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VP candidate Palin suspected of harassing former brother-in-law
Submitted by Matt on Tue, 2008-09-16 18:20
Story here. Except:
'Juneau, Alaska—Nine days ago, we explored whether Governor Sarah Palin had knowingly made false accusations against Alaskan State Trooper Mike Wooten, who was in a bitter custody battle with Governor Palin’s sister, Molly McCann. Based on the public records available by internet, our conclusion was that we couldn’t reach a conclusion.
...
Court records show that Judge John Suddock was concerned about persistent attacks on Trooper Wooten by Palin and members of her family. The Judge told them in October, 2005 (when Palin was still a private citizen), “Disparaging will not be tolerated—it is a form of child abuse.”
...
In summary, we still do not know whether Governor Palin knowingly made false accusations against Trooper Wooten. But it is clear that she and her family persistently attacked the Trooper’s reputation over a period of at least three years, during which the Alaska State Troopers, the Alaska Public Safety Employee’s Association, and the Court had all found that most of the accusations were unsupported.'
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Comments
Palin and PAS?
I see this repeated - it has become such a partisan political issue that there is little attempt to discern the truth.
The facts appear to be that there were a number of allegations made that were held to be true by the State Trooper investigation - including that
he tasered an 11 year old stepson (possibly with some risk reduction efforts taken),
that he killed a cow moose without a license (but he cited that he held his wife's license)
that he was drinking while seated in a patrol car (which he denies)
other charges that could not be verified included the threats made against his sister-in-law Palin (you're going down)
and
threats to but a bullet through his father in law's head, Hearst, Palin's father.
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the most serious of these,is the threat against Hearst. The threats were made in a phone call, and the people that heard this were Wooten's wife, Sarah Palin, Todd Palin, and Track Palin.
The investigation held that this was insufficient information to conclude that the allegation was true. It is worth noting that Ned Holstein's article cites John Cyr, the Head of the Public Safety Employee’s Association in Alaska, as contesting the allegations. Well, Cyr is a union representative defending a union member - his bias is absolutely clear. The facts is the original suspension was for ten days, and the union got the suspension reduced to 5 days. If you saw the interview of Wooten on television, it is clear that he admits the first two of the allegations, and denies all others. Frankly were he to admit to any of the others, not only would he lose his job, but should also be charged criminally for uttering.
On balance, we have six participants. The alleged perpetrator has admitted in part, and denied in part, but has very strong motives to lie. The union member is not reliable, and was not a witness. One can dismiss Sara Palin and Molly (nee Hearst) for bias. Is one also prepared to dismiss Todd and Track Palin as liars?
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The accusations are not demonstrably false, and this is not a case of PAS. while the judge's comments are interesting, let's be clear that the state administrative security officials tasked with investigating threats against the governor's office holder and their family and associates REQUIRED that Todd Palin disclose and discuss what he knew with various parties as part of the security check in 2006. This was NOT a renewal of malicious rumour spreading.
Further, several senior Alaskan Democrats familiar with the file have said publicly that Palin will be vindicated, and there is a stench of partisan politics surrounding French and others that are investigating.
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As a separated father and ex-primary caregiver without custody, I also have an interest in PAS, and inequitable custody biases of the family law machine. However, this case is NOT a good case for these issues, and trying to contort it to fit is both foolish and counter-productive. I see commentary excusing Wooten for being wound too tight from his job. I see charges that Sarah Palin should be charged with child abuse.
Permitting partisan political to co-opt issues that are important to Men's Activism is a recipe for disaster. Should Palin be vindicated, it will paint the movement and people like Holstein as biased and not credible. This would be unfortunate.
Incidentally, I am Canadian, don't vote in the election, am not partisan, and have read this site daily since its inception. What I am seeing from the movement is foolish beyond permission.
well, I'll admit I don't read the papers every day, but..
..I've only heard about this issue on MR boards. And even if the general public did find out, so what? I can see the headline now - "Palin badmouthed state trooper while a private citizen". Big deal. I'm sure that will make a lot of conservatives vote for Obama instead..especially conservatives who are MRA's. Hah!!
-ax