Wish I Didn't Know

October 5, 2011

Wasilla, Alaska

After much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for President of the United States. As always, my family comes first and obviously Todd and I put great consideration into family life before making this decision. When we serve, we devote ourselves to God, family and country. My decision maintains this order.

My decision is based upon a review of what common sense Conservatives and Independents have accomplished, especially over the last year. I believe that at this time I can be more effective in a decisive role to help elect other true public servants to office – from the nation’s governors to Congressional seats and the Presidency. We need to continue to actively and aggressively help those who will stop the “fundamental transformation” of our nation and instead seek the restoration of our greatness, our goodness and our constitutional republic based on the rule of law.

From the bottom of my heart I thank those who have supported me and defended my record throughout the years, and encouraged me to run for President. Know that by working together we can bring this country back – and as I’ve always said, one doesn’t need a title to help do it.

I will continue driving the discussion for freedom and free markets, including in the race for President where our candidates must embrace immediate action toward energy independence through domestic resource developments of conventional energy sources, along with renewables. We must reduce tax burdens and onerous regulations that kill American industry, and our candidates must always push to minimize government to strengthen the economy and allow the private sector to create jobs.

Those will be our priorities so Americans can be confident that a smaller, smarter government that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people can better serve this most exceptional nation.

In the coming weeks I will help coordinate strategies to assist in replacing the President, re-taking the Senate, and maintaining the House.

Thank you again for all your support. Let’s unite to restore this country!

God bless America.

– Sarah Palin

Original Article

New Poll – Sarah Palin Within FIVE POINTS of Obama (WIDK)

WASHINGTON (MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS BY STEVEN THOMMA) — Look out President Barack Obama. Even Sarah Palin’s gaining on you.

A new McClatchy-Marist poll finds that Obama looks increasingly vulnerable in next year’s election, with a majority of voters believing he’ll lose to any Republican, a solid plurality saying they’ll definitely vote against him and most potential Republican challengers gaining on him.

Even in potential matchups where he leads, Obama in most cases has lost ground to the Republican.

The biggest gain came for Palin, the former Alaska governor who hasn’t yet announced whether she’ll jump into the fast-changing race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

After trailing Obama by more than 20 percentage points in polls all year, the new national survey, taken Sept. 13-14, found Palin trailing the president by just 5 points, 49-44 percent. The key reason: She now leads Obama among independents, a sharp turnaround.

Overall, the gains among Republicans “speak to Obama’s decline among independents generally, and how the middle is not his right now,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, which conducted the national survey.

“This will require him to find ways to either win back the middle or energize his base in ways that hasn’t happened so farm” Miringoff said

By a margin of 49 percent to 36 percent, voters said they definitely plan to vote against Obama, according to the poll. Independents by 53 percent to 28 percent said they definitely plan to vote against him.

With that sentiment permeating the electorate a little more than a year before the general election, most Americans think Obama won’t win a second term.

By 52 percent to 38 percent, voters think he’ll lose to the Republican nominee, whoever that is. Even among Democrats, 31 percent think the Republican nominee will win.

The poll comes as the Republican candidates head to Orlando, Fla., for another debate on Thursday night, their second in the battleground state in 10 days.

Gov. Rick Perry of Texas continues to lead the field of announced candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, supported by 30 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. He was followed by former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts with 22 percent and Rep. Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota with 12 percent.

Others trailed in single digits: Rep. Ron Paul of Texas had 7 percent; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich had 6 percent; business executive Herman Cain had 5 percent, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania had 2 percent, and former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah had 1 percent.

Two potential candidates - Palin and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani - would trail Perry but jump into the top tier along with Romney and Bachmann, the survey found.

The field lines up differently, though, when matched against Obama.

While most of the Republicans have gained on Obama, he still leads all of the announced candidates.

“His saving grace right now has to do with fact that the GOP field has not yet demonstrated the appeal to capitalize on his weaknesses,” said Miringoff.

