The Patriot Files Forums  

Go Back   The Patriot Files Forums > General > Political Debate

Post New Thread  Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 10-04-2008, 11:20 AM
exlrrp exlrrp is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,196
Distinctions
VOM Contributor 
Default Troopergate continues!! The scandal that just won't die!

The scandal that just won't die!! Obama is right---you can't make this stuff up!! And its fun to follow it along---in the Anchorage Daily News they have a whole section on it that covers it from the beginning: http://www.adn.com/troopergate/index.html Its great, gives you the whole overlook by the local paper. And a terific video showing all of Palin's flipflops and retractions.

Well, well, well, this is getting to be quite the soap opera. Just telling the tale gets long.
To start with, there was a real low class type who was also an Alaskan State trooper, one Michael Wooton (who was NOT a Democrat or liberal, definitely)

Wooten got in a very acrimonious divorce from Sarah Palin's sister. Palin and her family, including her husband Todd, then began a long cascade of complaints against Wooten in just about every arena. It was real nasty, so nasty the judge in the divorce case ordered them to stop it: "Disparaging will not be tolerated—it is a form of child abuse," the judge told a settlement hearing in October 2005," http://news.uk.msn.com/newsweek.aspx...mentid=9532055

That badmouthing went on though and retaliation attempts went on also. Palin and her family tired to get Wooten fired every which way they could, including lobbying Walt Monegan, the AlaskaCommissioner of Public safety, Wooten's boss. There's too much evidence of this to go into here--read the articles in the ADN. But there certainly was a long and extended campign to get him fired, incuding illegally acessing his personnel file.

Palin fired Monegan, he says for not firing Wooten. She says not, she wanted the dept to go in another direction. But the guy she hired, Chuck Kopp, was a repriimanded sexual harasser, so she had to let hiim go two weeks later. http://www.adn.com/news/politics/story/475539.html This says a lot about Repulican vetting procedures.

The Republican controlled Alaskan legislature wanted an investigation of Monegan's firing and its legislative comittee (8 Repubulicans and 4 Democrats) started one by hiring a private investigator http://www.adn.com/legislature/story/471366.html http://www.adn.com/monegan/story/478090.html

Initially Sarah Palin agreed enthusiastically to participate in the investigation. The ADN has a nice video of her right here http://www.adn.com/troopergate/index.html where you can hear and see her saying: " I will fully cooperate with any investigation...... I have nothing to hide....I look forward to any kind of investigation...I want them to ask me questions...Hold me accountable!....this all happened before I was governor...no one from my administration made any contact with (Monegan) about trooper Wooten..." [Quotes all taken from video]

Within days Palin was retracting and backpedaling. Turns out the committee had dozens of emails and records of phone calls between Monegan and members of the Palin family and members of her staff like Frank Bailey. It turns out that Bailey DID call Wooten and demand Monegan be fired with Palin's apparent backing and it was recorded. --the recording is on the video. "...Palin says she never asked Bailey to make the call, which she called "just wrong." ..."

And so is Palin's retraction where she states that the committee has the emails and that Frank Bailey was suspended from duty (he's back now, after paid leave)http://www.adn.com/troopergate/story/539516.html Bailey claimed that Palin NEVER told him to do this. (Question---why was a public employee so involved in Palin's sister's divorce?)

The world changed for Sarah Palin when McCAin named her as his veep----and so did her atttitude about this investigation as the video quoted makes clear.

Immediately Alaska was flooded with high paid Washington lawyers trying to get the investigation blocked. The first thing that happened was that suit was filed by 5 Alaska Repulican legislators represented by "The Texas-based Liberty Legal Institute" to block the investigation claiming bias. this suit was rejected in court: http://www.adn.com/troopergate/story/544566.html

All of Palin's staff refused to cooperate with the legislative investigator, evidently on advice of the Attorney Genral ( A PALIN APPOINTEE!!!) Palin now insists thhat the correct place for this investigation is by the State personnel board { ALL Palin appointees!!} where it will be private----this after calling for transparency, which you can hear in the video. its welll explained here: http://www.adn.com/troopergate/story/535188.html "Of the two Alaska investigations into abuse-of-power allegations against Sarah Palin, the governor has chosen to cooperate with just one: the one that guarantees secrecy...."

