Factcheck.org Starts Debunking the Lies That Washington Post and Other Outfits are Trying to Pass Off as Journalism….but…

…They are a little late as blog sites and independent college newspapers like this one already did the research and debunked this nonsense, but we appreciate the gesture. Too bad Washington Post  articles from a few days ago pushing all these lies still have not been retracted. Newsweek’s lies – well they were sorta retracted in the online versions with verbage that was so convoluted you wouldn’t get it.

FACTCHECK.ORG:

Sliming Palin

September 8, 2008

False Internet claims and rumors fly about McCain’s running mate. Summary We’ve been flooded for the past few days with queries about dubious Internet postings and mass e-mail messages making claims about McCain’s running mate, Gov. Palin. We find that many are completely false, or misleading.

• Palin did not cut funding for special needs education in Alaska by 62 percent. She didn’t cut it at all. In fact, she tripled per-pupil funding over just three years.

• She did not demand that books be banned from the Wasilla library. Some of the books on a widely circulated list were not even in print at the time. The librarian has said Palin asked a “What if?” question, but the librarian continued in her job through most of Palin’s first term.

• She was never a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, a group that wants Alaskans to vote on whether they wish to secede from the United States. She’s been registered as a Republican since May 1982.
• Palin never endorsed or supported Pat Buchanan for president. She once wore a Buchanan button as a “courtesy” when he visited Wasilla, but shortly afterward she was appointed to co-chair of the campaign of Steve Forbes in the state.
• Palin has not pushed for teaching creationism in Alaska’s schools. She has said that students should be allowed to “debate both sides” of the evolution question, but she also said creationism “doesn’t have to be part of the curriculum.”

Obama’s Launch Personal Attacks on Palin – & The Daily Roundup!

Barack Obama: “You know, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.”

Michelle Obama:

Obama then moved on to politics, where she first brought up her husband’s vice-presidential choice. “I think it was a really good pick-Senator Joe Biden,” she said, and later added, “People say they have amazing chemistry, and it’s true.”

Obama continued with talk about Biden when she said, “What you learn about Barack from his choice is that he’s not afraid of smart people.” The crowd softly chuckled.

 How presidential……

UPDATE:

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CONGRESS AND ENERGY – THE VIDEO:

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The Hunt for Sarah October:

Democrats have airdropped a mini-army of 30 lawyers, investigators and opposition researchers into Anchorage, the state capital Juneau and Mrs. Palin’s hometown of Wasilla to dig into her record and background.

Citizens from Wasilla, Alaska are calling talk shows and stating that an army of press has decended upon them, and if they have good things to say about Sarah they don’t want to hear it, they are only interested in talking to people who have something bad to say. Reporters are also hanging out at Palin’s church and former church, just waiting for something they can use.

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ONLY 29% OF OBAMA SUPPORTERS BELIEVE THE SUPREME COURT SHOULD RULE ON THE LAW

While 82% of voters who support McCain believe the justices should rule on what is in the Constitution, just 29% of Barack Obama’s supporters agree. Just 11% of McCain supporters say judges should rule based on the judge’s sense of fairness, while nearly half (49%) of Obama supporters agree.

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POLL: The Press is Biased

 According to Rasmussen, fully 68% of voters believe that “most reporters try to help the candidate they want to win.” And — no surprise — 49% of those surveyed believe reporters are backing Barack Obama, while just 14% think the media is in the tank for Sen. McCain.

Meanwhile, 51% of those surveyed thought the press was “trying to hurt” Mrs. Palin with its coverage.

Perhaps most troubling for the press corps, though, was this finding: “55% said media bias is a bigger problem for the electoral process than large campaign donations.” 

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AFL-CIO and University of Minnesota employees and facilities were used to host and organize the violent anarchist protestors that caused so much damage over the convention. No objection yet from the university.

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Obama: Recession may mean I have to delay repealing the Bush tax cuts…

I have read Obama’s economic plan. Raise tarriffs, limitetrade, raise taxes on business’ and folks he calls rich,  and a big assault on capital in general. Smoot-Hawley is back? All we would need is some bad Federal Reserve policy and that would match up all of the government policies that were in place before the great depression. I am not fear mongering folks and I am not kidding. Obama, like so many neo-marxist academics, does not understand economics worth a darn. Don’t tell me that I don’t know he is a neo-marxist, after what the University of Chicago released about Obama’s work with the Annenberg Project, the evidence is in HERE and HERE.