Giuliani would do the best against the president, leading Obama by 49 percent to 42 percent. He trailed by 5 points in an August poll, and by 7 in June.

Obama is neck and neck with Romney, leading by 46-44. Obama had led by 5 points in August, 4 points in June, and 1 point in April. Romney now leads among independents, 44 percent to 40 percent.

Obama leads Perry by 50 percent to 41 percent. They split independents 43-43. Obama had led Perry by 19 points in August, as Perry was joining the campaign.

Obama leads Bachmann 53 percent to 40 percent. He had led her by 17 points in August, by 12 points in June.

Obama leads Palin by 49 percent to 44 percent. He led in August by 21 points, in June by 26 points, and in April by 22 points.

Despite the suggestion that Giuliani would be the party’s strongest general election candidate, and that Palin would be much stronger than earlier believed, Republicans do not want them to get into the race.

By 72 percent to 24 percent, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents do not want Palin to run for president in 2012. Even among tea party supporters - a group that likes Palin - 68 percent do not want her to run.

And by 58 percent to 32 percent, Republican voters do not want Giuliani, who ran and lost in 2008, to run in 2012.

Original Article

Sarah Palin RUNS…Half Marathon Incognito (WIDK)

Posted to WIDK by Emily Moore

(Robin Abcarian, LA Times) — Doug Adams, the former potato chip salesman who founded the Iowans4Palin website last year, was asleep Sunday morning at home in Storm Lake, Iowa, when his wife, Diane, woke him up with a panicky phone call.

“She was squealing,” Adams said Sunday night. “I was kinda scared.”

Diane told him to get down to the lake post-haste.  Sarah and Todd Palin were there, and Sarah was about to run the half-marathon. Diane had risen early to walk the course.

Adams thought his wife was joking at first, since they had just returned the night before from Indianola, more than 150 miles from Storm Lake, where they’d trekked to watch Palin’s “tea party” speech Saturday afternoon. On Friday, they’d also attended a Conservatives4Palin meetup in Urbandale, where the Palins made a surprise visit. At both events, though, the Adamses were pretty disappointed that they’d been unable to get through the crowds to meet the former Alaska governor.

Adams hopped out of bed. “I went down there and standing off by himself, there was Todd Palin, waiting for her to come in from the race,” he said. “They had their visors down low, and the sunglasses on. People didn’t know who they were. Amazing they can get in and out of a place, incognito.”

Diane Adams told her husband that Palin started the race in the back of the pack, among the walkers, keeping a low profile for as long as possible. Then she ran around them, and took off.

After Palin finished – she’s a veteran runner and kept a speedy pace, finishing the 13.1-mile course around the lake in 1 hour 46 minutes and 10 seconds—she visited with the Adamses for while and took a picture with them.

“She is gracious and friendly as she could be,” said Adams. “The thing that amazes me is that they wandered off by themselves, and then I was talking with someone else and I felt a tap on my shoulder. She said, ‘I just wanted to thank you before leaving.’ It floored me.”

The Des Moines Register, which reported her time, said Palin had registered under her maiden name, Sarah Heath.

This afternoon, Palin tweeted “Thank you, Storm Lake, Iowa. You put on a great event & we loved meeting some great folks in your beautiful town today!”

On Monday afternoon, Palin is scheduled to address a tea party rally in Manchester, N.H.

Whether she will make any kind of news about that other race is anyone’s guess.

Original Article

Karl Rove: Sarah Palin Will Run For President (WIDK)

(Washington Examiner by Byron York) — Former Bush advisor Karl Rove says he believes former Alaska governor Sarah Palin will enter the Republican presidential race sometime around Labor Day.

Appearing on Fox News Saturday morning, Rove said Palin “has a schedule next week that looks like that of a candidate, not a celebrity.” Rove also cited a new campaign-style video Palin has released on her recent visit to the Iowa State Fair as evidence Palin is gearing up for a run.

Palin will be the keynote speaker at the Tea Party of America’s “Restoring America” event in Iowa September 3.  The event location was recently moved from Waukee, Iowa, to Indianola, Iowa to accommodate a larger crowd.

