Geoffrey Dunn -- Upcoming Book Readings in Santa Cruz

By Kathleen

On Wednesday, 26th May at 7.30pm Geoffrey Dunn will read from his book The Lies of Sarah Palin at the Santa Cruz Bookshop, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz.

Geoffrey will also hold a further reading, also at 7.30pm, on Thursday, July 14th, in the Capitola Book Cafe, 1475 41st Ave., Capitola.

If you are in the area drop in to one of the readings to have your books signed and please say hi to Geoffrey for us.

Jason Hoppin at Mercury News has asked some interesting questions of Geoffrey about his book. Be sure to read the full interview.

At Politico.com this claim by the Palin camp about Bailey's release of certain emails struck us as curious:

Palin’s camp also insists that some of the Palin emails printed in the manuscript are framed to distort events — for example, the emails Bailey includes to show the former Alaska governor’s reaction to her oldest daughter’s pregnancy are about rumors that circulated before Bristol actually became pregnant.

Politicalgates, thanks to the generosity of a kind reader, has three copies of Frank Bailey's book, Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin, to give away to readers who cannot afford their own copy. This time round I will collect requests and pull names from a hat to determine the winners.

Please send your entries to kathleenpoliticalgates@gmail.com

No entries accepted after Wednesday, 25th May, 2011. Good luck to those who enter.

UPDATE: I now have 5 copies of Blind Allegiance to give away so don't forget to put your name forward if you would like the chance to receive a copy.

Interview with Geoffrey Dunn about his upcoming book "The Lies of Sarah Palin - The Untold Story Behind Her Relentless Quest for Power"

By Patrick

We were given the opportunity to interview Geoffrey Dunn about his upcoming book "The Lies of Sarah Palin - The Untold Story Behind Her Relentless Quest for Power." The book will be released on Tuesday, May 10.

Fortunately we were lucky enough to have received an advance copy from the publishers therefore we have already read significant portions of the book and I can assure you that you will not be disappointed if you have ordered a copy. Geoffrey Dunn had access to a huge number of excellent sources, many of whom went on the record, as well as access to a large amount of previously unpublished material. Geoffrey wrote what I consider the ultimate biography of Sarah Palin's political career - starting with her days at Wasilla High School. The book is fact-checked up to the smallest details, and clearly sets a benchmark for all the other books regarding Sarah Palin which are to follow this year. The book is incredibly well written, packed with facts and a great achievement by Geoffrey Dunn.

Short bio, courtesy of St. Martin's Press:

Geoffrey Dunn is an award-winning author and documentary filmmaker with more than three decades experience as an investigative reporter. A frequent contributor to The Huffington Post, where he has broken several national stories on Sarah Palin since the 2008 presidential campaign, Dunn has also served as a Senior Editor for Metro Newspapers in Northern California, where he has received awards for investigative journalism from the National Newspaper Association, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, and the Peninsula Press Club. His documentary films include the award-winning Calypso Dreams; Miss…or Myth?; and Dollar a Day, 10¢ a Dance. Dunn received a B.A. in politics (with honors), as well as an M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology, from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he has taught courses in documentary film, nonfiction writing and American political history and culture. He received an Excellence in Teaching Award there in 2000. Dunn was raised in an Italian-American fishing community and worked in the Pacific Coast fishery industry until the mid-1980s.

Here are our questions and Geoffrey Dunn's answers:

1. Do you believe that the "parenting techniques" of Chuck Heath, Sarah Palin's father, shaped her entire life, due to his attitude of "win at all costs" and "lie, cheat, steal just to win?"

Dunn: As I note in my book, The Lies of Sarah Palin, I believe that Chuck Heath clearly shaped Sarah Palin’s personality and her world view. The person who has consistently made the harshest comments about Sarah Palin in public interviews has been Chuck Heath. He’s a definitive figure in her life. Recall the moment in “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” where Palin shoots the caribou. That pretty much says it all.

2. What's the most shocking thing you learned about Sarah Palin when you were conducting your investigations?

Dunn: That she openly betrayed John McCain on the campaign trail. If you think about that, it’s “shocking.” But people haven’t really grasped that about Palin’s behavior in 2008. I think that Steve Schmidt gets it—and that’s why he’s spoken out against her behavior during the McCain campaign. He is an extremely loyal figure. He gets it.