So much for "hold me acccountable" She wants the "investigation" to be done by people she appointed---AND HAVE IT DONE IN SECRET!! So much for the transparency she claims to want. "Less than a week after balking at the Legislature's investigation into her alleged abuse of power, Gov. Sarah Palin on Monday indicated she will cooperate with a separate probe run by people she can fire...." http://www.adn.com/troopergate/story/534119.html

The bipartisan legislative comittee then subpoenaed 13 individuals, including Palin's husband Todd. All of them have, so far, refused to apppear. Apparently on the advice of the AG Colberg, who also filed suit to block the investigation. This was also rejected by the court.

I've had to skip a whole lot---its a terrific story: family vendettas, The Sister In Law From Hell, deniakls and retractions. Read the whole Anchorage Daily News series---its local coverage, the biggest paper in ALaska.

Where it stands now is this: the big news was that the 5 legislators suit, combined with AG Colberg's suit was thrown out in court on Thursday: "An Anchorage judge Thursday refused to halt the Legislature's investigation of Gov. Sarah Palin and denied the Alaska attorney general's challenge of legislative subpoenas..."http://www.adn.com/troopergate/story/544566.html

Its now at the doors of the AK Supreme Court, who has agreed to hear it. http://www.adn.com/troopergate/story/545448.html "...The Alaska Supreme Court has agreed to hear an emergency appeal from lawyers seeking to shut down the Legislature's investigation of Gov. Sarah Palin. Friday's action came the day after Anchorage Superior Court Judge Peter Michalski threw out their lawsuit attempting to halt the Legislature's investigation of Palin, the Republican nominee for vice president. Texas-based Liberty Legal Institute and Anchorage attorney Kevin Clarkson filed the suit on behalf of a group of Alaska Republican state legislators opposed to their colleagues' investigation, which has come to be called Troopergate...."

Gee, a real emergency appeal---theyre trying to block an investigation that Palin originally agreed to with complete enthusiasm. Watch the video reffed above in the local paper, hear the quotes, read all the articles referenced here. Theyre trying to block a fully transparent, bi partisan investigation by elected representatives (primarily republicans, who are in charge of both houses of the legislature) in favor of a secret investigation by Palin appointees.

this will no doubt, be the final appeal---I can't imagine them taking it to the US Supreme Court....but maybe. Ive been way surprised in this case already---I expected it to get tied up in court untill after the election. Seeing it happen before the election is a real surprise. But it shows there are a surprising number of AK repubs with some pretty good sense and principles. they don't want McCain's high paid lawyers and the "Liberty League" of texas telling them how they have to run their government. the whole thing is becoming an embarassment to them, I'm sure.

What will the Supreme Court do? Its also dominated by Repubs, one of them a Palin appointee.

One thing for sure is that, based on the fierce resistance to it, I think the palin camp knows this will be a real sinker for her. they have all the evidence, so they know whats coming. Whjats rally funny is that if she hadn't beeen appointed veep by MccAin, no one wouldd have ever heard of this. There's really no "crime" here in the sense that she could go to jail (tho others of her staff might) but there's some real impeachable offenses here.

it all looks real bad for someone who is claiming to be above corruption, a reformer. It looks like she used her office to retaliate against an individual. Its definitely proven that her staff were contacting Monegan about it---on taxpayer time!!

And now she's trying to run away from the accountability she enthusiastically asked for (its on the video!) by having it settled in secret by her appointees. this is Palin's view of justice. i thinkthe AK Supreme Court will reject it---just read the article on the judge rejecting the suit on Thursdayy---it gives his reasons why not and I think theyre going to stand up: "...Michalski, in dismissing their lawsuit Thursday, ruled the conduct of the investigation did not violate the right to fairness. He found the Legislature has the right to investigate, and issues such as whether that happens through a council or committee are not for the courts to decide and is "business to be left to the legislative branch."
The judge Thursday also threw out a lawsuit filed by Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg. Colberg, a Palin appointee, was attempting to persuade the court to quash the Legislature's subpoenas ordering state officials to testify in the investigation...."

I don't think the AK Supes are going to disagree with that and then its going to be bad news for Sister Sarah. All those state employees and her husband---and HER will have to testify. and then it will all come out---before the election.
Well, I'll give odds of 3 to 5 anyway. The Supes are, after all repugs---but I think Alaskans are getting dam tired off having the MccAin campaign run their state.
__________________
When you can't think what to do, throw a grenade
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
  #2  
Old 10-04-2008, 11:32 AM
SEATJERKER's Avatar
SEATJERKER SEATJERKER is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,985
Distinctions
VOM Contributor 
Default Whaa, Whaa,..

...

...Any time a sister is involved, there is personals involved,...

...So, being that this guy was a bad seed, she divorced him, probably after he stalked, and harrassed her, and abusing his "power of the law",...

...He probably should have been fired long before,...

