Thursday, February 11, 2010

Letting Herself Go And Counting Backwards: With A Guest Appearance By Palin's Liquor Cabinet

This is one of the most interesting pictures of Sarah Palin that I have found. It was taken by Spc. Wesley Landrum of the 50th Public Affairs Detachment on July 25, 2007 and posted the next day. This was during Palin's two day trip to Kuwait which, along with a few hour layover in - I believe - Amsterdam on the way home, constitutes her entire foreign travel experience. I found the picture while reviewing photos of her bust size for an earlier post. If you look at the other pictures from this trip, when she knew she was going to be wearing t-shirts, she appears to have packed her enhancer brasserie. Although, to be fair, some of the bosom she is showing here was acquired honestly, with the extra pounds she seems to be carrying at the time.

I thought of this picture yesterday, while I was looking at Kelly Anne Hanrahan's series of pictures of what Sarah Palin looks like without most of her makeup, hairstyles, and accessories, which has also been posted on Palingates this morning. The pictures that Hanrahan chose to work with mostly show Sarah Palin during the campaign. Before the current round of cosmetic surgery, but after, what many observers have noticed, work that was done earlier. It would be interesting to see what Palin would look like in the above picture if Hanrahan gave it the same treatment as the others. (I believe that several people would have to make an apology to Susan Boyle.)

However, what really interests me about the above picture is the timing. You see, much to Sarah Palin's dismay, there are people who know how to count backwards, and I happen to be one of them. According to the letter written by Palin's doctor, Cathy Baldwin-Johnson, dated on November 3, 2008 and released the evening before the election, "[Palin] had four term deliveries in 1989, 1990, 1994, and 2000, and one pre-term delivery at 35 weeks gestation in 2008."

There are a number of questions that have been raised regarding this letter, and it has been noted that, in the sentence quoted above, Piper's year of birth is not correct. Less than a year ago, a blogger named Morgan, who did photo detective work, looked closely at this letter and noticed that there were a number of visual irregularities within it - including the fact that the margins of the text didn't line up, suggesting that the letter was manually cut and pasted together, and possibly altered, before it was released. (I cannot link to her blog, because it was taken down after she was seriously intimidated and threatened by Palin's supporters - she is not the only blogger that this has happened to. It would be interesting if anyone with her level of skill would look at this letter again.)

As another aside, and to confirm the things you can find out by counting backwards, Track Palin, born April 20, 1989, is said to be a full-term baby in the letter. Full term is defined as 37 to 42 weeks from the last menstrual period, LMP, (259 to 294 days). Conception, however, typically occurs two weeks after the LMP - thus the most likely window is 37 to 40 weeks. Pre-term is defined as 258 days or less. Sarah and Todd allegedly* eloped on August 29, 1988, assuming that 1989 wasn't a leap year, 234 days before Track was born. In order to be considered full term, as Dr. Baldwin-Johnson's letter states, Track's conception would most likely have occurred between July 13 to August 3, 1988. (Statistically the chance becomes less likely as we move out of the mid-July period.) There is also a reduced chance, this time less likely the earlier the date, that he could have been conceived between June 29 and July 12.

Why is this important? Palin has a history of being anti-choice, although she has publicly mentioned that she has considered other options for herself. She has also actively promoted, along with her daughter Bristol - who gets paid to do so despite the glaring incongruence, abstinence before marriage. Given her own past and daughter's present situation, Palin's stance is extremely hypocritical. As a public spokesperson, and while an elected official, she has tried to limit other people's choices before and after a potential pregnancy. Abstinence only programs have been proven not to work and result in an increase of unmarried pregnancies, heartbreak, and hardship.

Very few unmarried and unemployed women, who find themselves pregnant, have the option of calling up a boy they have been dating, who is working far away from them, and have him risk his life to come back and marry them. There is also very few unmarried and oddly ambiguous employed women who have the substantial family resources to relentlessly sue their nineteen year old former boyfriend, who was willing to marry them, for $1,750 per month child support ($21,000 per year) based on a hypothetical income extrapolated from a probably temporary windfall of income. (His gross income before that being less then half of the support asked for.) In both cases: nice work, if you can get it.

Of course these dates also help in this discussion, which is justified given Sarah Palin's extensive use of her family and the myth of her family values as her brand. Not to mention, once again, the hypocrisy. Since Palin doesn't really have any policy positions that can be pinned down, her myth making around her family is something that needs to be explored. Another part of Palin's brand is her perceived honesty, a shock for many when they realize that is how her fan base views her. This bit of cognitive disassociation on the part of her fans makes it imperative to explore the many contradictions, inconsistencies, and outright lies in Palin's life.

