McPalin Family Values--Updated

Golly, we are rolling in stories over the last few days about Sarah Palin's relationship with her family and the McPalin ticket's relationships with other people's kids.

It's not a pretty picture.

First, we'll start with the blog that originally talked about at least part of the story that the National Enquirer said they "broke"...Track Palin's legal troubles and the basis for his entrance into the military.
Per "What Do I Know:"

While I trust my sources, I don't have enough independent information to nail this. So I'll drop my editorial based on this and just offer the basic allegation.

Four high school students were arrested for vandalizing school buses in Wasilla in 2005.

Troopers did not release names of the juvenile suspects, but David Coon's mother confirmed her son was one of two Burchell High School students involved in the incident. The other two boys are Wasilla High School students.

We also have this story from Detroit's Free Press:

Her oldest son, Track, lived in Portage [Michigan] during most of his senior year in high school. He played junior major hockey. During an interview at the National Governors Association conference in 2007, she told a Free Press reporter that her son went back to Alaska in March to graduate with his class.

The story I was told is that Track Palin was one of them and that he chose to enter the army rather than go to jail (or have a record?).

*****************UPDATE*********************

Progressive Alaska has deleted their "National Enquirer" post for reasons detailed in the linked article. Since my article here only uses the Track and Bristol stuff (which blogs already knew about) and my post has many parts to it of which the NE stuff is only one, I'm not going to delete this. However, I will post this as a disclaimer.

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Then we have the Energizer Bunnies, the folks at The National Enquirer and their heartwarming story yesterday which included the Track-avoids-jail-in-the-army story, faithfully reported by Progressive Alaska:

The ENQUIRER has learned exclusively that Sarah's oldest son, Track, was addicted to the power drug OxyContin for nearly the past two years, snorting it, eating it, smoking it and even injecting it. And as Track, 19, heads to Iraq as part of the U.S. armed forces, Sarah and her husband Todd were powerless to stop his wild antics, detailed in the new issue of The ENQUIRER, which goes on sale today.

THE ENQUIRER also has exclusive details about Track's use of other drugs, including cocaine, and his involvement in a notorious local vandalism incident.

Of course, that was only the part about Track Palin, there is still the Bristol chapter:

“Bristol was a huge stoner and drinker. I’ve seen her smoke pot and get drunk and make out with so many guys. All the guys would brag that the just made out with Bristol.”

When Sarah found out the teen was pregnant by high schooler Levi Johnston, she was actually banished from the house. As part of the cover-up, Palin quickly transferred Bristol to another high school and made her move in with Sarah’s sister Heather 25 miles away!

And here's the money quote:

The friend also confided that both Bristol and Levi “broke up a few times and they definitely messed around with other people.”

Moving on from the Palin family to the McPalin family values in action...

Alaska Real's Writing Raven mentioned the Lipstick...Pig...Hypocrisy story, but I was more interested in Part II--McCain's assertion that teaching children how to escape child sexual abuse is the equivalent of "sex ed":

This latest attack takes Obama's support of preventing sexual abuse of children as "teaching sex ed to kindergartners."

I worked with young children (before they reached kindergarten!) for five years, and one of the things that was very important to teach them the difference about was "good touch, bad touch" and how to recognize predators.

McCain's assertion that they would know "sex ed" before reading, is somewhat true, but not because Obama is in support of abuse prevention. In actuality, there are far, far too many children who will be sexually abused before they learn to read, and they will know far too much, far too early. Children who know the basics of recognizing a predator are more likely to speak up, and prevent the abuse in the first place, or report an offender to prevent him from further abuse.

So does McCain think that supporting high school anatomy classes is the equivalent of promoting pornography?

Moving from child sexual abuse to disabled children, The Anchorage Press this week describes a shocked Alaska Legislature after Palin's acceptance speech:

“I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House.”

It sounded fantastic, and rang true coming from the mother of a child with a disability.

But the declaration was a revelation to some legislators who’ve worked with Governor Palin for the last 21 months.

“I can tell you she wasn’t a champion for disabled children as governor,” says state Senator Bill Wielechowski (D-Anchorage). “I was surprised to hear her say that in her speech.”

The state of Alaska has what’s called a “Developmental Disabilities Waiting List,” a list of individuals whose needs qualify them for assistance, but that the state doesn’t have adequate funding to help. At the time of the most recent report, issued in December 2007, the list had 943 individuals on it. The report estimates that it would cost nearly $45 million to provide the services those on the waiting list need. Estimates vary, but most place the state’s budget surplus at about $5 billion.

So we're supposed to believe, Governor Palin, that the child that sprung forth from your uterus has completely changed your mind set regarding the priority of disabled children in your budget plan? Does this mean that as soon as you get the opportunity you will call an emergency session of the Legislature to make sure that $45 mil is allocated?

I'll start holding my breath now.