...
__________________
"Let me tell you a story"
..."Have I got a story for you!"

Tom "ANDY" Andrzejczyk

...
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 10-04-2008, 06:20 PM
darrels joy's Avatar
darrels joy darrels joy is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Indian Springs
Posts: 5,964
Distinctions
Contributor 
Default

Quote:
All of these moves, of course, have made her enemies. This post is long enough already without delving into the whole Tasergate/Troopergate investigation, but to focus on the relevant point for these purposes, the investigation was touched off when Palin sacked Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan, who broke openly with Palin over her efforts to cut his agency's budget:
* 12/9/07: Monegan holds a press conference with Hollis French to push his own budget plan. * 1/29/08: Palin's staffers have to rework their procedures to keep Monegan from bypassing normal channels for budget requests.

* February 2008: Monegan publicly releases a letter he wrote to Palin supporting a project she vetoed.

* June 26, 2008: Monegan bypassed the governor's office entirely and contacted Alaska's Congressional delegation to gain funding for a project.


This is all of a piece with Palin's willingness to butt heads to get control of the budget, to the advantage of the taxpayer. Hollis French, the Democratic State Senator and prominent Obama supporter, is effectively controlling the investigation, which was designed to release its report five days before the election and which would be essentially guaranteed to do zero political damage to Palin if it was released at any other time (you can tell this by comparing how much time Palin's critics spend discussing the investigation's procedures as opposed to its underlying facts). Anyone remotely familiar with the history of political reform can tell you that this sort of vendetta is exactly the risk you run when you try to bring about genuine change in the public sector, and why so many politicians shy away from necessary confrontations that create enemies of people like Monegan. The investigation is just another badge of Palin's fearlessness.
Joy
__________________

sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 10-05-2008, 07:16 AM
exlrrp exlrrp is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,196
Distinctions
VOM Contributor 
Default Sarah palin sued by republican activist!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by darrels joy View Post
Joy

"...the investigation was touched off when Palin sacked Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan, who broke openly with Palin over her efforts to cut his agency's budget:...."

Thats all well and good but thats not what Palin said when she was confronted with this:
"...The governor continues to say she dismissed Monegan and replaced him with Kenai Police chief Chuck Kopp last week because she wants a new direction for the department...." http://www.adn.com/politics/story/468174.html Kopp was the sexual harasser that she hired to replace Monegan....who she had to fire 2 weeks later, giving him $10,000 of the taxpayer's money as severance pay for two weeks where he hadn't even moved his stuff into his desk. Whats WITH repulican vetting procedures, anyway?

And as for all that crapola about Hollis French being a democrat and Obama supporter: The comittee that he represents is made up of 8 repuglicans and 4 democrats---whY doesn't your article reference that fact? And that committee represents the primarily repuglican controlled Alaska legislature. I think Alaskan republicans are getting dam tired of having the McPalin campaign ousiders run their state

Your little pitbull with lipstick whole heartedly agreed to "cooperate fully" with the committee---look at the video referenced above: "..." I will fully cooperate with any investigation...... I have nothing to hide....I look forward to any kind of investigation...I want them to ask me questions...Hold me accountable!...."
Now she only wants to be investigated IN SECRET bY PEOPLE SHE APPOINTED AND CAN FIRE!! wHATS UP WITH THAT???

And how about this? Palin says in the same article cited above: "..."To allege that I, or any member of my family, requested, received or released confidential personnel information on an Alaska State Trooper, or directed disciplinary action be taken against any employee of the Department of Public Safety, is, quite simply, outrageous," Palin said in a statement also released Thursday...."

It wasn't at all outrAgeous---it was the truth! She completely backtracked on that within a week: "...Palin, who has previously said her administration didn't exert pressure to get rid of trooper Mike Wooten, also disclosed that members of her staff had made about two dozen contacts with public safety officials about the trooper.

"I do now have to tell Alaskans that such pressure could have been perceived to exist although I have only now become aware of it," Palin said.

She didn't mention the emails the comittee has from Todd Palin to Monegan either. Its imposssible to believe that Plain didn't know that her staff --- AND HER OWN HUSBAND!-- weren't contacting Monegan over this! How out of touch can you get?

What a soap opera!! here's todays Sister Sarah news:

"Palin Sued for Private E-Mails About State Business" http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the...e_e-mails.html


ANCHORAGE -- In a lawsuit filed in Alaska Superior Court, a Republican activist seeks to force Gov. Sarah Palin to produce copies of official correspondence she sent and received on private e-mail accounts.