That said, nothing—nothing—shocks me any more about Palin. Nothing.

3. During your trip to Alaska, did you find that most people were reluctant to answer questions about her and her direct family, and if so, why do you think that was?

Dunn: I had the opportunity to meet several people who knew Palin in Alaska. Some people were afraid. And they have reason to be afraid. But I developed the trust of most of my sources. I think I have something like 60 different people on-the-record from Alaska. They are not afraid of Palin. Many people told me the Heath-Palin clan are bullies—but that they don’t have the guts to challenge people themselves. Some people likened them to the mafia. I don’t give them that power.

4. Why do you think Sarah Palin never speaks about her mother?

Dunn: I really don’t know. And I don’t want to venture a guess.

Geoffrey Dunn

5. Do you think that Sarah Palin has committed any acts for which she should have been prosecuted, and if so, why do you think she escaped prosecution for them.

Dunn: It’s my belief that Palin was not entirely forthcoming with investigators around Troopergate. But even though she gave sworn testimony, my attempts to get her deposition were thwarted by the Alaska Attorney General’s office. There’s no transparency in Alaska government. There is a culture of corruption. So I can’t say with certainty that she committed perjury, but I suspect that she did. I would hope that authorities in Alaska would re-open the Troopergate investigation and explore this issue. I did have one of Frank Bailey’s sworn statements leaked to me. There appear to be discrepancies between that statement and what he said in the leaked draft of his forthcoming book. Palin’s minions protected her. But if Barry Bonds can be brought to trial over his testimony about taking steroids for a baseball game, then surely the Governor of Alaska should be held accountable for sworn testimony that she gave about abuse of power.

6. In your book you explain on pp. 56, 57 that Sarah Palin had filled out an application form for the position of police dispatcher in March 1996. In this signed form, Sarah Palin declared that the information is "true or complete to the best of my knowledge." Sarah Palin listed in this form solely the University of Idaho where she indicated that she had completed five years with a course of study "Political Science/Journalism." The document was notarized on March 12, 1996.

On her resume accompanying the application, she mentions that she completed a "minor in political science" and also added "political science studies" to her list of "specialized training." Then comes a more curious representation, as you explain in your book: Under "graduate professional" education she declared "post-grad general studies" for one year, despite there being no record for her to have ever done so.

(Note by Patrick: In his interview at the Firedoglake Book Salon yesterday, Geoffrey Dunn explained that this document was leaked to him).

Our readers at Politicalgates have had many questions about Sarah Palin's education. Giving the fact that Sarah Palin distorted her education in this form which you mention in your book, do you believe that her "official" story regarding her university education is credible, or do you believe that there could be more distortions in the story the general public currently believes to be true?

Dunn: As I said in my interview on Firedoglake, I challenge Ms. Palin to release her academic records—and I will release mine. I have narrative evaluations for every class I took. Let’s release the documents.

I spoke to an official at the University of Idaho who told me that Palin graduated. She would not confirm a minor. But Palin clearly misrepresented the truth on that application. No one else ever found that application—and it was part of a public trial. Why not? Beats me. But as I said, I don’t trust anything Sarah Palin says anymore. Niente.

Her “D,” by the way, was in micro-economics. And she has the gall to challenge Obama’s handling of the economy? She is self-delusional. She is a fraud. She and Todd couldn’t run their own little snowmachine business. And her marketing and consulting company, “ Rouge Cou,” which means “red neck,” never got off the ground.

7. If you could name the "top three victims" of Sarah Palin, who would they be, and why?

Dunn: 1. John McCain. Because his reputation will always be tainted by her selection. And she destroyed his chance of ever becoming president. Of course, he was careless and reckless in his choosing of her, so I feel no empathy toward him whatsoever. Karma’s a bitch. 2. Walt Monegan. Here’s a guy who’s a lifelong patriot; his father gave up his life for this country; and she sacrificed his career over a personal vendetta against Mike Wooten. Then lied about it. 3. Her children. They will never know what normal is. Ever. Any of them. Celebrity comes with a heavy price tag attached. And Palin’s with a particularly burdensome load.

Let me also add the American people. Palin’s viciousness and her politics of anger on the campaign trail forever changed the tone of American political discourse. She has unleashed the dark side of the American psyche and has given body to the right-wing, racist hatred of talk radio. So in a sense, we have all been victims—across the political spectrum.