I have, however, digressed from the above picture and we will now go back to counting backwards. Trig Palin's alleged birth date is April 18, 2008. The above doctor's letter states that he was born pre-term at 35 weeks gestation, which, I believe, means completed weeks. More precise then what we were working with Track. Counting backwards puts his conception in the week ending August 16, 2007. The above picture was taken on July 25, fifteen to twenty-two days before Palin would have become pregnant as she states she was.

Compare this picture to all the ones during her pregnancy that survived the scrubbing - when she was picked to run with John McCain - and the ones from her previous pregnancies. She looks more pregnant here, and similar to the her other pregnancies, than when she is stated to be pregnant with Trig - even though we know she can't be according to the above stated timeline. I am taking into account the discrepancies of her belly padding and, like Kelly Anne Hanrahan's series above, factoring out her belly padding accessories. After all, no baby gestrates as a rectangle.

The Palin myth, however, is that the reason that she didn't show during the Trig pregnancy was because she didn't let herself go and she had very tight abs. First, let's state that - to anyone who knows anything about pregnancy - this story does not hold water. (The same holds true for her other hold-the-leaking-water-for-almost-twenty-four-hours-during-her-labour-story.) Second, if you were going to try to tell me that someone has extremely fit and tight abs during a pregnancy, they should be fit directly before they conceive - which includes tight arms and chin. Looking at the above picture, this was definitely not the case. I will admit that, over the course of the alleged pregnancy, Sarah Palin appears to get fitter and miraculously smaller including her bust, if we take the Kuwait pictures as a reference point, as she does here five weeks before she gives birth.


The reduction of bust size is particularly of note given the following comment written over a year ago by Audrey, a lactation consultant, at PalinDeceptions:

"As you examine these photos, screen shots, and videos here are some things to watch for. First, very significant to me as a lactation consultant is her total lack of breast change in any shots, even the ones after she LOOKS pregnant. This is often one of the first signs of pregnancy and one that is pretty much universal, even in women who don't show much. Governor Palin appears to me to be consistently small breasted throughout all of the images."

(Since Audrey had been focusing on the period during Palin's alleged pregnancy - easily dated photographs which could be eliminated, such as the Kuwait series showing a bustier Palin - were not looked at closely or seen at the time she wrote her opening web pages.)

I believe that the Kuwait picture above should be added to any time line of Palin's pregnancy as a reference point of how she looked directly before we are told she got pregnant with her tight abs. Perhaps, in addition, it should be posted any time one of those annoying troll commenters writes "I'll nail that" in response to a picture of Sarah Palin.

* The reason I wrote alleged for the date that the Palins claim to have eloped is because there is no verification that they actually did on that day. The only reason we know the date is because they told us. By now, after so many fact checking posts on various blogs, we know that almost everything they say is untruthful. August 29, according to the story that Todd tells in the link above, is the first day they could tell a small community, who would know and remember when people are away, that they had been married. The community would have known that Todd was away for an extended period of time directly prior to that date. This may account for the odd tale, ironically - in Todd's version - fish play a major role, of their elopement told in Going Rogue.

In that account, they take their broke asses down to the courthouse (as, I believe, she describes her nuptials - please correct me if I am wrong). For some reason, they don't bother to bring anyone they know along, as if what they were doing was shameful and they had to be secretive about it. Because they needed two witnesses, they went across the street and wheeled two elderly residents, who didn't know them, back to the courthouse. Since the court records are sealed for another thirty years and the witnesses would have died soon afterwards, we have no way of verifying their story.

There is one possibility. The first time Palin ran for mayor in 1996, her political allies - referred to as her 'liquor cabinet' - made a large fuss that John Stein, the three term incumbent mayor with a degree in public administration, was not actually married to his second wife. (They also inferred that, because of his name, he was not Christian - he is Lutheran.) A marriage certificate was offered as proof and rejected because "[t]hey said, 'well you could have forged that.'"

Palin is constantly stating that she is being treated by a double standard and she is - no one else would get away with what she does in such a blatant and clumsy manner. Perhaps she should be asked to produce her marriage certificate, just as John Stein felt compelled to do, along with other documents to prove what she says. The liquor cabinet, however, may have already told us, in the above quote, what to be careful of if such documents ever do surface.