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GOLDBERG:

The most unsportsmanlike conduct in the days to come will be the search for Palin gaffes, of which there undoubtedly will be many. The media will call fouls on her that they never call on the other candidates. Over the last week, Obama misspoke and referred to his “Muslim faith” on ABC’s “This Week” and told a rally how excited he was to be in “New Pennsylvania.” Perhaps that’s one of the 57 states he once claimed to campaign in?

And let’s not forget Biden, whose gaffes are the unavoidable byproduct of his limitless gasbaggery. Biden could shout on “Meet the Press,” “Get these squirrels off of me!” and the collective response would be, “There goes Joe again.” But if Palin flubs the name of the deputy agriculture minister of Kyrgyzstan, the media will blow their whistles saying she’s unprepared for the job.

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GALLUP: Majority of independents now prefer McCain over Obama, 52% to 37%

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New Orleans Times-Picayune: Jindal takes full command in crisis – Governor pushes bureaucracy aside.

You know, I could almost write a book about the aftermath of hurricane Katrina as I have enough research stored to do it. Notice how you don’t hear about Mississippi and Katrina? Mississippi’s Governor was former GOP Chairman Haley Barbour. Mississippi took the storm worse than New Orleans did, but Governor Barbour had his act together.

It is the states job to coordinate the federal to local response as the state and local are the first responders. Former Governor Blanco did not even follow the state’s published emergency plans. I remember Mayor Ray Nagin telling CNN about how President Bush, Blanco and Nagin were on Air Force One, the President had a martial law order in hand so the feds could legally take over for the state in the response. Blanco said she needed 24 hours to think about it, says Nagin, “24 hours while my people died.” A few hours later Bush sent in General Honore and the military to take command (possibly illegally) and let Governor Blanco twist in the wind. Bush had no choice as the humanity of the situation was out of hand.

Katrina was unprecedented in two ways, the sheer size of the event, and the fact that a sitting governor would not coordinate or cooperate with federal and local authorities in a disaster. No one ever planned for that contingency.

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THESE NUMBERS ARE IMPORTANT:

In the new survey, more voters call themselves Republicans. Now 48% say they’re Democrats or lean to the Democratic Party; 47% say they’re Republicans or lean to the GOP.

Not since February 2005, right after Bush’s second inauguration, have Republicans been within a single point of Democrats in party identification.

What’s more, voters by 48%-45% support the Democratic candidate in their congressional district, the party’s narrowest advantage this year.

Party Identification numbers are a very serious indicator of where the public is and it is because of this change that shows that McCain’s surge in numbers is more than a mere convention bump. This means that the Republican Brand is back and the party is making real headways in redefining itself. Fortunately McCain seems pretty serious and Palin’s record of destroying her own party machine for change is not in dispute.

The congresional numbers indicate that Democrats are vulnerable in Congress. I hesitate to say that a landslide election is coming, but the Democrats are in serious, serious trouble.

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Speaking of IMPORTANT NUMBERS:

McCain has picked up 20 points among white women. This kind of movement among women has not been seen since Reagan.

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 Hate in Canada Alive and Well – Look at What the CBC Printed:

Palin was not a sure choice, not even for the stolidly Republican ladies branch of Citizens for a Tackier America. No, she isn’t even female really. She’s a type, and she comes in male form too.

Palin has a toned-down version of the porn actress look favoured by this decade’s woman, the overtreated hair, puffy lips and permanently alarmed expression. Bristol has what is known in Britain as the look of the teen mum, the “pramface.”

And that isn’t the half of it. 

P.S. Remember Mark Steyn.

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Securing Our Future

By: Luke Puckett

September 8th, 2008

Luke Puckett

Recent events have showed us how important it is that we become energy independent not only for our own economic prosperity but also for our own security. Over 30 years ago our nation experienced a severe energy crisis because 12% of our annual oil supply was provided by foreign sources of oil. Today, we are even more vulnerable as nearly 70% of our oil energy needs are met by foreign sources that are all too often hostile to our interests and our values.

The threat posed by our reliance on foreign oil is illustrated by the recent conflict between Russia and our brave but small ally Georgia. Russia’s irresponsible, unfortunate and inappropriate bullying of Georgia is not about liberating some radical groups from imagined atrocities. It is about Russia’s expansion of power not just into neighboring states but into the global scene.

A key network of oil and natural gas pipelines stretches across Georgia. This network, which was due for an expansion until Russia’s aggressive destruction jeopardized the construction of new pipelines, is a vital link between Caucasus oil and natural gas resources and the energy users of Europe and the United States. Russia’s drastic invasion has allowed them to seize strategic control of the pipelines and it has given them the power to negotiate for world acceptance of their heavy-handed and anti-freedom actions.