8. What do you think were the most disturbing incidents from the point of view of members of the McCain/Palin campaign during the time when Sarah Palin ran for Vice-President?

Dunn: When she knowingly betrayed McCain and brought in Reverend Wright to the campaign—for which she was utterly unapologetic in Going Rogue. And then for her charging with Obama for palling around with terrorists and not being like “us.” It’s a shameful, racist moment in American history. And of course many Republicans still celebrate her for doing so. But I consider it an act of treason. And I mean that. It violates everything this country stands for.

9. What do you think were possible reasons why Sarah Palin stepped back from the Governorship? Does any one reason strike you as being significant?

Dunn: Great question. In my book, I lead up to this decision and provide a variety of variables that led to it. She was besieged from many quarters. But I suspect a big reason, as I note in the book, was Andree McLeod and the ethics complaints she was filing. Palin knew McLeod. They had once been political allies. Close political allies. McLeod provided me access to an email or two that illustrates this closeness. And Palin had to know that McLeod was tougher and smarter and more tenacious than her. In Alaska, McLeod is often demonized for her efforts. But had it not been for Andree, we would never had known the full details of Palin’s governorship. And I doubt that she would have resigned. She probably wouldn’t have run for a second term. But Palin knew what she was up against with Andree. And like Roberto Duran in his immortal bout against Sugar Ray Leonard, she quit. She said “no mas.” I mean, that in itself should disqualify her from ever holding office again.

You know, we all keep looking for the deep-dark secret in the Palin archive. And they keep popping up. But really, the most shocking material about Palin is the stuff we already know. I made that point about the birth of Trig. Her resignation. Her betrayal of McCain. Troopergate. Her erratic, dysfunctional mayorship in Wasilla. It’s already there. We know it.

10. What were the most surprising things you learned about Sarah Palin while doing the research for your book?

Dunn: Like I said, nothing surprises me any more. But when I read Going Rogue—which came out after I had conducted considerable research—and I read her renditions of her marriage, and her parents’ marriage—and I realized these were myths she had constructed to cover up the fact that three generations of her family had been pregnant outside of marriage—including herself, of course, which she has hidden—the appalling hypocrisy of her being an advocate for abstinence just sort of floored me. Because people in Wasilla talked knowingly of it. But like I said, nothing surprises me any more. And nothing will. A little while ago, she lied about the weather. She lies about everything.

That said, and what I think’s important about my book is that all of this is told between two covers. And placed in context. And as one reviewer said, which I liked very much, is that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. That is, when you take all of the lies of Sarah Palin together in a single narrative arc, it makes for a very disturbing portrait — one McCain aide called it “devastating”— and I think that’s the strength of the book.

You know, I also discovered that Palin unleashed her minions after me in the summer of 2009 after I realized she had lifted passages about Ronald Reagan from an obscure Newt Gingrich and Craig Shirley article. Had one of my students done anything like that, they would have been kicked out of the university. I’d love to know if Alaska taxpayer dollars—or equipment—were used in that effort. I suspect they were. Just as they were used to go after Mike Wooten.

Many thanks to Geoffrey Dunn! We are all incredibly grateful for his efforts and the opportunity for this interview!

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Levi Johnston's 21st birthday party - Exclusive report and interview with Levi, part 2 - Plus: Levi's ghostwriters James and Lois Cowan revealed!

Part 2: Levi Johnston is shorter than me! (Read part 1)

By Leadfoot_LA

What a night! We hit Chateau nightclub at about 10:30 and found our spot on the red carpet. A variety of b-list celebrities (ok, D-list) came out before Levi. Some kid from Harry Potter (NOT one of the main people), a Disney Channel actress I had never heard of, someone from Dexter. Levi and Tank took the red carpet promptly at 11:00 -- as the main and final attraction. As soon as he walked out, the girls and I kind of gasped. He is REALLY a hunk. My first thought was that he is short. He is about 5'9" - maybe 5'10". I am 5'9 without heels, and was about 6'2" last night. If it wasn't enough that I'm too old for Levi, now I am also too tall. (Pout) Racheal kept saying "he is cute!" and Heather kept repeating, "what a baby face!"

Levi looked a bit uncomfortable and embarrassed on the red carpet. He was definitely blushing. He didn't have that snotty sense of entitlement that *some people* have (ahem, Bristol). He looked grateful to be there and bashful at all the attention.