41 comments:

  1. Sounds to me like we may have a little common-law going on?

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  2. Damn! Okay, the chin can be seen as fat/doubled depending on the angle. When I was younger, I saw a double chin at certain angles when I was a size 4 (I miss those days!). That being said, you cannot miss the arms. That is a dead giveaway. Tight abs or not, if you were in the shape that Palin said she was in, you would not have droopy upper arms like that.

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  3. On second thought, VeraCity, it's not the chin. It's the jawline. A double chin can be seen at many angles regardless of the weight, but the jawline is not usually seen with extra fat without extra weight. Tight abs, my foot.

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  4. Vera, I've enjoyed your comments on the other blogs and was so pleased to find you had your own. (Though I sometimes cringe, because I see some similarities between my own shortcomings and those of a certain Grifter... at least I'm not trying to be POTUS.)

    Please, you need to add the elopement photo to this post. I was struck at how busty that phhoto showed SP was early in her pg with Track.

    And I think the resemblance between Track and Piper is because both look so much like their mother.

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  5. Kyra,

    I would think that they would be married, just - like so many dates surrounding her family - not on the day they said they were.

    German Goodness,

    Good eyes on both counts. I believe that extra fat around the jaw line is called jowls. If I had seen a picture like this of me when I was forty three, I would have also hit the gym and started to reduce what I ate. Sarah is the only woman I have seen that was thinner immediately after delivering the baby than before she got pregnant. It is worth taking a look at the other Kuwait pictures. Although this is the most unflattering, you can see the extra weight on her. She looks fine by the way and is a normal, healthy weight, but compared to when she is 'pregnant' and afterwards, she is heavier.

    Anoonymous,

    The engagement picture has already been posted on my blog in the December post regarding photo comparisons of Track Palin, the Menards and known grandparents. Regina kindly gave me a hat tip for it when she used it. You might be right about Track and Piper.

    If you cringe at the idea that you may share some similarities with 'a certain grifter,' than you do not share the most damaging features she has. So take heart and I am sure that, whatever your shortcomings are that remind you of her, you now have motivation to work on shifting them to something you feel more comfortable with.

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  6. "You see, much to Sarah Palin's dismay, there are people who know how to count backwards and I happen to be one of them."

    Oh Vera, that one made me laugh...I always look forward to your blog posts and this is another great one!

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  7. Vera, there is a typo in the 4th paragraph that really stumped me for a few seconds. I am calling it to your attention so you can fix it. No need to post my comment:

    wasn't a leap year, 134 days before Track was born
    134 days can't be the right number. Should it be 234?

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  8. sharpie,

    If you only knew the bon mots that I censure myself from putting in. At that juncture, there was a particularly juicy one that referred to Todd that never made it to print. I am glad that you enjoy the ones that make it through.

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  9. mxm,

    Yes it should and I have finally fixed it. Please tell me about any errors that you find. It is a bit unnerving posting after you written something without a proof reader.

    While we are on proof reading, a selection of Sarah and Todd's e-mails, with their horrible spelling and grammar, should be compiled and sent to the school authorities. There is no way these two can home school Piper. Some of the articles which talk about how little Sarah knew about basic information you learn from school, which should be in the curriculum, should also be included.

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  10. Anonymous @ 6:59PM
    It would be unusual if we didn't all share some (unattractive) traits, uncomfortable as it might be to admit it. The key, is that you recognize it about yourself. The "grifter," and Vera has noted it several times, is the person with the inability to be self-reflective and self-aware. When I evaluate a client for the first time, one of the things I am looking for is how they see themselves in relation to the world around them. It's actually not hard to find out, and unfortunately, is the determinant (or at least a significant one) in whether or not treatment is likely to be successful. We diagnose on two axes and personality disorders are listed with mental retardation - fixed and immutable - and they are the only two diagnoses that can be listed on that axis which should tell you something. If I've gotten too clinical Vera, please fix. Thanks!

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  11. Since Piper is obviously out of school so much, I would think there must be rules (there are in my district)as to time gone from the classroom-please tell the authorities. The district in Mat-Su or perhaps her old buddies at AK Dept of Education should be alerted that they are unfit to homeschool. I doubt that Piper is officially homeschooled. More wink-wink church pal buddies must be in charge over at the Wasilla school and turn a blind eye to the situation. Piper has only learned to cheat by scribbling notes on her hand when she returns to reality of life among her peer group.

