Sarah Palin Condemns the Associated Press

Sarah Palin posted the following note on her Facebook page (1) on Sunday, 9/6/2009 at 11:25 PM

Shame on the Associated Press for Ignoring the Wishes of a Grieving Family

Many of us join Secretary Gates in condemning the Associated Press for its heartless and selfish decision to turn its back on the wishes of a grieving family in order to exploit the tragic death of a true American hero.

Lance Corporal Joshua 'Bernie' Bernard was a selfless young American who sacrificed everything for our freedom.

Shame on the AP for purposely adding to the grieving family's pain. Ignoring the family's wishes by publishing a sacred image of their loved one proved a despicable and heartless act by the AP. The family said they didn't want the photo published. AP, you did it anyway, and you know it was an evil thing to do.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Bernard family. Words can not adequately express our sorrow and appreciation for your sacrifice. We will never forget your Marine or his fallen comrades.

May God bless the Bernard family.

-Sarah Palin

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Less than 24 hours after posting this Sarah had received nearly 2,800 comments and had also received over 13,000 Facebook members who indicated they agreed with her.

The photo in question is part of a photo gallery on the AP site about the fire fight that resulted in Corporal Bernard's death and can be found here (2). The AP also released an article (3) explaining why they distributed the photo and how anguished they were in deciding whether to use it.

There has been considerable discussion, both pro and con,(4) of AP's decision to use the photo. In all fairness to the AP, in most other wars such photos were commonly used by the media.

In fairness to Sarah Palin and her viewpoint, both Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the parents of the Marine requested that the AP not use the photo.

Palin calls the AP's action "despicable and heartless" and "evil." If one reads the AP's explanation of why they distributed the photo, it is difficult to reach Sarah's conclusion, especially since use of such photos is common throughout much of the world.

But it is also quite likely that Palin is trying to make political hay from her condemnation of the Associated Press. Sounds like she is running for something.

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Citations:

(1) Shame on the Associated Press for Ignoring the Wishes of a Grieving Family, http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=129417598434#/note.php?note_id=129417598434&id=24718773587&ref=mf, Facebook - Sarah Palin, Retrieved 9/7/2009

(2) Death of a Marine: A Photographer's Journal, http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_international/afghan_marine/, Associated Press, Retrieved 9/7/2009

(3) AP and the Death of a Marine, http://www.ap.org/fallen_marine/, Associated Press, Retrieved 9/7/2009

(4) AP picture of wounded Marine sparks debate, http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AFGHAN_DEATH_AP_PHOTO?SITE=TNMEM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT, Associated Press, Retrieved 9/7/2009

Sarah Palin Announces New Twitter Site, Less PC Tweets

Sarah Palin announced on her State of Alaska Twitter site on late Thursday that she intends to continue to update her fans on a new personal Twitter site that will be launched on July 26th. Plus she promises that her tweets (comments) will be less politically correct.

The natural question one wants to ask is why would she continue to update her fans if she is through with public life? Someone who intends to run for President in 2012, on the other hand, would certainly want to keep her fans informed by continuing to tweet them updates of her activities.

The exact message the governor tweeted was, "I'll stay in touch w/whomever wants via personal twtr site;launch July 26;in meantime it's pleasure to update interested folks on State biz!"

Governor Palin sent her tweet to her fans about 10:30 PM PDT Thursday night.

Palin also said in another tweet at around the same time, "elected is replaceable;Ak WILL progress! + side benefit=10 dys til less politically correct twitters fly frm my fingertps outside State site."

That tweet indicates that she may be more frank when leveling her opinions and comments in the future.

Stay tuned to see what Sarah does next.

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"They Told Me to Kill, to Rape Children" - Video

While the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, issued a landmark arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for ordering war crimes to be committed in Darfur, a CNN reporter, Nic Robertson, interviewed a former Sudanese soldier who was ordered to rape and kill children by his superior officers.

The use of rape as a weapon of war is common in the Darfur area of Sudan and inside the huge displacement camps serving as home to the several million Darfuri refugees, who have been uprooted by the war. In many camps rape victims are giving birth to as many as 20 babies per month--babies who are then subsequently abandoned by their mothers.

The soldier is called Adam, but that is not his real name. Adam was forcibly conscripted into the Sudanese army and trained to kill by shooting targets, after which his officers told him "we will be taken to a patrol and then soon after that we were asked to join other people to go and burn and kill people.”

