Sunday, July 5, 2009
Good morning. I trust you had a safe and enjoyable great Independence Day.
I planned to take one day off from blogging today but when this story was sent to me by one of my eagle eye readers, I couldn’t let it pass without a comment.
Few things set me off faster than being threatened. People who know me are well aware of this. If you want me to do something for you — just ask. I’ll give you the shirt off my back, invite you to eat dinner with us and even give you my last dollar. But, don’t threatened me. Maybe at the end of the day, I’m just a typical male after all?
So when I learned Sarah Palin’s lawyer had the unmitigated gall to threaten legal action against news organizations if they publish “defamatory” stories relating to whether Palin is under Federal investigation, this became not only a threat to me as a blogger but, an attack on my First Amendment rights of free speech.
In an extraordinary four-page letter, Alaska-based attorney Thomas Van Flein warns of severe consequences should speculation that until now has largely been confined to blogs about whether Palin embezzled funds in the construction of a Wasilla, Alaska, sports arena find its way into print.
If you read my reporting of Palin’s bizarre resignation as Alaska governor, it took the form as an Editors Update attached to a quote from an interview she gave to Runner’s World magazine. I speculated that with the abrupt resignation, she would be unfettered to run for president in 2012.
To me, reports that Sarah Palin is the target of a Federal embezzlement investigation were nothing more than speculation — something I usually tend to avoid on my blog. However, my right to speculate about anyone, falls under the category of free speech and is protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, and no one, especially some dirty, salmon-stank Alaska lawyer has the right to threaten legal action in order to shut me up.
If you want to play hardball, Ms. Palin and Mr. Van Flein, bring it on.
I now intend move speculation that Sarah Palin is the target of a Federal embezzlement investigation to the top of my blog topics. See what making threats gets you?
25 Comments
+ at 11:57 am
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and for the ambulance chasers to make the first topic of their tirade cuts to the chase. What they didn’t plan on was that their letter would pretty much seal the left’s suspicions that she did indeed build that house on the tails of that sports complex, and most likely pulled a lot more shenanigans along the same lines. She’s already had to refund the public coffers for trips for her kids, she’s already had to return high dollar clothing the McCain campaign bought her, so why wouldn’t she scam herself her dream home?
The more we learn about this woman now, the more I can see that we really, really dodged a bullet last November. If this crazy wank had managed to get herself into the White House after the octogenarian crank she teamed up with died from the stress, she would most likely have turned into a Idi Aminette.
+ at 12:06 pm
How is Palin paying for this high powered legal representation?
Or, are the people of Alaska footing the bill?
I mean, think about it. How much is the governor of Alaska’s annual salary? $150,000? $175,000? Yet, like so many things about the Palins, their lives are a mystery.
Like how did they manage to buy (or build) a house worth $1 million dollars? Nothing about them makes sense, and you know what Judge Judy says, “If it doesn’t make sense, then chances are it isn’t true.”
+ at 12:16 pm
Maybe she returned the $200,000 worth of clothes she bilked the McCain campaign for and she’s using the money for legal bills?
+ at 12:27 pm
Well, I DID blog on it, because the Brad Blog is pretty much spot on, all the time, and this has apparently been swirling for years. I don’t usually speculate either, unless the item of speculation fits a known pattern about the subject. In Caribou Barbie’s case, the alleged behavior fits right in with everything we know her to have done.
I was aware of this shyster’s threat. Fuck him.
+ at 12:28 pm
The Caribou Barbie is a walking public relations catastrophe. In all the years I’ve followed politics I have never seen a bigger moron than Sarah Palin. If she has plans for 2012 and 2016 that don’t include professional victimhood, then she needs to stop acting like a martyr and man up. National politics is tough and you don’t win supporters by whining and stomping your feet and threatening legal action against your critics. What a stupid bitch.
+ at 12:31 pm
i think it will make a great TV show when Palin and Van Idiot sue the entire internet……
Palin is that stupid – she hasnt learned that insulating herself, making empty threats and quitting just dont sit well with 80% of the country. the other brain dead 20% would love sarah no matter what she does
+ at 12:40 pm
I have tremendous respect for you, Christopher.
You’re smart, informed, funny and fearless. I would be surprised to see you curl up and hide at the first sign of the cavalry coming over the hill. This isn’t who you are.
If this douchebag attorney brings a lawsuit against the mainstream media like the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, as well as the blogger up in Alaska who broke the embezzlement story, then what I hope happens is, every blogger who reported the story joins with the Times, Post and the LA Times, as parts of a class action suit based on intimidation and the attempt to limit Constitutionally guaranteed free speech by Palin and presumably, her lay-about husband.