Andrée McLeod filed the suit Wednesday and publicized it in a news release today. "Rather than using her state e-mail account, throughout her two-year tenure as Governor of Alaska, defendant Sarah Palin, as a matter of routine, has used, and, on information and belief, continues to use, (at least) two private e-mail accounts... to conduct official business of the State of Alaska," the suit alleges.

The suit is the latest front in a battle McLeod is waging over Palin's e-mail. In June, she filed an open-records request and received four boxes of redacted e-mails. But more than 1,100 others were withheld, an action Palin justified by claiming executive privilege. McLeod appealed that claim last month before going to court last week....."


So we can see real well what kind of "transparency" Palin will bring to the job: none. This raises an important issue---does a governor have a "right" to executive privilege? I'v never head of another governor doing this. Presidents claim executive privilege but there's nothing at all in the constitution about it and I would like to see that examined by the Supreme Court. But Presidents can at least claim they have life and death issues like national security that must be done in secret----what does a governor do that compares with that and PLEASE! Not the "I can see Russia from my house" argument!
__________________
When you can't think what to do, throw a grenade
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 10-05-2008, 08:02 AM
darrels joy's Avatar
darrels joy darrels joy is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Indian Springs
Posts: 5,964
Distinctions
Contributor 
Default

That's why 80% of Alaskans support her. She is out there with what she does.

The Washington State Governor tries to hide all her activities and her poll number suck. Maybe this time the election will be clean(er) and she'll lose.
______________________________________________
Alaska Department Of Public Safety Commissioner Charles Kopp Denies He Is A Sexual Harasser, Claims Hugs Were Just Platonic


Update July 22nd 9:40 P.M: Updated information and additional links posted. Updated information posted in green.

Update July 25th: Charles Kopp resigned, updated post HERE.

New Public Safety Commissioner Charles Kopp has just denied that he sexually harassed an employee when he was Kenai police chief. He says he did hug an employee in the workplace three or four times, which generated a sexual harassment reprimand. Initial story published on this post of the ADN's Alaska Politics blog and on KTUU Channel 2 and on KTVA Channel 11. A complete transcript of Kopp's remarks, including a Q&A session with the media, is published on this post.

Kopp acknowledged he was reprimanded by letter by the Kenai city council after he was found to have improperly hugged the employee multiple times. He appealed the letter, subsequently reaching an agreement that if there were no recurrences, the letter would be removed from her file after two years. This did indeed happen.

Kopp said the hugs were non-sexual, in a "friend-to-friend capacity," and he has no idea why the woman eventually filed a sexual harassment complaint with the city. He disputes that he ever kissed her, as the woman claims. He further explained that he hugged the woman "three or four times", and that some of the hugs were initiated by her. In addition, Kopp acknowledged that he rubbed her neck once when she complained of pain. He said he asked if she wanted him to rub her neck and she said "OK." He denies ever kissing her.

The employee who made the accusation, in 2005, was a longtime friend who he'd known since high school. She was friends with both Kopp and his wife, and they routinely hugged when greeting each other outside of work. The woman had worked for the department before Kopp was police chief and was hired again after he became chief and opening came up.

Kopp claims that he's learned his lesson; his subsequent behavior appears to support that contention. As a gesture of solidarity, Kenai Mayor Pat Porter appeared with Kopp and said, "We are very supportive of him in our community."

Again, here is the seven-minute KTUU interview in which the victim tells her story. It appears the two stories are relatively similar, except the victim believes the incidences were much more frequent.



And moments ago, Governor Palin has just issued a press release explaining the Monegan situation in greater detail. She claims she has met face-to-face with Monegan over two dozen times. She also got five other administration officials to "verify" her accessibility, including Mike Nizich, Click Bishop, Joe Schmidt, Craig Campbell, and John Katz. They all effusively praise the "Great Helmswoman" for her accessibility. It reminds me of the old days of the Soviet Union during a Communist Party Congress, when each Politburo member would get up and belch forth oceans of praise for the General Secretary.

Commentary: This is exactly how Kopp should have explained it the first time, instead of deflecting the issue. His account shows why Governor Palin was inclined to overlook the incident and hire him as DPS Commissioner anyway. His new explanation does restore some confidence in the integrity of his new stewardship.

It also tends to explain why the victim never filed suit. She apparently believed merely being detached from his chain of command was a sufficient remedy.
http://alaskapride.blogspot.com/2008...ic-safety.html
__________________

sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 10-06-2008, 05:04 AM
exlrrp exlrrp is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,196
Distinctions
VOM Contributor 
Default Breaking news!!! Seven sarah aides to testify!!!