“This is her last chance,” Rove said.  “She either gets in or gets out [after the Iowa visit].  I think she gets in.”

A late entry into Iowa always raises questions about whether a candidate has the time to raise money, build an organization and meet voters face-to-face.  Rove was asked whether a Palin candidacy might operate from “a different playbook” — that is, one that does not touch the traditional bases in Iowa.  “She thinks the normal rules don’t apply,” Rove said.  “If you’re Sarah Palin, you just show up and the money comes and the organization comes and the people come.”

Rove has been accused in recent days of trying to meddle in the Republican race, particularly in critical comments about Texas Gov. Rick Perry, with whom the Texan Rove, a longtime member of the Bush camp, has had a long rivalry.  On Fox Saturday, Rove gave a passing grade to Perry’s record of jobs creation in Texas.  “He has inherited a good jobs picture and managed it well,” Rove said.

Rove also said he is “aware of some very significant people who have picked up the phone” to urge Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan to run, but offered no other details.

As for Palin, Rove has long expressed skepticism about whether Palin can win using a non-traditional campaign strategy.  Back in May, Rove told Fox’s Greta van Susteren, “I don’t think she thinks the rules apply to her.  She doesn’t need to have the traditional trappings of a presidential campaign.  No finance committee, she can raise the money.  She doesn’t need to go and shake a lot of hands in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.”

“Is she right about that?” van Susteren asked.

“Look, politics is changing,” Rove said.  “My sense is her people don’t think she needs to have county chairman and organizations and go around and line up people.  It’s just going to happen.”

Original Article

Picture This - Bristol Palin Goes Hollywood (WIDK)

Submitted to WIDK by Bianca Coombs

(Yahoo!) - Mom Sarah Palin might still be pushing the fact that she’s just one of the regular folks, but her daughter Bristol has officially gone Hollywood.

The former “Dancing With the Stars” contestant was spotted at Pink’s, the famous L.A. hot dog stand, on Thursday shooting her new reality show, which follows Bristol, 20, as she moves in with her fellow “DWTS” contestant Kyle Massey and his brother Chris. The ex-governor’s daughter also debuted a new tattoo — a “T” on the top of her right foot. According to People, the “T” stands for Tripp, Trig, Track, and Todd — her son, two brothers, and father, respectively.

Original Article

Michele Bachmann Silences Critics Over ‘Submissive’ Marriage - But Palin Not Convinced (WIDK)

(Rachel Quigley, DAILY MAIL) - It was a tricky question and one that elicited boos from the crowd but Michele Bachmann took it in her stride. During Thursday night’s Republican debate in Iowa, the Minnesota congresswoman was asked if she would be submissive to her husband if she becomes president.

Rep Bachmann, the only woman in the Republican presidential field, answered by saying she interprets ‘submission’ to mean ‘respect.’

Answering conservative columnist Byron York over comments she made during a 2006 speech, she said: ‘What submission means to us, if that’s what your question is, it means respect.

‘I respect my husband. He’s a wonderful, Godly man and a great father, and he respects me as his wife.

‘That’s how we operate our marriage. We respect each other, we love each other, and I’ve been so grateful that we’ve been able to build a home together.’

And though Bachmann may have satisfied the crowd at the debate, others weren’t so convinced.

When potential presidential candidate Sarah Palin was asked at the Iowa State fair about Bachmann’s comments, she replied: ‘That’s her opinion, you know, is that her submission to her husband means respecting her husband. I respect my husband, too.

‘I can’t imagine my husband ever telling me what to do, really. He never has told me what to do when it comes to a political step. And I appreciate that. I respect you for that, Todd.’

Though Bachmann is currently the only woman in the Republican race, Palin stoked speculation anew on Friday of a future presidential run, inserting herself into the 2012 conversation by visiting Iowa during an important week in the GOP race — and just as Texas Governor Rick Perry becomes a candidate.