Also looming large as a threat to our security is Iran’s control of the flow of roughly 40% of the world’s daily oil output. Iran’s leaders have stated that it is their aim to end America and destroy the ideals of liberty. We may consider these thugs crazed and incoherent, but we must take their apocalyptic declarations seriously because they are even now building and honing their capacity to execute their dark visions.

The time for words should be over; the time for action is now. We must put the world on notice that we will not sacrifice the strength of our national security on the altar of outdated government red-tape regulations that form a nearly impenetrable dam to the flow of our own domestic energy resources. We must move boldly and quickly to allow for a dramatic expansion of environmentally responsible domestic oil drilling.

Our children should not have to grow up in a world where their freedom and their mobility is dictated to them by backward looking tyrants who desperately seek to maintain some semblance of control in a world where their ideology has been discarded as a failure. You and I have a responsibility to strengthen our security and secure our future. I pledge to you that if you elect me to Congress this November, I will go to Washington to fight out of touch politicians to lower your gas prices.

Luke Puckett is running for Congress in Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District on a platform of common-sense solutions. You can learn more about him by visiting his website at http://www.puckett08.com.

If You Ever Doubted Leftist Media Bias, I Present You With This Total Joke of a Hit Piece From the Washington Post: Palin Billed State for Nights Spent at Home

UPDATE: Redstates.com and other sites are now reporting that Palin’s expenses are almost 80% less than the former Governor of Alaska.

This article is so preposterous that it goes above and beyond what I often see in media bias, and when the day comes when I write a book about this subject this article from the Washington Post will feature prominently.

The last lie from the Washington Post  (with no retraction) was that Palin cut funding to aid for teen mothers. Actually she increased it 225%.

At least the Washpost got one thing right:

Gov. Palin has spent far less on her personal travel than her predecessor: $93,000 on airfare in 2007, compared with $463,000 spent the year before by her predecessor, Frank Murkowski. He traveled often in an executive jet that Palin called an extravagance during her campaign. She sold it after she was sworn into office.

Now their claim is that Palin stole from the tax payers by charging for her expenses when she was both In Wasilla and in Juneau and by getting reiombursement for food and travel expenses for her children when she brought them with her on state business. They even have her former Democratic opponent Tony Knowles saying, “Quite the little scandal isn’t it?” in the article.

These payments are called “Per Diem” and they are typical for employees of most any business, government agency and yes even CEO..and yes even Washington Post reporters! There is nothing even close to illegal or unethical about this. The Washington Post is counting on people to not understand what covering travel and food expenses are when you are doing government business.

The WashPost says:

The governor’s daughters and husband charged the state $43,490 to travel, and many of the trips were between their house in Wasilla and Juneau, the capital city 600 miles away, the documents show.

Juneau is on an island like peninsula, totally cut off by geography, it is impossible to drive to and from Juneau and the WashPost is hoping you don’t know that. Again, to people who are unaware that Juneau is a virtual island $43,000 seems exorbitant, for an Alaska Governor it is not at all. In fact, it is downright cheap. Palin’s travel expenses amount to only a fraction of what former governors were racking up, which is especially impressive because often some of the family comes along.

Let us continue with the “charge” that Palin charged the state for her children’s travel and food expenses while doing state business….what do I have to say to that ..WELL NO DUH. When Chelsea Clinton was a minor and the Clinton’s would occasionally take her along on government business you can be sure the government payed expenses for it and that is PERFECTLY APPROPRIATE. JFK often travelled with Jackie and the children. Just because you work for the government does not mean that parents should always leave their children at home to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for themselves. It doesn’t mean that you are expected to stop being a day to day parent. There is a reason why they call it the First Family. Being a President, or a Governor or a Cabinet Official is more than a full time job, it’s an “all the time job”.

The WashPost says:

She wrote some form of “Lodging — own residence” or “Lodging — Wasilla residence” more than 30 times at the same time she took a per diem, according to the reports. In two dozen undated amendments to the reports, the governor deleted the reference to staying in her home but still charged the per diem. [HERE is the travel document Washpost points to.]

Palin charged the state a per diem for working on Nov. 22, 2007 — Thanksgiving Day. The reason given, according to the expense report, was the Great Alaska Shootout, an annual NCAA college basketball tournament held in Anchorage.

In separate filings, the state was billed about $25,000 for Palin’s daughters’ expenses and $19,000 for her husband’s.

The WashPost makes it seem college horrible doesn’t it? It is designed to, but these expenses for anyone in a CEO position (and not to mention also acts as the head of state) are not unusual in the slightest.