It was then that he realized that he was being forced into a war against his will and against his own people. He was told that if he resisted his superior officers’ orders, he would be killed. "The order is that the soldiers at the front, and there are some people who are watching you from behind, if you try to escape or do anything you will get shot. The order is that we go to the village, burn it and kill the people," said Adam.

"I had no choice," he said "but I will say that I didn't kill anybody, but the raping of the small children, it was bad." The children, "they cry out," said Adam. "Two persons will capture her while she is crying and another raping her, then they leave her there."

Adam said that the soldiers raped girls as young as 12, and the officers ordered them to so because it will make people flee their villages--make them run away and never come back.

Adam tried to desert the army as soon as possible, but he was caught and subsequently tortured. The soldiers tied him down under a tree, and then the officers would set fire to tires above him. The burning rubber would drip onto his body burning his skin. He showed the scars left on his skin by the burning rubber.

Was he forced to rape children? "Yes I did, they were government orders," replied Adam.

"It didn't feel like raping, I was feeling very bad but as I was ordered, I had to do something. What I did was take off my trousers and lay myself on top of the girl but I didn't feel like raping, so I lay there for about 15 minutes."

"So you didn't actually penetrate the girls?" he was asked. No, he said, "because I had no feeling for it, my penis didn't actually wake up, so there was no actual penetration," Adam answered.

Adam said that he has trouble sleeping at night. But he is not alone. Aid workers in Darfur say that millions of women in Darfur also have trouble sleeping at night. But, more importantly, they also live in constant fear of rape day and night.

The following video is a CNN report about the interview of the soldier:



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Sarah Palin on Larry King - Video

Sarah Palin was interviewed on the Larry King Show on Wednesday, 11/12/2008. Larry asked some pointed questions, such as: "Should you have not done the Katie Couric Interview?"

Sarah said she felt that the Couric interview did not hurt the Republican campaign.

King asked her if those knocking her from inside the McCain camp hurt her. She responded no, she does not know any individuals from the McCain camp who were knocking her. She said unknown individuals could be just about anyone, so there is no sense in even responding to those criticisms.

King asked did you want to make a concession speech? Sarah responded that she would have loved to do so and that her speech would have been to praise John McCain, American hero.

Sarah said the $150,000 worth of clothes ruckus was ridiculous. She said she did not keep the clothes, and they were returned to the Republican campaign.

Do you pledge to the people that you will serve out your term? asked Larry. She responded that she will do whatever the people of Alaska want her to do. If they want her to call an audible to serve in another capacity, then so be it.

Here are the highlights of the Sarah Palin-Larry King interview (Video may not play correctly in some versions of Firefox--CNN's fault):



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Obama Win Triggers Gun Purchases

Obama Win Triggers Gun Purchases

Barack Obama's recent win in the presidential election has precipitated a run on gun purchases according to Reuters News services.

Reuters stated that both Obama and Vice-President Elect Joe Biden are pro gun control, so it seems that Americans are afraid that the gun control rules will tighten up once they are inaugurated.

David Greenberg, who is the owner of the Second Amendment Family Gun Shop, in Bisbee, Arizona, was quoted by Reuters as saying, "the day after the election, I had many more calls than usual from people looking for semi-automatic rifles." In fact, Greenberg said he sold out of AR-15 rifles just recently.

"There seems to be a fear they will be banned, and it's fairly likely," Greenberg added. "Obama and Biden are driven to eliminate firearms from the face of the country."

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, which is a gun trade association that favors the shooting, hunting and firearms industries, has reported that gun sales this year have risen 10 percent.

Spokesman Tony Aeschliman said that the increase had risen most dramatically prior to the election. "Gun owners are afraid of what Obama is going to do as far as guns," said Aeschliman. "He has a clear record of being against us."

Reuters said that Jim Pruett, who owns a gun store in Houston, reported his sales more than tripled to $35,000 on the Saturday prior to the election.

"It's always been the liberal or Democratic agenda to restrict gun ownership," said Pruett.

Gun dealer Steve Sechler from McPherson, Kansas, reported that demand at a recent gun show increased by over 50 percent with buyers stocking up on guns including the Kalashnikov and AR-15 rifles.

"Most of the people there were cussing Obama and saying we need home defense," said Sechler.

The National Rifle Association (NRA), which is the most powerful gun group in the nation, called Obama a "serious threat to Second Amendment liberties" during the election campaign.