She told reporters: ‘There is still plenty of room for a common sense conservative. When we’re ready to announce … you won’t be able to miss the announcement.’

At the same fair, Michele Bachmann’s husband Marcus didn’t shy away from commenting on his wife’s ‘submissiveness’.

He said: ‘I think the fact that she is talking about two people who respect, honor, and communicate to each other about decisions just makes a lot of sense.

‘I think the American people can see that that makes for a good marriage.’

The question came after remarks Bachmann made in a speech in 2006 when she was running for Congress.

She told the Living Word Christian Centre in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, that she hated taxes, but went on to study tax law in order to be ‘submissive’ to her husband.

‘My husband said, now you need to go and get a post-doctorate degree in tax law. Tax law, I hate taxes. Why should I go and do something like that?’ she said.

‘But the Lord says, “Be submissive”. Wives, you are to be submissive to your husbands. Never had a tax course in my background, never had a desire for it.

‘But by faith, I was going to be faithful to what I thought God was calling me to do through my husband, and I finished that course of that study’

The teaching is rooted in the fifth chapter of Ephesians in the New Testament: ‘Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Saviour.’

Bachmann’s Iowa campaign chairman Kent Sorenson agreed, also saying it was a ‘great opportunity’.

‘Anybody can ask any question they want. I don’t think she’s afraid to answer those questions. The audience sounded like they had a little different response,’ he said.

Richard Land, head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, told ABC that he believes Bachmann would run the country as other women in authority have, using the example of Queen Elizabeth, who acts as the head of state in the United Kingdom, but reportedly lets her husband make family decisions.

And just as John F. Kennedy said he would not take direction from the Vatican in the White House, Bachmann would not run the nation under husband Marcus’ authority, he said.

Original Article

What’s Sarah Up To?  Palin Shows Up in Iowa and Steals Spotlight from Declared Candidates (WIDK)

(Reuters By John Whitesides) - Republican Sarah Palin rolled into Iowa’s state fair Friday, stealing the spotlight from the party’s presidential contenders and sparking a new round of speculation about her plans for 2012.

Palin’s visit to the cattle barn at the fair attracted a crush of photographers, reporters, fans and onlookers who swarmed the former Alaska governor, alarming the cows and bringing activity in the barn to a temporary halt.

The timing of the visit, a day before a straw poll that is a big early test of campaign strength for the 2012 Republican presidential contenders, renewed questions about whether she will jump in the race.

Palin, who stopped to talk to reporters and fans outside the barn, said she was still uncertain of her decision but there was time and room for more candidates to join the race.

“I think there is plenty of time to jump in the race,” she said. “Watching the whole process over the last year certainly shows me that, yes, there is plenty of room for more people.”

She said that “practically speaking” September would probably be a deadline for her decision. “I don’t want to be perceived as stringing people along,” she said.

Palin joined a half-dozen declared Republican presidential candidates who visited the fair Friday to speak at a local newspaper’s stage, make a traditional visit to a life-size sculpted butter cow and eat fried Oreo cookies or meats on a stick.

The fair visit is a traditional rite of passage for presidential contenders, and Palin’s timing Friday stole the spotlight from potential rivals, including former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann.

Palin, the 2008 vice presidential nominee, denied that was her intention. “I don’t think I’m stealing any spotlights,” she said. “We’re very thankful to have been invited by friends and I’m glad we could make it.”

Talk about Palin’s entry in the race had slowed after she ended a bus tour of several states in early June. As the 2012 race heated up, speculation focused on other new entries, like Texas Governor Rick Perry who plans to declare his candidacy on Saturday.

Dressed in black jeans and a white t-shirt with a cartoon stick figure woman and hearts on the front, Palin posed for photos with fans, signed autographs and petted a calf that was led to her through the media mob.

She dismissed suggestions that if she gets into the race she is on a collision course with Bachmann, another conservative woman who is popular with members of the Tea Party movement and attracts heavy media attention.

