake her hand before any of her little screeches because you know they will be heavily inked. This woman is so disgusting that it makes me physically shudder to think she is still getting media attention.

    • Ann says:

      Just to add to what AuntieRuth wrote, the Inquirer also reported that the head of the Independence Hall Tea Party also was not contacted and had no idea that Sarah was coming to Phila. And the Inquirer buried this little story on the second page of the “Local News” section. Hmm…no publicity to speak of, no special permit to park the bus or the visit the Liberty Bell, no request for a special tour. Sounds like a major FAIL to me. No surprise there!

    • Sally says:

      I’m hoping it pours rain at every stop so she can’t even leave the damned bus…would she think God was trying to tell her something…like the fire alarm going off the second Mittens asked an Iowa crowd, “Can I win Iowa?”

    • leenie17 says:

      Wouldn’t it be just delightful to see her being escorted off federal property by a polite, professional uniformed Park Ranger?!?!?!

      Now THAT’S some video destined to go viral!

    • SouthPaw says:

      AuntieRuth

      Just in case you need a couple ideas for some signage…here’s two I’m using should this idiot come my way…

      $arah Palin…fire in her belly…head up her as*

      also, too

      “Hey Trig…Who’s your momma?”

      *s

      • Gramiam says:

        And another “freakin’ genius” heard from! ROFLMAO! I love you, SouthPaw!

  90. physicsmom says:

    I don’t have words…

  91. yukonbushgrma says:

    oops — “Nope,” !!!

    (and some of it might even be red)

  92. jimzmum says:

    Good for Mr. Shpak! That horrible woman has no business being there with her horrible bus. I do hope the police make them park that thing miles away from the event. We have friends there, and this is a very difficult time for these men and women. They work so hard to stay within the bounds of no endorsement, either real or perceived.

    As an aside, I wonder if that disgusting liar will show up in her race track attire?

    • yukonbushgrma says:

      Hope, I’m expecting Saks Fifth Ave. leather, head to toe!

    • ks sunflower says:

      You mean, the boobies and all? I am not sure even hard-core bikers will go for that considering to whom they are attached (however attached they may be).

  93. Zyxomma says:

    My reaction to the bus (and I was careful not to use big words, at least not too many):

    Sickening.
    Awful.
    Rotten.
    Asinine.
    Hateful.
    Putrid.
    Abhorrent.
    Crap.

    • merrycricket says:

      OMG! All I can say is she needs to keep that gaudy hunk of tin on wheels in the garage before she ruins the neighborhood! Not even a self respecting trailer park would want that bucket or bolts anywhere near it.

      • She definitely flunked (or skipped) the journalism class on layout. That thing is a mess of colors that don’t go together and images that make it difficult to even look at. Bleah!

        • Irishgirl says:

          It is the same as her recently renovated Sarahpac website – it’s just an awful mess of colours too. I actually did a short course in website development and we were always taught to keep it simple.

          The woman just has no class.

          http://www.sarahpac.com/

  94. OtterQueen says:

    I feel sorry for the Rolling Thunder guys. Here they are, holding an apolitical event which is supposed to focus on veterans, and here comes Mooseferatu to steal their thunder. Well, not steal it exactly, but to turn it into an “It’s All About Sarah” moment.

    “See? I love vets! Look! This is me loving the vets!”

    • Pat in MA says:

      OMG – spew alert – “Mooseferatu” LOL

      She is despicable…. do you love freedom? do you love the troops? do you love meeeeeeeeeeeee?

      Oh Sarah, please come to Boston in the springtime… so we can boo your lying pathetic self out of town….

    • Gramiam says:

      MOOSEFERATU? roflmao! I am so stealing this!

    • ks sunflower says:

      Love Mooseferatu! BTW, I think my keyboard is not long for this world – just sprayed a whole mouthful of water all over it. I forgive you, OtterQueen, for making me do that because the word is so delightfully appropriate and fun to boot!

      • Krubozumo Nyankoye says:

        Stick it in the microwave on low for about 4 minutes and it should survive.

        • Waay Out West says:

          Keyboard has metal, will the microwave survive?

          Paper towels underneath keyboard, Hairdryer. Low also too.

          Don’t ask me how I know this.

    • Bev says:

      Now you can understand my use of the word “HATE”…she is so vile and although I wish her no “real” harm…I do not wish her happiness.

    • Nan (aka roswellborn) says:

      “Mooseferatu” ? !!!!

      Freakin’ genius.

  95. sharon says:

    Same bus she used on her reality show:

    http://twitpic.com/5301gs

  96. daisydem says:

    Only now ABC news and others are reporting that she WAS invited … by the Alaskan Rolling Thunder contingent. Can’t you or one of your friends up there find out if this was the case or if Toddy made a hurried frantic call (to one of his cronies who “owes” him perhaps) and said, we gotta get a rebuttal out quick? This makes me sick. Our historical sites want no part of Palin; we just want her to be history (more like a footnote in a textbook). The Psychology texts of the future can devote many pages to her, but let’s get her out of our faces, PLEASE!