Go for damages. Shut them down. I read the letter from her attorney and it’s outrageous. This is the United States — not some banana republic.
+ at 12:55 pm
Dear Sarah Palin,
I think you’re an ugly whore who wasn’t pregnant with the Down Syndrome kid named Trig.
Sincerely,
Mets Fan
PS: Now sue me.
+ at 12:55 pm
What I find absurd is how she threatens all this legal action after after complaining about how she is in debt for legal fees resulting from defending herself against ethics violations. That was an underlying reason she gave for her resignation. Now she wants to sue media sources reporting on speculation. Talk about expensive.
My hat is off to Alaskan blogger Shannyn Moore, as she is specifically named by Palin’s lawyer, for standing up for her rights and not baking down to threats.
+ at 1:10 pm
All of this got me to thinking? I think I’ll sue Sarah Palin in small claims court because she won’t go away and shut the fuck up. I find her voice annoying and as I have a right to peace and quiet, her endless, mindless yammering is an infringement on my quality of life. This is easily worth $5,000, don’t you agree?
+ at 2:21 pm
I think Sarah Palin is a few bricks shy of a load. Even George Bush, who no one would mistake as sane, knew better than to threaten to sue the entire internet. Palin is clearly paranoid but to think she found a lawyer willing to represent her, suggests to Shakespeare’s assessment of lawyers was correct. He should be disbarred for exploiting the feeble minded.
+ at 2:35 pm
I think I’m going to sue Sarah Palin for pain and suffering since I’m forced to listen to her bitching and whining every time I turn on the news.
Shut. The. Fuck. Up.
+ at 2:55 pm
[...] Christopher of From The Left reports today, Caribou Barbie is now threatening, through her lawyer, to sue everybody in sight for being mean to [...]
+ at 3:01 pm
Methinks the lady’s lawyer doth protest too much.
+ at 3:20 pm
I see where her almost son-in-law, the porn-ready Levi Johnston is writing a book about the Palin enterprise. Does Sarah plan to sue him too?
+ at 4:14 pm
If Sarah of Wasilla were truly interested in being let alone, she would just go away and disappear from the spotlight.
She lives thousands of miles from the nearest large media market and with this nation’s short attention span, in 2 or 3 months, people would forget all about her. But all that media attention is like a drug and now she’s addicted to it.
+ at 4:20 pm
Troopergate
Trig-gate
Bristol-gate
Affair-gate
Private Jet-gate
Banned Books-gate
Saks Fifth Avenue-gate
Uncle-gate
Wasilla Sports Complex-gate
Sarah Palin makes Richard Nixon look like a choir boy by comparison.
+ at 4:25 pm
When Turd Blossom turns on you and all you’ve got left are a half dozen, disgruntled PUMA loons with homemade signs marching around in front of the Ed Sullivan Theater bitching about Letterman, then I think it’s safe to say your 15 minutes of fame were up about 14 minutes ago.
I’d like to say it’s been fun but, I would be lying.
+ at 6:18 pm
Sarah and Todd Palin need to chuck this dream of the White House and just go straight into porn.
The titles of their work would boggle the mind:
“Riding Governor Sarah”
“Phallus in the Tundra”
“The Whore of Wasilla”
“Todd and Sarah Strike Sperm”
“Cum and Dumber”
“How Sarah Got Her Box Rocked”
+ at 6:32 pm
Shannyn held a press conference today in front of the Gov’s Anchorage office to say “Bring it on!”…..offers are flooding in for free legal representation…..the AK progressive bloggers have her back…..
as Shannyn says, “Suck it up Buttercup!”
+ at 8:14 pm
mauigirl: I have to admit. These legal threats make Palin look guilty.
+ at 7:23 am
She’s whack. Totally whack.
The Wasilla Hillbilly thinks she’s God and has the power to strike down anyone who dares to discuss her ethics challenges, her family or her future.
This isn’t normal, well-adjusted adult behavior and I think the people of Alaska need to count themselves lucky Palin is departing to spend more time with her husband killing animals.
But if people around her start showing up dead, let’s hope the FBI and local law enforcement is keeping an eye on her.
+ at 11:31 am
Screw you, Palin.
You really think bloggers are going to give you a pass like they’re North Koreans and you’re Kim Jong Il?
What a fucking dope.
+ at 2:33 pm
Dear Failin’ Palin,
Let’s go chop off some turkey heads! Then we can watch mooses fuck. Or is it meese? Your pussy probably looks like two cow tongues dangling from your nethers. I like it when you speak in tongues. Love, Brad
+ at 8:16 pm
“Cum and Dumber.” ROFL! Good one, Conejo1982.