“That’s so passe to say that just because there may happen to be two women in the race that they would, you know, get in the mud and engage in some catfighting,” said Palin, who was accompanied by her husband Todd.

“That’s ridiculous, it’s even a sexist notion that two women would duke it out. If I’m going to duke it out I’m going to duke it out with guys,” she said.

Bachmann leads polls in Iowa and is an early favorite in Saturday’s straw poll, a nonbinding mock election that tests the strength of campaigns and traditionally winnows out some losers from the field.

Republican front-runner Mitt Romney is not participating in the poll but will be on the ballot. Bachmann is being challenged by Pawlenty, who has campaigned hard in Iowa and needs a good showing to prove his viability.

Palin said Thursday night’s debate involving eight of the declared Republican candidates in Iowa was “great.” She welcomed the entry of Perry into the race but said it would have no bearing on her final decision.

“It adds to the debate, it adds another voice for Americans to consider,” she said.

During her visit Palin ignored a shouted question from Alaska resident Tamara Roselius of Fairbanks, who asked why she gave up on the state. Palin resigned as Alaska governor with 18 months left in her first term, in part to escape ethics probes that had drained the family finances.

Palin’s husband Todd approached Roselius and asked “when you have all that hanging over your head … what would you do? Bankrupt your family?”

Roselius replied: “It’s not there anymore is it? Sellout.”

Original Article

Levi Johnston’s Sister Blasts Palin Family - While Stripping for Playboy (WIDK)

(TMZ.com) - Mercede Johnston, the younger sister of Levi Johnston, unloaded on the Palin family — saying Sarah Palin would have a “mental breakdown” if she were elected president … and that Bristol Palin “prayed to God” Levi was not her baby daddy.

Mercede posed for the September issue of Playboy — and according to the NY Post, she told the mag 70% of Wasilla, Alaska residents “can’t stand Palin” — and Johnston even thinks her connection to the family prevents her from getting jobs.

She explained, “People say, ‘Oh, Mercede Johnston, I don’t know if people are going to come in if she works here.’”

Mercede also reveals Bristol sent Levi a text message when she found out she was preggers that read, “Ever since the moment I found out I was pregnant, I prayed to God you weren’t the father.”

A call to a Palin family attorney was not immediately returned.

Original Article

Sarah Palin: Tea Party and I Aren’t ‘Terrorists’ - If We Were, We’d Be Better Pals With Obama (WIDK)

(Aliyah Shahid NY DAILY NEWS) - Sarah Palin knows she and her Tea Party compatriots aren’t “terrorists,” because if they were, she says, President Obama would “pal around” with them.

The former Alaska governor went on offense Tuesday night, in response to earlier reports that Vice President Joe Biden branded the Tea Party as “terrorists” during a closed-door meeting on the debt ceiling.

Palin argued that the Obama administration has been too lax on actual terrorists, and slammed the president for not speaking out against such rhetoric.

“If we were real domestic terrorists, President Obama would be wanting to pal around with us, wouldn’t he?” Palin told Fox News’ Sean Hannity.

“He didn’t have a problem palling around with Bill Ayers back in the day when he kicked off his political career,” she added, referring to the much-parsed 2008 campaign story of a young Obama having spent a brief amount of time with Ayers, a former member of a ’60s radical group who is now a professor and education reporter.

To make her point, Palin referred to a speech the president gave after the shootings in Tucson, Arizona, in which he urged for calmer political rhetoric.

“He wasn’t sincere in that, and that’s typical Barack Obama unfortunately. That’s typical of our president where it’s blah blah blah,” she said. “It’s all talk and no real action, otherwise he’d be on Biden, and tell Biden to tone it down.”

According to Politico, Biden said Tea Partiers were acting “like terrorists” shortly after President Obama announced he had reached a deal with Congressional leaders to raise the debt ceiling - a normally routine vote that Tea Party Republicans turned into a line in the sand over the country’s debt.

Biden’s office has denied he made the remarks, which reportedly occurred in a closed-door Democratic Caucus meeting, following Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) allegedly saying, “We have negotiated with terrorists. This small group of terrorists have made it impossible to spend any money.”