I'll start with the Kopp BS:

http://www.adn.com/news.government.story472493.html
"Kopp acknowledges harassment complaint
Letter of reprimand told him 'don't ever hug an employee'

By MEGAN HOLLAND
mholland@adn.com

Published: July 23rd, 2008 12:05 AM
Last Modified: July 23rd, 2008 01:37 PM

New Department of Public Safety Commissioner Chuck Kopp on Tuesday for the first time said he had a sexual harassment complaint made against him in 2005 by a female assistant when he was chief of Kenai Police and that he was reprimanded for it by the City of Kenai.

The complaint ultimately yielded a letter of reprimand from the city that went into his personnel file but was removed a couple years later after no other complaints were made against him, he said.....

....But the woman behind the allegation says Kopp isn't telling the truth about details of their relationship. The Daily News contacted the woman, and she agreed to be interviewed if her name was not used......

.....The woman, reached after the press conference, said much of what Kopp said is not true; other things are distorted. She said, for example, they met when she started working as a dispatcher at the police department, not in high school, as he said.

The hugs, she said, started when she became his assistant in 2005 and only took place when no one was around, she said.

"He kept trying to build this icky closeness," she said in a phone interview.

Kopp says he rubbed her neck once because she was in extreme pain. The woman says that she felt uncomfortable in letting him touch her.

The woman told Kopp to stop. But he didn't and the requests for hugs continued, she said"

So its a he said she said kind of thing---who ya gonna believe---the victim? or the sexual harasser?

The latest news is even more portentious: Seven of Sarah's aides have agreed to testify before the legislative committee investigation:
\http://www.adn.com/troopergate/story/546971.html

"TROOPERGATE: State employees will honor legislative subpoenas.

By WESLEY LOY
wloy@adn.com

Published: October 6th, 2008 01:38 AM
Last Modified: October 6th, 2008 01:43 AM

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's attorney general announced Sunday that seven state employees will now honor subpoenas to testify in the legislative investigation of the Troopergate affair.

Attorney General Talis Colberg said the decision comes in light of Superior Court Judge Peter Michalski's ruling last week rejecting an attempt to kill the subpoenas.

The state Department of Law "consulted with the seven state employees and advised them of their options," a statement from Colberg's office said.

All seven have decided to cooperate with the investigation, the statement said...."

this after Colbergs suit to block the subpoenas wa tossed out of court. I'm real sure that Colberg has already talked to the AK Supreme Court and his last ditch emergencyy appeal to block the investigation from revealing its findings on Oct 10th will be going no where. A state Supreme Court NEVER, to the best of my knowledge has ever blocked the due and lawful release of a legislative committee's report. Yhere's a whole issue of seperation of powers and an attorney general has no legal standing to block the release of a legislative report.

It loooked like there was going to be a release of the report anyway whether the subpoena'd people testified or not.

I think the AK Supreme Court is going to kick the chair out from under Sister Sarah---there's no legal grounds at all to delay the report. The next question will be when will Sarah and Todd testify? If she doesn't, I can hardly believe all those good folks in Alaska won't impeach her--there ARE checks and limits on her job no matter how she wants to pretend there isn't
I think this will be all over the news by Friday. As I say, you can tell from the fierce die hard resistance from the McPalin campaign and all those high price Washington lawyers that there's going to be something bad for The Little Pitbull IN Lipstick in it and they know it.
I'm looking forward to the due and lawful release of the report and so should Palin's supporters---if she really has nothing to hide as she claims.
__________________
When you can't think what to do, throw a grenade

Last edited by exlrrp; 10-06-2008 at 05:28 AM.
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 10-06-2008, 12:17 PM
Advisor Advisor is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Dec 1969
Posts: 938
Talking

80% of Alaskans support her...hmmmm, maybe they would be glad to see her go to D.C. Kinda like outta sight, outta mind. IT'S A JOKE.
__________________
Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. -Samuel Johnson
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Palin Troopergate Smear Leader A Phony Marine Corps Poser (Hollis French) darrels joy Political Debate 11 09-18-2008 11:24 AM
Palin's Troopergate explained: an all Repuglican scandal exlrrp Political Debate 17 09-11-2008 07:48 AM
Russians Implicated In Oil Scandal David United Nations 0 05-16-2005 01:20 PM
Scandal Addiction thedrifter Marines 1 10-06-2003 05:50 PM
Texas Scandal Anonymous Sender General 3 09-20-2003 12:28 PM

All times are GMT -7. The time now is 01:28 AM.


Powered by vBulletin, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.