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  12. I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your perceptive ideas. Your sharp insight always has me looking at things in a new light. You've absolutely hit the nail on the head with $P in so many ways but most especially with how little credit she gives to others. She absolutely thinks she can fool anybody and everybody but those of us who are intelligent and questioning, know better.

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  13. The very first reason I never believed the 'marriage' tale told by Sarah is that I never believed, without objective proof, that there
    WAS an old folks' home directly across the street from the courthouse. That would be a highly doubtful place to locate it: the courthouse would be in a high-rent, high-traffic area, just the opposite of an old folks' home. Why don't we start with that one first? It would be easily disprovable (or provable) – and I doubt Sarah considered the provability of it before embarking on her tale.

    I also seriously doubt whether, at the time in question, Wasilla had any streets or building entrances that were handicap-compliant – meaning that the mere wheeling of these oldsters into the building may have been an impossibility. These things MUST be verified by an Alaskan who was familiar with the sidewalks, streets, and building entrances AT THE TIME IN QUESTION. Photos of the courthouse and streets at the time in question would probably be easily obtainable.

    If either of my hypotheses can be proven correct, the entire story falls on its face, in which case the elopement photo, as well as the marriage date, are known to be fraudulent.

    I do NOT say these things to cast aspersions on the Palins for not being chaste before their marriage: many people make mistakes such as these. I make my case to show that, just as they are proven to be liars in other areas, they will probably be proven to be liars in this area as well. Not only liars, but people who lie with bravado in the face of objective proof to the contrary.

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  14. She looks quite similar here to her appearance in the Vogue photo shoot pictures, which were taken in September or October of 2007 – and quite different from her subsequent, remarkably more attractive photos once she stepped into the national spotlight: late winter or very early spring of 2008. I am guessing that the first face-lift (jowel job) occurred between these two dates: fall 2007 and late winter 2008. That work enhanced her appearance; subsequent work made her look much worse – less feminine and considerably older.

    A first face-lift during the 2007-2008 period, combined with her admitted tanning bed use at that time, are two more reasons why we should not believe her Trig story. Forty-four year old woman, knowing she is preggers with high-risk down syndrome child with heart defect, repeatedly jumps into tanning bed and has her face redone? Not so much.

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  15. At first, I was a bit turned off whenever people take issue with her using padded bras but I went back to your other posts and read them before making comment. I know that on our anti-palin blogs we get a bit petty at times slamming her for wigs, padded bras and probable surgical enhancements. However, you give a fair evaluation. It is true that she does it in a very manipulative way and that her "honest" beauty is part of her myth.

    Personally, I feel there is nothing wrong with playful theatrics when it comes to looks---I have worn padded bras, wigs, (clip-in) extensions, and even waist to knees granny panties if it makes the look work (those panties were to give perfect seemlessness to a very sexy tight fitting silk evening gown---little did my date know!) However, I'm doing it in fun and playfulness---and not because I feel ashamed of my natural look. (for the record, I've been in a full nude outdoor sauna with several hundred people---most eye contact I've ever experienced in my life!)

    Sarah uses this stuff to "lie" It is fake representation to manipuate others. I cringe every time I hear how "honest" she is. Intentional dishonesty is one of the most abhorrant things in this world but also one of the most rampant---I count harmless white lies in this too. If you use kindness and tact, you can be very honest but it is harder than just using the easy way out.

    Also lies about things that can be easily disproven by say...counting backwards! (perhaps they don't teach that at "homeschol", or you know those creationists have a pretty skewed backwards counting system too--maybe she used that one)

    But it's almost like people really want to be lied to. It's like part of a poem I wrote "tell me pretty lies, my heart breaks to believe them"

    Sorry about the rant. She just gets to me.

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  16. Marriage licenses are a matter of public record. One has to obtain a marriage license in order to get married – even if the marriage takes place at the courthouse. Couldn't a person from Wasilla verify the date on the marriage license, as well as tell us about where the courthouse was located in 1989, whether there were any old folks' homes across the street then, and whether the courthouse was accessible by wheelchair then? A current, live google photo scan of the street and surrounding area in front of the court house in Palmer shows no such structures (nursing homes) nearby. If they aren't there now, it is doubtful that they were there then, when the town was much smaller.

    But beyond that, when you are not a friend or family member of someone in a nursing home, you can't just grab them by the arm and trot them out the door. The nurses – and the rules – will not permit it. The whole story is cockamamie.