Palin called the vitriol against the Tea Party unacceptable.

“I’m not just going to roll over with a sticker plastered on my forehead that says, ‘Hit me baby one more time. Call me a terrorist again. Call me a racist’ - those things that Tea Party patriots have been being called over these months,” she said.

“It’s unfair, it’s hypocritical of the other side doing that. And enough is enough. And I’m going stand up for those fiscally conservative patriotic independent Americans who wants the best for this country.”

Original Article

Presidential Campaign Kickoff? Sarah Palin to Keynote Tea Party Rally in Iowa

(RCP By Scott Conroy) — In the latest indication that her sights are still set on a presidential run, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has accepted an invitation to keynote a Tea Party rally in Waukee, Iowa, on Sept. 3, RealClearPolitics has learned.

The Labor Day weekend visit to the nation’s first voting state comes after Palin indicated during an appearance on Fox News earlier this month that she would make her decision about whether to launch a campaign in August or September.

All signs now point to September as the month when Palin would throw her hat into the ring, as logistical concerns ranging from fundraising to getting her name on the ballot in various states would likely preclude further delay.

Many prominent political analysts and Republican operatives have expressed skepticism that Palin is seriously considering a presidential bid, since she has not taken many of the steps that candidates traditionally take before jumping into the race, such as signing early-state consultants, contacting key powerbrokers and boosting their travel schedules.

But Palin has a long history of shunning the Republican Party machinery and taking an unconventional approach to campaigns — a mind-set that appears to have been in play throughout the past several months.

Palin’s latest appearance in Iowa will come just two days after “The Undefeated,” a documentary film spotlighting her accomplishments in Alaska, will be released on Pay-Per-View and video-on-demand. In the film, Palin is portrayed as a continual thorn in the Republican establishment’s side. And it is the GOP, rather than the Democratic Party, that garners the better part of the movie’s scorn.

If Palin were to announce a White House run, the theme of her campaign would almost certainly focus on resisting the ingrained political culture and what she sees as being wrong with the status quo, and much of the Republican Party itself, in addition to continuing to offer one of the most strident contrasts to President Obama’s policies.

The outdoor rally on the first Saturday in September will take place at a field in Waukee, located just outside of Des Moines, and will be hosted by the Tea Party of America — an Iowa-based political action committee that was founded in May.

The midday affair will be the new group’s kickoff event and is sure to generate a large crowd and massive media attention.

One of the Tea Party of America’s co-founders, Charlie Gruschow, had previously founded the Des Moines Tea Party before splintering off to start a new group with some like-minded colleagues.

Gruschow praised the work of a highly motivated group of volunteers who have been setting the groundwork in Iowa for a Palin campaign, which almost all of them deem to be inevitable.

“I can only surmise that she’s very, very popular here,” Gruschow said of Palin’s level of support among Republican caucus-goers in Iowa. “And it didn’t hurt at all when she introduced her movie in Pella. The feedback I’ve gotten was it was an awesome movie, and there are more people becoming more endeared to her.”

Palin has been relatively quiet over the past month, as she has retreated to Alaska to immerse herself in policy and to strategize with her husband, Todd, and top advisers about how a potential campaign would work.

SarahPAC, Palin’s political action committee, has not hired a pollster or a media consultant, and Palin appears to have little interest in doing so, although the addition of a national press secretary may soon be on the horizon.

The 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee will not be on the ballot at next month’s Ames Straw Poll, which could winnow the GOP field just as Texas Gov. Rick Perry is expected to enter the race sometime in August.

Original Article

Bristol Palin Discusses Politics, Teen Pregnancy in Memoir

(CNN) — Bristol Palin says she’s optimistic about her mother’s chances if the former Alaska governor decides to run for president.

“I think she’s so smart and I think she could debate anyone and do very well,” Palin said in an interview with HLN’s “Dr. Drew” that aired Thursday night.