(Picture photoshopped and provided by Brian Little)

It's Official! Palin announces Bristol's Pregnancy!!

Per CBS:

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has announced that her 17-year-old daughter is five months pregnan.

Ohhh...gee...color me surprised...

The announcement is “intended to knock down rumors by liberal bloggers that Palin faked her own pregnancy to cover up for her child,” says the Reuters news service, which carried the first report.

Nooooooo...that's not why...those stories made "liberal blogs" sound crazy. It's because a number of us were trying to straighten out those blogs and tell them what the abundance of credible rumors ACTUALLY said...that Bristol was pregnant now.

And it probably didn't help that the intrepid Kim...member of Team Blue Oasis, found Meghan McCain's blog...who had a number of realllllly inconveniently angled pictures of Bristol backstage in Dayton, Ohio. (It has since been taken down but not before I got them on my blog.)

In a statement, the Palin family says that Bristol Palin is “about five months pregnant” and that she intends to marry the father. “We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us," the Palins said in the statement. "Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support.”

I'm glad this is out now and that everyone can now leave Bristol alone. Seriously, I posted on it to dispell the rumor about Trig, but had no intention of talking about it again and I truly hope that her impending marriage will only be happy.

But THIS is the part that made me laugh out loud:

According to the Reuters report, John McCain’s campaign was aware of the pregnancy when the Arizona senator selected Palin to be his running mate last week.

Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure he was...because a VP with a daughter pregnant out of wedlock is a shoe-in to bring in those evangelicals!

I think Palin has just had "strike one!"

Alaska Blogs dispelling Sarah Palin myths part 2--Bristol Palin

There is quite the way-beyond-a-buzz happening on the internet over allegations that Trig Palin is not Todd and Sarah's child, but belongs to Bristol Palin and an unknown father.

That's not how I've been hearing it for the last few months at all. As a matter-of-fact, I've been hearing that Trig is very much Todd and Sarah's child while Bristol Palin is actually pregnant now.

More than one Alaska blogger has received tips, emails, comments, etc...alleging that Bristol Palin has been pregnant since last spring, when she was moved out of the Valley to Anchorage to continue high school (allegedly away from the father of her unborn child). A commenter at Alaska Mudflats called Sue Williams who claims to be a neighbor of the Palins gives this story:

During this period is when Bristol, Sarah’s sixteen year old daughter, turns up pregnant. So, it’s kind of interesting to note that the Republican Vice Presidential Nominee and her sixteen year old junior in high school unwed daughter were carrying babies at the same time. Once Bristol’s condition became more obvious this summer, she was whisked out of sight and hasn’t been seen in public until yesterday in Ohio. This is why Trig’s blanket was strung across her entire abdomen and torso, but, when she walked down the stairs from the stage, in a profile shot, it was very clear to see she is well into her third trimester of her pregnancy.

It has come out in the past couple of days that she and her high school boyfriend had a quickie wedding and that she is home schooling her senior year.

The Anchorage Daily News has known about this for months - and haven’t touched the story. But I can’t imagine the national press or the Democratic Party will be as willing to turn a blind eye.

I can attest that versious of this story have been around for months, at least in the Alaska blog world, and no one has been willing to come forward with it due to lack of folks "in the know" willing to discuss it on the record one way or the other.

However, John McCain's daughter Meghan may have inadvertantly "kicked it up a notch."

In a post on her blog "McCain Blogette.com", Meghan posts a gazillion photos of all of them at the introduction of Sarah Palin as the VP choice in Dayton, Ohio. These two pictures were part of the bunch:





In both pictures Bristol looks like she may be quite pregnant. On the picture below, I noticed how extremely conspicuous the blanket looked covering practically down to her thighs when the baby was on her shoulder.



While I commend bloggers and other media who are doggedly pursuing an issue, I believe they are currently working on the wrong issue. Considering how many ethics and legal questions are swirling around the Palin's, questions about a pregnant daughter seem a little silly.

***UPDATE***

a) I'm posting this because I've received many emails on the topic. This is my answer.

b) Other than the "hypocrite" value, I really don't think that Bristol Palin being pregnant at the moment is a primary issue with Sarah Palin's VP candidate selection...there is too much that is potentially illegal and unethical going on to focus on this.

c) I don't believe that the "Trig is her grandson" story is true and I think it could end up decimating the credibility of those folks who continue to push it.

d) This will be the one and only post on this subject.

BREAKING: McCain Campaign heading to Alaska to investigate

A very reliable source overheard Republican spokesperson McHugh Pierre state TODAY that he had spoken to the McCain Campaign. They are coming to Alaska tomorrow to check out the "Troopergate" investigation.

In other words, THEY DID NOT DO SO PROPERLY AHEAD OF TIME.

So, I wonder what else they may not know...like why Bristol Palin may be holding a blanket over her abdomen in public when she's turned to the side towards the cameras?