    People who get married in courthouses use either family or friends for witnesses or, if not available, courthouse employees. The witnesses have to sign papers and be able to show that they are of sound mind.

    This woman is so mentally unbalanced that both her truths (if indeed there are many) AND her lies are outrageous.

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  17. Vera City,

    Sometime in the last few days, I read on one of the Palin blogs that when McCain said that a certain date in August was his birthday, Palin piped up and said it was also her 20th wedding anniversary. (I don't remember the exact date in question, only that it was different from the August 29th 1988 date she has previously claimed.) To me, that comment could be taken as:

    1) August 29th 1988 is not the actual date of her marriage, and she and Todd were married on McCain's birthday.

    2) She wasn't aware of the actual date at the time she made the statement, and she and Todd were married on August 29th, 1988.

    3) It was a clumsy attempt to draw attention to herself and to make potential voters think she was destined to be McCain's VP by claiming that she and McCain shared a special day together.

    4)???

    To me, number three seems most likely, but I would love to hear your thoughts about this.

    Thanks!

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  18. Moldy_Cheese,
    there are a lot of people that no matter what, have to bring the attention back to them, SP somehow springs to mind...

    They are the people who as soon as you start relating a story (especially if it's a sad one) chime in "me too!" and it's almost a one-up situation. Far be it from McCain to have a celebration that does not include her!

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  19. A few comments- first, no, 1989 was NOT a leap year. Leap years are always even numbers. 1980 was a leap year; I was kinda hoping for a leap year day baby, but overshot the mark by about 2 wks- I should have gone kayaking! Anyway, 1988 was a leap year and so was 1992.

    Second, responding to someone in the responses: the schools, assuming they take attendance, know exactly how much school Piper is missing. If they wanted to approach the Palin family about it, they could. Remember that there are still a lot of people who support the Palins.

    Homeschooling: I understand that Alaska has some of the most relaxed homeschooling standards in the United States. While some states require testing to ensure that the kid is getting what s/he needs, I don't think Alaska does. I suppose this is because a lot of people really do live far away from any schools and can't afford (and don't want) boarding school for their offspring. Anyway, while some homeschoolers will acknowledge that it's not for everybody, the homeschooling movement by and large takes the position that anyone can homeschool. Showing that Sarah and Todd can't spell, or write a coherent sentence, isn't going to impress education authorities in Alaska. If they're interested in education, they probably know the Palins aren't.

    Even in 1989, nurses would absolutely not allow a couple of total strangers to grab two wheelchair-bound residents and take them away. If this happened, I wonder how mentally capable the two "witnesses" were- did they agree to go, or were they kidnapped? If they agreed to go with total strangers, were they mentally competent to make that decision? (I wouldn't let total strangers take me away, if I were wheelchair-bound. It's not like they'd have a chance to get away without help, if something turned out wrong.)

    McCain's date of birth is August 29, 1936.

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  20. Kyra,

    You can get as clinical as you like and it will be appreciated here. I did not know that mental retardation was also on Axis II. The breadth of knowledge of the people who follow the Palin story is staggering and I learn so much from reading comments.

    Pearlygirl,

    Thank you for for stating something that was at the edge of my mind while I write these posts. Your comment nicely illustrates the difference between playfully dressing up and using various enhancers and doing it in a manipulative way. Since most of us do this at one time or another - I do have some great pieces in my wardrobe- it seems petty to talk about it. However, when appearances are used as part of a con it needs to be addressed. As a woman, it is easier for me to write about it than some of the other bloggers.

    As to the commenters who have raised questions about the elopement story, perhaps we should ask for a confirmation from people in Alaska who read Palingates. When I said the seniors were wheeled to the courthouse - if I remember correctly - one was in a wheelchair and the other had a walker which usually have wheels.

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  21. Unless Todd and Sarah had previously submitted an application for a marriage license, they could not have been married on 08/29/88. There is a waiting period of 3 business days before a license can be received. Also, marriage licenses are not considered public records until 50 years have passed.

    (Scorpie on Palingates)

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  22. Hello Vera, I posted the comment with the elopement witness "details" on Palingates. My comment is currently on page 4 of the comments for the Tuesday Feb 9, 2010 post at http://palingates.blogspot.com/2010/02/sarah-palin-todd-palin-track.html

    I got the information directly out of "Going Rogue", page 49. The "old folks' home" is identified on that page as "the Palmer Pioneers Home", which was described as "across the street" from the courthouse. Palin also wrote that after the marriage ceremony "we walked our witnesses back across the street and stopped by the Wendy's drive-thru for our wedding dinner".