“I think that people will be talking about my family and her and everyone else, no matter what we’re doing,” she added.

When the show’s host, Dr. Drew Pinsky, asked whether she liked the attention, Palin said she had mixed feelings.

“I don’t know how to feel about it. I think there’s awesome opportunities that come with it, but then I also think there’s lots of drawbacks and lots of negatives towards it,” she said. “But I think whatever she [Sarah Palin] does will be right for our family and right for herself.”

Palin’s life changed dramatically when her mother, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, became John McCain’s vice presidential running mate in 2008.

Shortly afterward, the revelation that Bristol Palin was 17 and pregnant put a national spotlight on her personal life.

In her new memoir, “Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far,” Bristol Palin — now 20 —writes about lying to her parents so she could go on a camping trip with friends — a night that ended with the teenager losing her virginity to her boyfriend, Levi Johnston, while getting drunk off wine coolers.

Later in the book, Bristol walks readers through her unwanted pregnancy with Johnston, revealing details on their shaky relationship over the years.

“My life, my teenage years were cut completely short. I was on the fast track to adulthood just in an instant because of that one decision,” she said. “And Trip is just the love of my life. He is everything to me. But do I wish that he had a dad that was involved in his life? Absolutely. And do I wish that I had an education and a real career path? Absolutely.”

Even after the 2008 election, Bristol didn’t shy away from the spotlight. She competed on “Dancing With the Stars” last year, drawing support from fans but also sharp criticism; one man reportedly shot his television when she made it to another week of the competition.

“With this book, I really do hope that other young girls will see all the foolish decisions … and they can learn something from the mistakes that I made,” she said.

“I’m just so passionate about it, just warning other girls that it’s not an accessory on your hip,” she added.

Original Article

Nevada Man Sues DMV for Rejecting ‘GOPALIN’ License Plate – ACCEPTED ‘AL GORE’ and ‘GO OBAMA’

(Las Vegas Sun By Jackie Valley) - A Nevada man has filed a lawsuit against the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles alleging his rights were violated when he says the state denied his requests for personalized license plates with conservative political themes.

James Linlor, a Douglas County resident, filed the complaint July 15 in U.S. District Court in Nevada. A state official said the plate eventually was issued late last year.

The complaint alleges Linlor requested a personalized license plate of “GOPALIN” in 2009 and 2010, but the DMV denied his applications, stating the request was “vulgar or obscene or expressing superiority of political affiliation.”

Linlor says he tried again in June 2010 — this time requesting “PALIN,” “PALIN12” or “PALIN16.” The DMV’s Special Plates Committee, which reviews applications, again denied his requests, deeming them inappropriate because they were “political,” according to the complaint.

According to the Nevada Administrative Code, the DMV rejects personalized license plates with any combination of letters, numbers or spaces that “express contempt, ridicule or superiority of … political affiliation.” It can also deny plates it deems “inappropriate.”

After a hearing before an administrative law judge, the lawsuit claims the judge reversed the DMV’s denial of Linlor’s requests for plates with “PALIN,” “PALIN12” and “PALIN16.” The judge determined the DMV wasn’t authorized to deny requests simply because they were “political,” according to the complaint.

Despite the judge’s decision, the complaint alleges the DMV again denied Linlor’s request for a “GOPALIN” plate. Meanwhile, Linlor discovered the DMV had issued other politics-related license plates, including “GOGREEN,” “DMOCRAT,” “AL GORE,” “KERRY,” “EDWARDS,” “DEAN,” “HILLARY” and “RONPAUL,” while rejecting requests for “REPBLCN” and “BUSH,” the complaint alleges.

When Linlor applied for a “GO OBAMA” plate, the DMV approved it, he alleges.

“The actions of the DMV in selectively granting some ‘political’ license plate requests while denying others are unconstitutional on grounds of content and viewpoint discrimination, and should be enjoined as a violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution,” according to the complaint.

Bruce Breslow, director of the Nevada DMV, said Monday he’s not sure why Linlor brought a lawsuit this month because the “GOPALIN” plate was issued Dec. 30, 2010.