He did 3 only three interviews, and the one of them was with us. I had been warned by the PR team that I was NOT to ask questions about Sarah Palin. So I had to be crafty. The video is a bit hard to hear, since we were right outside the club with booming music. Here is what happened:

Before we left for the club, I had written Levi a 2-page hand-written letter and slipped it inside a birthday card. I explained to him in the letter that we have all been working hard for 2 years to expose Palin for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to our concerns that Trig isn't properly cared for, our distaste for her making huge amounts of money off of a giant lie, and our quest for truth. I asked him to please to the right thing and tell the whole truth in the book, and that I hope that's what he meant when he said the book is for the good of the country. I said that I believe he is our last hope for the truth to ever be revealed, as he is most likely to know the truth, and the person with the least to lose and most to gain. I asked him to reveal the whole story for Trig and Tripp's sake. I asked him to please contact me when the book comes out, to do a full interview, and provided contact information.

When Levi and Tank approached on the red carpet, I said Happy Birthday and handed him the card. I said it was from Politicalgates and asked if he was familiar with us. He said no, he wasn't, and looked confused. But when Tank heard the word Political, he ripped the card from Levi's hands. I said, "No, it's ok. I promise I won't ask any political questions. It's just a nice card from everyone who has followed your story for the past few years." They seemed to relax a bit, and Tank held onto the card. I hope Levi reads it.

Next I asked if we could buy him shots inside the club to celebrate his birthday. He blushed and looked at Tank for help. This kid is definitely a rookie. I laughed it off and said, it's ok, we were just trying to help him celebrate. I asked if he is still running for mayor. He smiled and said yes, he is working hard on it, and has been getting ready. The election is in October. Every time Levi answered a question, Tank repeated what he had just said. "Yep, October."

I asked if he had been able to see Tripp lately and his face lit up. He was literally beaming. He said yes, he saw him recently. I said he is "SO CUTE!" and Levi smiled and said, "Thanks."

I asked if the book is completed and he said no, almost, but it still needs a little work. I said, well, you know that the people who read my blog are NOT fans of Sarah Palin. We are one of the big Palin watchdog blogs. So when your book comes out, will we like it, or will we love it? He smiled again, looked me right in the eye, and said slowly, "you will LOVE it." Tank echoed him. "YOU WILL LOVE IT." Everything about Tank is large, especially his voice. Levi said, "I promise you, it will be a best seller." I thanked him, and took 2 pictures with him. (Which I can't show you because I am embarrassingly taller than him).

Unfortunately this picture is quite blurry,

but at least it proves that our gal was there with Levi! ;-)

We have another wonderful picture

with Leadfoot_LA's friend Rachael and Levi!

I also listened in to some of the questions the other interviewers asked. They wanted to know if he had an interest in politics. He enthusiastically said yes, and that it is what he plans to pursue for a career. Probably not on a national level, but he is serious about Alaskan politics.

With that, Levi and Tank left the red carpet and went to eat dinner. They wouldn't reappear in the club until 2am, but by then, Tank had figured me out and kept Levi segregated in a private VIP booth.

My impression is that Levi will tell the 100% truth in this book. He was a sweet, genuine kid. "Deer in the headlights" is a perfect book title and is exactly how I would describe him. He is not "Ricky Hollywood." He is a proud father, who smiled, but almost seemed a tiny bit sad behind his eyes when I mentioned Tripp. He didn't come off as dumb at all. He was quick-witted. He's just out of his element a bit. But remember -- the clearest, loudest and most emphatic thing he said to me was that the readers of Politicalgates will not just like, they will LOVE his book. That said all I need to know. Before last night I was hopeful, but not sure. Now I am sure.

I can't wait until September!!

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Note by Patrick:

Many, many thanks to our brilliant Leadfoot_LA and her two friends for flying to Las Vegas, interviewing Levi Johnston and having a party night, all for Politicalgates! As you certainly realized while reading part 1 and part 2, this trip was carefully organized, and Leadfoot_LA simply did a wonderful job. We were one of only three media outlets to be granted an interview with Levi in advance. We will upload the video recording of the interview after Leadfoot_LA has returned home tomorrow.

