Palin non-issue #47345: Alaskan independence

The right to keep and arm bears shall not be infringed. :)

It is going to be an absolute blast watching her give her acceptance speech this week. I predict something like, "The past several days, there have been some who have tried to define me or tear down my family with rumor, innuendo, and smears. But let me tell you who I am ... etc, etc. And let me tell you why I care about America, and why I want to be your vice president ... etc., etc. And one last thing, to those who have spread lies and rumor and hate: you'd better stay away from my family. You want a fight? Come after me. But leave my family out of it. Now let's go win this election."

Houghton:

Great post of yours at 1:05 AM and -- who knows? -- perhaps someone on the GOP speechwriting team is reading this blog and sees your suggestion.

Let Palin be Palin!!

All these rumors, claims, whispers and allegations about Sarah Palin and her family are annoying and tiresome. It really shows a lot of reckless, arrogant and ignorant people (mostly on the left) in a bad light.

On the other hand, we have seen within the past few months, right-wing eruptions about Obama and family such as: the "fist bump," the Michelle "Whitey" claim, the "birth certificate," the search for the term paper, and that whole Muslim smear (I've probably forgotten a few). To this has been added the parsing of every word, phrase and nuance by the Democratic candidate. So welcome to the (unpleasant and nasty) club, Sarah Palin.

While one can make the case that a Presidential candidate deserves more scrutiny, the fact remains that politics in America has gotten quite nasty - "the politics of personal destruction" - and, as Rod pointed out recently in an earlier post - it seems to have become generalized in the population making one fear for our future as a united people and nation given the incendiary rhetoric (spilling over into violent action at times) we see and hear all the time.

Meanwhile back on planet Earth, I remember the milita nuts of the nineties, as this AIP group fits into.

Norm Olsen of the Michigan Militia, G. Gordon (Headshots) Liddy, and the AIP all have this secessionist crap as part of their philosophy.

Harmless, unless you happen to be Timothy McVeigh.

I happen to know all about these clowns because I followed their activities (obsessively) for five years. I am the guy who brought G. Gordon Liddy's comments about shooting ATF agents to the three major Networks dropping his behind in major hot water. Please let's have a discussion about the militia movement, that ought to be fun.

"If the 13 colonies were right to secede from Britain, why was the South wrong to secede from the USA?" rombald

TR: First off I'm not convinced the colonies were right. It's turned out good in the long-run, but the rightness of their cause always sounded iffy to me.

However the colonies went through a long period of negotiation, which broke down. The South went through several negotiations, which produced several unsatisfactory solutions but did provide solutions. Then they seemed poise not to get their way in an election so bailed. (And I was born in Arkansas)

"Why was Georgia right to secede from the USSR, but South Ossetia wrong to secede from Georgia?" rombald

TR: The Soviet Union was dissolving and Georgia had been its own nation off/on before becoming a part of it. Ossetian independence is, pretty clearly now, just a stepping stone for the advancement of Russian power.

Now that's my view. The consensus view here is that the insecurity of Russia is something we must respect because of their historical position. They have a right to former territories for security and Georgia has no right to go outside the Russian sphere. The former Soviets should either be part of Russia or in some confederation with it. By not recognizing South Ossetian desire to rejoin Mother Russia Georgia has proven itself to be a lackey of the Western neocon imperialism which taints everything it touches in a way Russia never would. (Or could because they're frankly more sensible and just better than we are)

Well Obama attended a black church with a committment to africa.

Meanwhile back on planet Earth, I remember the milita nuts of the nineties, as this AIP group fits into.

Why don't you do some elementary 2 minute research before comparing "this AIP group" to Timothy McVey.

The AIP is a mainstream party in Alaska, and in the 90s the state's most popular governor was AIP (and I don't recall any phony horror on the Left about that).

For Alaskans uncomfortable with the Stevens/Murkowski/Young GOP machine, the AIP is a credible alternative, often more credible than the state's Democratic Party.

An Alaska completely independent of the USA could be run over by the Russians or the Chinese militarily or economically in very short order, the Republic of Alaska's commitment to firearm ownership and the skills of its hunters and cooks to live on moose meat nothwithstanding. Then these freedom-minded Alaskans would have simply moved any Russian or Chinese threat closer to the rest of us.

I consider my own lame-brain and lame-duck Republican representative's enthusiam for a second Republic of Texas enough reason by itself not to vote for him (although he won't be running again because he may be going to jail), and I consider any membership in an Alaska Independence Party (if it is true she was) to be a total deal-breaker, too.

Richard Bottoms, you may have identified the constituency McCain was seeking to energize, not our Crunchy Cons.

The real fun will come when the press finds the inevitable skinhead/militia nut/survivalist with an official position in the party.

It will be a little hard to distance Ms. Palin from the AIP seeing how she did a video for them, this year.

Please, let's have a discussion about the Unorganized Militia of Indiana, the Republic of Texas nuts, the "Admiralty Flag" idiocy, black helicopters, blue helmets, and coded symbols on our road sings.

It made Republicans seem insane in 1994, it will be the same now.

Puh-lease, Rod. Of course this matters. It doesn't seem curious to you that a candidate for the Vice Presidency of a major political party might have once not even wanted to be a part of the country?

It isn't like the AIP has such a broad coalition that she could say "Yeah I was a member. But I joined because of x, not y." In fact just the name, Alaskan Independence Party gives a pretty good hint about their main issue.

If I told you I was a member of the D.C. Statehood Party, but wasn't for statehood, you all would look at me funny.

What about the video addressing the AIP convention? She may not be a member of the AIP, but that video is up all over the 'net. I'm not sayin' she's wrong to have done it, but it'll take a little sophisticated thinking to understand the issues surrounding her association with the group, a difficult thing to expect of many in an election year. We're not as tolerant of secessionist groups the way they may be in, say, Canada, where Parti Quebecois has very minor mainstream acceptance.

Did anyone see the interview from July 31, 2008 where they ask her about being McCain's VP? She clearly said she would only run IF it would help Alaska. She did not say if I could help the U.S. That is VERY troubling to me.

What? Are you kidding me? THIS is not an issue! It just goes to show again how ignorant and hypocritical the Repugnant Party (oops, I meant Republican Party) is in its continued demonization of everyone except themselves. How can this not be an issue? How anti-American is this? Come on people! Stop avoiding the truth, and address the real issues anyway! It is alright to yell that Obama is a Muslim! It is alright to complain about his pastor, and even here, it is alright to comment about his connections with Bill Ayers. However, when these types of things appear on the other side of the fence they are now deemed irrelevant???? Talk about a double standard! Are you kidding me? Are you that shallow and self-embellished that you can not see the huge beam that exists in your own eye?

Norm Olson is a member of AIP and so was Todd Palin -- Sarah supports them still, full knowing they hate America, our laws and our flag. Timothy Mcveigh was trained by Norm Olson while he was a member of his Michigan Militia. that is the problem. what planet do you live on that would make that a non issue? She pals around with terrorist while pointing the finger at someone that doesn't. Timothy McViegh blew up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City killing 168 people, including 20 children. Which he felt was the act of civil war against the federal government. Because groups like AIP and Norm Olson supported his beliefs and trained him. Norman Olson is in the woods of Alaska training more men and is a member of AIP.