The DMV, however, is reviewing its policy about personalized license plates and likely will have the director or a deputy director make decisions about whether to approve such requests in the future, he said.

“I would not have denied it,” Breslow said, referring to the “GOPALIN” plate.

The complaint seeks injunctive relief from the DMV as well as the cost of attorneys’ fees.

Original Article

Original Article

Sarah Palin’s Next Move? - A Trademark

(TIME) — Sarah Palin wants to trademark her name.

The former Alaska governor turned Fox News commentator, Going Rogue author, TLC reality star and SarahPAC founder — wait, do I really have to tell you who Sarah Palin is? — has submitted an application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that is due to be approved within the next few weeks. Palin’s name would be trademarked for “educational and entertainment services” as well as “motivational speaking services in the field of politics, culture, business and values,” according to her application. Her daughter Bristol, 20, has also filed to trademark her name, for motivational speaking in the field of “life choices.”

“Essentially, what they are doing is trying to commercialize themselves,” says Neil Friedman, a New York trademark attorney. It’s rare for politicians to trademark their names, but Palin left office in 2009 and has since become a successful media and entertainment figure. She would trademark her name the way someone like Calvin Klein might trademark his. 

But what happens if there are other women named Sarah Palin? As it turns out, there’s a 20-year-old University of Texas at Austin junior with this very problem. For the past three years, the nutrition major from Heath, Texas, has been inundated with jokes, insults and e-mails intended for her more famous namesake. TIME talked to the young Sarah Palin about what it’s like to have the same name as a celebrity and whether she’s concerned that her name could be trademarked.

When did you first learn about the famous Sarah Palin?
One day in 2006 I decided to Google my name and see what showed up. I found out that someone named Sarah Palin was governor of Alaska. For my 16th birthday, one of my friends bought me a Sarah Palin bumper sticker. I have it on my refrigerator.

What was it like during the 2008 election?
I was in high school the day [Palin] was named John McCain’s running mate. I was sitting in class and suddenly bombarded with all these text-messages from my friends and family, congratulating me and saying I was going to be the next Vice President. I was like, What’s going on? After that, the Sarah Palin jokes never let up. I knew that my life would never be the same. 

How often do people mention Palin to you?
Ever since 2008, all my friends have called me by my full name, Sarah Palin. I rarely get called just Sarah. Every time she opens her mouth, I get attention. And now everyone’s making the same joke — asking me if I’m going to run in 2012. I’m like, Wow, that’s really original. I definitely haven’t heard that one before.

Do people ever write to you thinking that you’re her?
I still use my real name on my Facebook account. During the election, I’d get hundreds of messages and friend requests every day from people who thought I was her. I still get them occasionally — maybe five or six a day — but it’s not that bad.

This past semester at school, I got a call from someone running in the student-council elections. They asked me to make a video endorsement for their campaign. You know, like, “I’m Sarah Palin, and I approve this message.” I was too busy at the time, so I couldn’t do it.

Palin is a pretty controversial figure. People either love her or hate her.
Yeah, some of the messages I get are really rude. My dad is her biggest fan in the world; he introduces himself as “Sarah Palin’s father.” My mom doesn’t like her at all, so whenever Sarah Palin says something that gets her, they’ll argue about it.

How do you feel about her?
She seems like a good and decent person, and she’s enthusiastic about what she does. But she doesn’t always sound very smart. Some of the things she says are hysterical. I don’t hate her, and I don’t love her. I just share the same name with her.

Is your name ever a problem for you?
Whenever I fill out a form for the first time, the store clerk or receptionist or whoever will look at me like I’m being a jerk.

Have you ever thought about whether your name will cause problems for you when you’re older? For example, if you want to run for office or go into business or something?
I have thought about it, actually. I’m not a super-political person, and I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do with my life, so I probably won’t be in the same sort of profession as her. If I ever open up a business, I guess I could use my middle name. Sarah Beth Palin isn’t trademarked.