Through these birthday events, we also received a piece of information which up until know has not been revealed: The ghostwriters for Levi's upcoming book "Deer in the Headlights: My Life in Sarah Palin's Crosshairs" are the writers James and Lois Cowan. Many thanks to our reader Katie Annie Oakley for the additional research!

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Firedoglake Book Salon: Geoffrey Dunn

Please take part in the Firedoglake Book Salon with Geoffrey Dunn, who will discuss his upcoming book "The Lies of Sarah Palin: The Untold Story Behind Her Relentless Quest for Power."

The book will be released on Tuesday, May 10, 2011. As we have received an advance copy from the publishers, we already have done a lot of reading, and I can promise you that you will not be disappointed. Geoffrey Dunn had access to a huge number of excellent sources, many of whom went on the record, as well as access to a large amount of additional previously unpublished material. Geoffrey wrote what I consider the ultimate biography of Sarah Palin's political career - starting with her days at Wasilla High School. The book is fact-checked up to the smallest details, and clearly sets a benchmark for all other books about Sarah Palin which are about to follow this year.

The Firedoglake Book Salon with Geoffrey Dunn will start today at 02:00 pm Pacific time - in about one hour.

In order to take part, you need to register at firedoglake to comment. It is an easy process - non-intrusive & they don't spam you.

http://firedoglake.com/

Scroll down the right-hand side to where it says "Toolbox" and register. Takes a couple of minutes.

(many thanks to Phil Munger)

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UPDATE:

New video - Levi Johnston presents his two new tattoos before the party started:

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UPDATE:

Here is now finally the clip with the video of Leadfoot_LA's interview with Levi Johnston:

Author Geoffrey Dunn: Sarah Palin's "wild ride", taken at face value, is troubling enough - Slams reporting of ADN, points to lies in Palin's story

By Patrick

Investigative author Geoffrey Dunn, whose highly anticipated book "The Lies of Sarah Palin: The Untold Story Behind Her Relentless Quest for Power" will appear in bookstores on May 10, 2011, today published a detailed post about Sarah Palin's pregnancy with Trig in "Business Insider." In his article, which we expected to be published in Huffington Post, Dunn offers an alternative view of the questions surrounding Palin's pregnancy, filled with highly interesting details and containing stinging criticism directed at the reporting of the Anchorage Daily News (ADN).

Geoffrey Dunn first explains that he is not entirely satisfied with Prof. Brad Scharlott's paper, as it offers no conclusive evidence in his opinion for Palin's pregnancy hoax, that "it remains a premise, not a fact." But that is hardly surprising, as the aim of Prof. Scharlott's paper was to first of all point to the "spiral of silence" in the mainstream media - not to offer final proof for Palin's faked pregnancy.

Dunn then goes on to present for the first time in public some highly interesting new details which add to the number of serious doubts already cast on Palin's official birth story.

First, Dunn acknowledges a fact which has been discussed before on the blogs, but has never been acknowledged by the mainstream media so far: That the fake pregnancy rumors existed long before Sarah Palin's nomination by John McCain in August 2008.

He writes:

Let me acknowledge that while researching my book I spent a considerable amount of time and resources trying to sort out the facts of Trig's birth. As with many elements of Palin's life story, there are disquieting discrepancies between what actually happened and Palin's version of events. Her capacity for deceit simply knows no bounds, and this duplicity has contributed significantly to the atmosphere of doubt regarding the details of Trig's birth. Contrary to Palin's contention otherwise, the rumors that Trig was not her son originated long before she was named as John McCain's running mate, commencing immediately upon her public acknowledgment, in March of 2008, that she was pregnant.

Geoffrey Dunn then adds new details from his own investigations which have never been published before:

Hoping to disprove the conspiracy theory when I initiated work on my book--and to put the story to bed once and for all--I interviewed several close associates of Palin's, including her friends and political allies. I was anticipating, perhaps even hoping, that they would tell me conclusively that Trig was her child.

I was shocked by the response. One close friend of Palin's--a widely respected woman who had given birth to several children as well and who had close contact with Palin in Juneau up until the time of Trig's birth--told me that "Palin did not look like she was pregnant. Ever. Even when she had the bulging belly, I never felt that the rest of her body, her face especially, looked like she was pregnant." When I asked her point-blank if she was certain the baby was Palin's, she said, "No. I don't know what to believe."