The NRA reported Obama endorsed a 500-percent increase in the federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition. However, a check of his record shows that Obama made that comment while he was an Illinois state Senator back in 1999 not during the presidential campaign. Plus Obama has not repeated that endorsement since then.

However, Obama supporters claim that gun owners should not fear gun curbs when Obama takes over on January 20th. Ted Strickland, the Democratic governor of Ohio, spoke at a rally last month claiming he had spoken directly to Obama about citizens' right to bear arms.

"If you are a sportsman, if you are a gun owner, if you are someone that honors and respects the Second Amendment, you have nothing to fear from Barack Obama," Strickland is quoted as saying.

It seems we will have to wait until 2009 to see who is right.

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Ted Kennedy's Brain Tumor - Median Survival is 15 Months

Doctors at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital described Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy’s brain tumor as a malignant glioma in his left parietal lobe. The bad news is that the median survival period for patients with this aggressive type of brain tumor is only 15 months.

Dr. Keith L. Black, the chairman of the department of neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, stated that "age is a very strong predictor of prognosis" with this type of tumor, which makes the outlook for Kennedy, who is 76, not as good as that of a younger patient.

Dr. Black also stated that only about 8% of patients with this type of tumor are still alive two years after its diagnosis.


Aggressive gliomas like Kennedy’s spread quite rapidly throughout the brain, cramping space inside the skull by taking up space and squeezing other brain tissue thereby impairing the brain tissue’s function. It can cause speech difficulties, an impairment in performing mathematics, and interference with hand and eye coordination.

However, Dr. Henry Brem, director of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, who is not involved in Kennedy’s treatment, said he has “patients 20 and 30 years out from diagnosis, and they are functioning normally and doing well.”

Although such an outcome is possible for Kennedy, unfortunately, the statistics are not on Senator Kennedy’s side.

Treatment at this point will usually involve surgery to remove the tumor, followed by chemotherapy and radiation treatment, although there may be other factors that may preclude surgery in Kennedy’s case.



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Over 50 reporters, photographers and video cameramen maintained a constant vigil outside Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital on Tuesday awaiting any word on the condition of Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy who was hospitalized there last Saturday after suffering a seizure.

Doctors have ruled out a stroke but are still conducting tests to determine the exact cause of Kennedy’s medical problems.

Video cameras on tripods are clustered around the hospital’s three entrances in hopes of catching a glimpse of any celebrity visitors of the Democratic Senator from Massachusetts. A total of nine satellite vans with their antennas stretching high into the sky were gathered around the hospital’s main entrance.

Members of the media came from local newspapers and TV stations, from national networks including CNN, and even from Extra, the television entertainment magazine.



The arrival of Victoria Kennedy, the Senator’s wife, caused a flurry of activity among the media, and President George Bush telephoned Senator Kennedy on Monday to wish him well.

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Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy remains hospitalized after suffering a seizure at his home in Hyannisport, Massachusetts early Saturday morning. His symptoms resembled those suffered by stroke victims, however, doctors have ruled out a stroke.

Only hours after admission to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Kennedy was talking and joking with family members at his bedside. More tests are scheduled to determine the exact cause of his seizure.

The 76-year-old Massachusetts senator’s condition is listed as serious, but doctors have said he is in no imminent danger.

Kennedy’s personal physician, Dr. Larry Ronan, released a statement Saturday night that said, “preliminary tests have determined that he has not suffered a stroke and is not in any imminent danger. He’s resting comfortably and watching the Red Sox game with his family.

The statement continued, “Over the next couple of days, Senator Kennedy will undergo further evaluation to determine the cause of the seizure, and a course of treatment will be determined at that time.”

Kennedy had surgery last October on a carotid artery that was partially blocked and put him at risk for a stroke.



One government official had stated that Kennedy suffered a second seizure on the helicopter flight from Cape Cod to Boston, but that could not be confirmed.

Kennedy, who is the second most senior member of the US Senate, was first elected to the Senate in 1962 to fill the seat left vacant by his brother, John F. Kennedy, who had been elected president.



Ted Kennedy has been re-elected to eight full terms and has been a fixture in the Senate and the Democratic Party ever since.

Ted Kennedy is the only remaining brother from a family of four brothers. His oldest brother, Joseph, was killed in action in World War II.

John, the second oldest brother and president at the time, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, while riding with his wife and Texas Governor John Connelly in a presidential motorcade.

His last brother, Bobby, was assassinated on June 5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles while he was seeking the Democratic nomination for president during the 1968 presidential campaign.