    • Bucsfan says:

      I read on line that a conservative site, Hot Air, contacted Christine Colborne on Friday night, the media director for Rolling Thunder and she confirmed that Palin was invited by Michael DiPaolo, a former board member with links to Alaska. So here’s my questions; 1. When did Colborne find out that Palin had been invited. I agree with you Daisy that it was after a frantic Toddie phone call because DiPaolo invites her and neglects to tell anyone? 2. Who is Michael DiPaolo and what exactly is his connection with Sarah, Full of Gall? 3. How does someone invite a person of Sarah’s notoriety and the Legislative Director is not told? I don’t buy the internal lack of communication that the con bloggers are trying to sell. And off topic, i was just driving down an interstate in Maryland and a van pulled up next to me and gave me the thumbs up, totally confusing me. Then as she went by, i saw the Palin sticker on the back. I have AK plates and apparently the driver didn’t get the news bulletin that just because i’m from Alaska, it doesn’t mean I’m a Palinbot. And I want the teenager from Missouri who challenged Bachman Turnoff Overhype to a debate to do the same with Sarah.

      • Bucsfan says:

        Sorry, the teenager is from New Jersey and the challenge was a debate on the Constitution and American History.

        • Susan, Jersey Girl says:

          Please, please , please don’t do anything to encourage her to come to New Jersey….

  97. WhichTruth says:

    First thought after seeing the bus and knowing Sarah, “When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”

    • daisydem says:

      Amen.

      • Joe Noway says:

        Palin Jacked you Once!, Twice!, One Nation Bus Ride! !

        http://edge.imgur.com/LusFr.jpg
        http://i.imgur.com/XEZgK.jpg

        One Nation Bus ride to Nowhere Song by Sarah Palin
        NEED HELP WRITING SONG PLEASE!!!

        Will be going nowhere
        On my bus from somewhere
        I’m taken my bus to somewhere!
        On the road to nowhere!

        I’m taking you nowhere! On my bus to nowhere!
        I’m taking you nowhere! On my bus to nowhere!

        Rallying the ignorance of America
        Most of them in the back woods

        I see your money in my checking
        Piling up faster and faster
        I’m taking your money somewhere
        Right to saks fifth avenue

    • Leota2 says:

      . . . and it will be unable to speak in complete sentences or understand the Constitution.

    • Diane says:

      I guess the modern day version of that thought should read and riding on a bus!

    • Sourdough Mullet says:

      So very true.
      Also, too, I think that instead of saying “Join the fundamental reform of America”, it should say “Be complicit in the Fundamentalist takeover of America” (brought to you by The Paliban). But I guess Sarah will never be an advocate of THAT much “Truth”!

      • overthemoon says:

        Thanks for the truthful translation! I like it twice… ;- )

    • Sourdough Mullet says:

      So very true.
      Also, too, I think that instead of saying “Join the fundamental restoration of America”, it should say “Be complicit in the Fundamentalist takeover of America” (brought to you by The Paliban). But I guess Sarah will never be an advocate of THAT much “Truth”!

    • Gramiam says:

      This is a quote from Sinclair Lewis, who wrote a very telling book called “It Can’t Happen Here”. The book is about how a Fascistic group, under cover of patriotism and “values based” politics takes over and destroys the United States.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Can%27t_Happen_Here

    • ks sunflower says:

      I have that Sinclair Lewis quotation as a bumper sticker on my car. It draws supportive comments from people even here in Red Kansas. Of course, Johnson County is also the county with the most college-educated population and service-oriented business, perhaps that has something to do with it — but it also draws favorable comment in Lawrence (of course – a progressive university town) and in Wyandotte a blue but working class county to our north. Everyone always says, “Isn’t that the truth!”

      But here’s another I wish I could find as a bumper sticker:

      “Fascism is not in itself a new order of society. It is the future refusing to be born.” – Aneurin Bevan

      I like it because, for me, it conveys the backwards-looking attitude associated with people supportive (either consciously or unawares) of fascist candidates or political views. They seem afraid of disturbing the status quo and of change in any form – particularly social reform and are therefore easily manipulated to prevent change unfavorable to corporate interests.

    • Or, in this case, driving a bus with the Constitution on the side, and the Liberty Bell on the back.

      While wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross.

      This stunt is getting complicated.

    • Lynne says:

      …and it will espouse the platitudes of freedom while taking freedoms away and punishing dissenters. No slight is too small for the punitive hand of the quitter queen of the facebook realm, she “our lady of perpetual victimhood” north star. I hope she gets a healthy dose of “real americans” yelling in her face exactly the shit she spews.

    • Joe Noway says:

      One Nation Bus Ride to Nowhere
      Palin Jacked you Once!, Twice!, ! !

      http://edge.imgur.com/LusFr.jpg
      http://i.imgur.com/XEZgK.jpg

    • Joe Noway says:

      “”” I vote for option 2″””
      One Nation Bus Ride to nowhere! !
      Palin Jacked you Once!, Twice!,
      Bus Theme..

      http://edge.imgur.com/LusFr.jpg
      http://i.imgur.com/XEZgK.jpg

    • jojobo1 says:

      Right you are I have thought that since she first appeared on the national scene