The news of Palin's pregnancy came as a complete surprise to Palin's State Trooper security detail Gary Wheeler, a well-liked, 26-year veteran of the Alaska State Troopers who worked under several administrations in Alaska state government, both Republicans and Democrats. Only two weeks earlier, in late February of 2008, Wheeler had accompanied Palin back to Washington, D.C. for a Republican Governors Association Conference, where she had just met John McCain and his campaign manager Rick Davis, who was to be in charge of the vice-presidential nomination selection process. Wheeler remembers that Palin had changed into jeans upon her arrival in Washington, with no apparent revelation of pregnancy.

Wheeler also said that his wife, Corky, actually made fun of him when the news came out because he was supposed to be a "trained observer." Wheeler simply shakes his head: "I had nary an idea she was packin'."

Geoffrey Dunn reveals that he spoke to two people himself who were very, very close to Sarah Palin in spring 2008 - and he actually expected both of them to confirm Palin's pregnancy. But he was in for a surprise: None of them did, because none of them actually noticed the pregnancy. This is big news and has never been discussed in the mainstream before.

Afterwards, Geoffrey Dunn mentions several damning details from Sarah Palin's so called "wild ride" from April 17, 2008. On the investigative blogs, these events have been discussed in great detail many times, but the "spiral of silence" in the mainstream media has prevented the American public from knowing about them. Geoffrey Dunn announces that there is much more to come in his soon-to-be-published book:

I cover the ensuing details of Palin's so-called "wild ride" from Texas back to Alaska in considerable detail in my book, but in short--according to information she gave at a news conference immediately following her return--Palin claimed that she called her physician in the middle of the night from her hotel room in Texas to discuss what Palin referred to as "amniotic fluid leaking." Despite the presence of this fluid--a strong indicator of impending birth and which potentially exposed Palin and her child to infection--Palin stayed in Dallas and delivered her speech later that day.

These events are by now certainly very well known to most of our readers and the readers of other blogs, but it should not be forgotten that the story about the "wild ride" has so far never been held up to scrutiny by journalists - despite the fact that it's Sarah Palin's own account, and all the details are readily available in news reports. Therefore up until now only a tiny minority of Americans have ever heard about the details of Palin's account of the hours prior to Trig's birth due to the "spiral of silence" that the mainstream media has accorded the issue. Geoffrey Dunn does an admirable job in the article at "Business Insider" when he describes some details of the "wild ride". This should be an eye-opener for many Americans, and we look forward to the additional description in his book with great anticipation.

Geoffrey Dunn's view on the response to Prof. Brad Scharlott's paper shows that he truly considers himself to be "independent" from the two main opposing "pro & contra" views:

The response to Scharlott's paper has been both troubling and predictable. On the one hand, those who continue to subscribe to the "hoax" theory have championed it as a work of academic brilliance. On the other hand, Palin's former flack Bill McAllister threatened to "slap" Scharlott and said that in "a different era," he'd have challenged Scharlott to "a duel." Salon's Justin Elliot used the occasion to take a cheap shot at Andrew Sullivan by describing him as a practitioner of "Trug Trutherism" -- the belief "that Sarah Palin faked her 2008 pregnancy because Trig is actually the son of Bristol Palin"--when, in fact, all Sullivan has ever asserted is the absence of "easily available and definitive" evidence that Palin is the mother of Trig.

But Dunn doesn't stop there: He delivers a stinging critique at the reporting of the Anchorage Daily News, especially the recent article of Julia O'Malley:

And in what can be described only as pathetic response to Scharlott's paper, Anchorage Daily News columnist Julia O'Malley contradicted her own newspaper's body of work on this matter by invoking a "spiral of silence" perspective and demanding that "someone" should "Make. It. Stop." She doesn't say who and she doesn't say how. What she means is that she doesn't want the issue even discussed.

Perhaps O'Malley was too high on her horse to recall that in December of 2008, in the aftermath of the national election, the Anchorage Daily News tried to confirm once and for all--as did I--that Sarah Palin was the mother of Trig, only to be rebuffed by Palin herself. The ADN's executive editor Pat Dougherty assigned his fine reporter Lisa Demer to the task of investigating the rumor. But a story was never published.