When a CEO or a governor has small children, when the Governor or the Governor and her husband, or the Governor and her family, have to make an appearance doing states business or acting as the “Head of State” it is normal and expected the the government will pick up all the expenses involved. It works the same way for most private companies as well. There are times when it is expected that a CEO, Governor or even a college chancellor is expected to show up to an event with their husband or wife. The state picks up these expenses as well they should.

Now lets tackle the cost of food while staying at home charge. The Governor has her home in Wasilla, where she stayed when the legislature was not in session, and she stayed in the Governor’s residence while it is in session. While Palin stayed in Wasilla, she drove to Anchorage every day to conduct state business.

The WashPost goes after Palin for charging Per Diem while she was spending the nights at her home in Wasilla, as you can see by the quote from the story above. What the Washpost hopes that many readers will not understand is that there are two kinds of per diem, travel/food and lodging. So the Governor charges per diem for travel and food while she drove to Anchorage every day to do the states business and did not charge the lodging portion of per diem while she slept in Wasilla, which is totally appropriate. WashPost tries to make it look like she did when in fact she was only charging the food and travel portion of Per Diem and inadvertently the article even says so. Pay close attention to where they say the log says under “lodging”. 

Eleven parapgraphs in (knowing that most readers never make it passed the fifth paragraph) the story says:

Palin rarely sought reimbursement for meals while staying in Anchorage or Wasilla, the reports show.

When Palin ran for office when she campaigned she told the people of the state that she is an active mom and where she goes the family goes as they are a package deal and that is exactly as it should be. That is why the laws for expenses cover these things and were intended to cover them.

Says the WashPost:

Asked Monday about the official policy on charging for children’s travel expenses, Garnero said: “We cover the expenses of anyone who’s conducting state business. I can’t imagine kids could be doing that.”

But Leighow (the governors spokesperson) said many of the hundreds of invitations Palin receives include requests for her to bring her family, placing the definition of “state business” with the party extending the invitation.

I can just see it now, the governor says sorry state legislature, Todd is on the Irondog race and Piper isn’t feeling well today so I can’t come to Juneau today….NONSENSE… the Governor brings Piper and Willow with her and she does the state’s business. If former Governor Knowles, who Palin beat in the election, genuinely thinks that this really is “quite the little scandal” as he claims, why doesn’t he file an ethics complaint against Palin? If he did the Alaska media and the government would laugh such a complaint out of the building. Come on Knowles do it, I dare ya. I bet we would find that her expense reports with 5 kids are less than what you put up.

Sean Hannity calls 2008 the year journalism died, he couldn’t be more right, especially when it comes to the Washington Post.

UPDATE: David Bernstien at Volokh.com has a similar take:

New Washington Post “Expose” on Palin:

You have to read the article carefully to figure this out, but what the story ultimately reveals is that Palin (a) billed the state for most expenses allowed by law, including per diem when she stayed in her own home (her “duty station” was the state capitol of Juneau) in Wasilla; (b) didn’t bill the state for other expenses, when she could have done so lawfully, such as per diems for her children; and (c) spent a lot less money on expenses than did her predecessor, especially on travel and by ridding herself of the state’s personal chef.[FWIW, she apparently maintained two residences, the governor's mansion in Juneau, which by state law is her official work "base" and where assumedly she didn't get a per diem (but where her predecessor had a personal chef whom she let go), and Wasilla, from where she commuted to Anchorage for work when the legislature wasn't in session. Saintly to take the per diem she was legally entitled to when in the second residence? No. Worthy of the lead headline on Washingtonpost.com? Please! Not illegal, not unethical, and not a scandal.]

Meanwhile, I have to wonder whether the Post has several reporters looking over Joe Biden’s expense reports. Does he bill the government for his daily roundtrip to Delaware? How many “fact-finding missions” has he participated in annually during his Senate career? Inquiring minds want to know?

UPDATE: The Post doesn’t do the math for us, but the total per diem claimed was $16,951 divided divided by 312 days, or $54.33 per day (the per diem is $60, so there were some partial days).

Also, the article headline, “Palin Billed State for Nights Spent at Home,” and some related content, is very misleading. A glance at the expense report reproduced on the Post’s website makes it clear that she requested per diem for her daily expenses, but not for lodging, and that she apparently wrote “lodging–own home” only to explain why she wasn’t requesting hotel expenses. One almost wonders whether the author of the story understands what a “per diem” is; the story notes that Palin rarely charged the state for meals when in Wasilla and Anchorage, but of course she didn’t, because she instead just asked for the per diem!