On December 31, Palin sent Dougherty an email attacking him for the line of questioning:

And is your paper really still pursuing the sensational lie that I am not Trig's mother? Is it true you have a reporter still bothering my state office, my very busy doctor (who's already set the record straight for you), and the school district, in pursuit of your ridiculous conspiracy?

Dougherty's response should be of particular interest given O'Malley's commentary. He said that his goal was "to let a reporter try to do a story about the 'conspiracy theory that would not die' and, possibly, report the facts of Trig's birth thoroughly enough to kill the nonsense once and for all." Dougherty said that Demer received "very little cooperation" from Palin or her family. He killed the story. But he made a telling observation to Palin:

It strikes me that if there is never a clear, contemporaneous public record of what transpired with Trig's birth, that may actually ensure that the conspiracy theory never dies.

And there's the rub. O'Malley's own editor did not Make It Stop because Sarah Palin has never provided sufficient concrete evidence to put the conspiracy theories to bed. She hadn't in 2009, and she hasn't now. The problem is rooted not in the wild imaginations of bloggers, as O'Malley would have us believe, but in the calculated obfuscation of the issue by Sarah Palin herself.

Dunn continues with some very sharp observations:

A week after her email to Dougherty, Palin issued a formal State of Alaska press release from the Governor's office. "As a public official, I expect criticism and I expect to be held accountable for how I govern," Gov. Palin said. "But the personal, salacious nature of recent reporting, and often the refusal of the media to correct obvious mistakes, unfortunately discredits too many in journalism today, making it difficult for many Americans to believe what they see in the media."

Held accountable? Throughout her political career, Sarah Palin has been the master of the dodge. She has never held herself accountable. At one point she claimed that she had made Trig's birth certificate public; she did not. The hospital has never issued a formal birth notice. She said that she would make her health records public. She did not. It was another lie.

Geoffrey Dunn offers a lot of details in this revealing article, he discusses the Trig pregnancy openly and doesn't hold back, however, he still tries to take a "moderate" position, as the pregnancy hoax is not yet proven in his opinion. However he points out in great detail all the suppressed details about the "wild ride" and also sharply criticizes the Anchorage Daily News which have turned into a spin-machine as far as Sarah Palin's pregnancy is concerned.

Many of the facts mentioned in the article were already known to the readers of the investigative blogs, but the general public have so far been kept in the dark.

Now comes the "story in the story", and this is truly shocking: Despite the fact that Geoffrey Dunn doesn't even state that the faked pregnancy hoax is proven, just discusses the issue as openly and detailed as possible, Huffington Post, a publication that Dunn has written for as a regular blogger for many years, refused to publish this story. They turned him down - this is a confirmed fact. Huffington Post apparently has to stay Palin pregnancy free.

The "spiral of silence" which was described by Prof. Brad Scharlott is very real, and it continues to exist. This is simply outrageous, and although some of us won't fully agree with Geoffrey Dunn's conclusions in this article, he is to be commended for having taken a front role in breaking the "spiral of silence" about Palin's pregnancy - and "Business Insider" has to be congratulated for it's continued fearless reporting about Sarah Palin's pregnancy.

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Pre-order Geoffrey Dunn's book at Amazon HERE.

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Please also take a look at the third part of Laura Novak's interview with Prof. Brad Scharlott about Sarah Palin's pregnancy.

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Read all posts at Politicalgates about Sarah Palin's faked pregnancy HERE and HERE.

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UPDATE:

Excellent new, long article about the faked pregnancy in "The Moderate Voice":

Written by investigative journalist Shaun Mullen who was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize four times.

His conclusion:

One question remains: If there was a hoax, why did Sarah Palin perpetrate it?

While Palin used Trig as a stage prop during her vice presidential run and has used Trig and other family members similarly since then, she also has been fiercely protective of them. While Palin’s post-nomination popularity went through the roof in part because of the omnipresent Trig, claiming that she was the mother of Bristol’s baby may have been less an act of political opportunism than personal expediency, if not altruism.

I do lean strongly toward there having been a hoax, and in the end it comes down to this for me: If Sarah Palin was the mother of Trig, she would not have acted recklessly by bypassing hospitals in Texas, Seattle and Anchorage with neo-natal units capable of delivering premature babies. She simply would not have endangered Trig’s life.

Unfortunately the reference to a cushion under Palin's coat, in this otherwise "fine" article, is from a parody site.

Thanks to those who brought this to our attention.

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