    Here's my original comment from the Palingates thread:

    I rather doubt there is really a local tradition of getting witnesses from "across the street at the old folks home", for the obvious reason that this would not be a very reliable sources of ambulatory witnesses. And indeed Sarah and Todd were apparently not able to find TWO witnesses from the home who could get in the vehicle and didn't need a wheelchair, and so they took one man with a walker and one woman in a wheelchair and "escorted them down the street" after they could not fit in "Todd's little Honda coupe". But it is such a touching story, isn't it? I think the need to do this was that the elopement occurred as soon as possible after the pregnancy test turned up positive, not weeks and weeks after a pre-arranged date.

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  23. Vera,
    Wanted to clarify my earlier comment. There are actually 5 axes used in diagnosis, 1 = mood disorders (every mental illness except mental retardation and personality disorders), 2 = mental retardation and personality disorders AND notation of personality traits that are prominent and significant but do not meet the clinical standards for a diagnosis (i.e., histrionic personality features, frequent use of denial, etc.)these traits are not diagnoses, but necessary information so listed here because if there were sufficient numbers, the coding would fall on this line, 3 = medical conditions relevant to treatment of the mental disorder, 4 = psychosocial and environmental factors relevant to treatment (stressors, life changes), and 5 = GAF score (global assessment of functioning) which is the clinician's assessment of the individual's ability to function.

    There are sometimes several lines under each axis, especially axis I, although frequently for treatment purposes, subsumed by the dominant diagnosis. Because it is more common to find individuals who exhibit symptoms that fall within the personality disorder cluster (there are 10 disorders categorized into 3 clusters)rather than into 1 distinct disorder, it is very difficult to make an official diagnosis which is why axis II is used to list traits. We have to know the traits (obviously) even if we cannot make a formal diagnosis. It is a complicated process which is why I am unwilling to say without an actual, formal evaluation even if I know from observation (and often there is enough to see when it is a public figure). For example, what many people call narcissistic, I would actually consider a collection of symptoms that fall within cluster B, a cluster that includes antisocial/borderline/histrionic and narcissistic, with my belief that the dominant features are borderline and histrionic or narcissistic, less so antisocial if that one at all.

    Probably way more information than anyone wants, but I realized that my earlier comment contained incorrect information so wanted to clarify. Feel free to edit! I'm still working on some blog posts about mental illness and personality disorders but got distracted by other issues in the news and periodically have to take several days off for my own health reasons. Anyway, there are so many questions out there and incorrect information I'm hoping that between the 2 of us, maybe we can provide some good resource material.

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  24. The address of Palmer Pioneer Home (for the elderly) is 250 East Fireweed Ave. in Palmer, AK. The address of the Palmer Court House is 435 S. Denali St. in Palmer, AK. The distance between them is exactly .5 miles (Go ahead: Google it.) I doubt whether, on Monday, August 29, 1988, there were even sidewalks on all the streets connecting the two locations. 1988 predates the Americans With Disabilities Act, which required that sidewalks be handicap accessible; most of America, particularly tiny and remote locations like Palmer, Alaska, was not wheelchair-friendly at that time. And no person needing a walker could have walked that far, period.

    An additional lie: the marriage license must be obtained 3 business days in advance of the wedding. The 'wedding' is alleged to have occurred on Monday, August 29, 1988, meaning that the license would have to have been obtained by Wednesday, August 24, 1988. Saturdays and Sundays can not be included in the 3-day waiting period, and sometimes even the day of filing can not be included as the first of the 3 business days. Oops: Sarah said in Going Rogue that Todd did not return from his summer-long fishing tour until (Saturday) August 27, 1988.

    Additional lie: Todd said the marriage license cost $35. As of today, a marriage license in Alaska costs only $25. Presumably, the license fee was even cheaper in 1988.

    Going Rogue must be read with a microscope because every sentence seems to contain multiple lies, half-truths, and misleading statements.

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  25. Kyra,

    I do not edit comments before they are posted. I actually post all comments except if it is from a banned individual for not being civil or if the person requests me not to. Information wise, please keep posting your comments to give us a better insight from a trained professional.

    pearly girl,

    I enjoyed the story you sent to me and think that it illustrates the joy of playing with appearances.

    anon 12:30 and others,

    I did go and look for the information using the incredible people who are on the Palingates site. You are right, the courthouse and the old folks home are half a mile apart, but an Alaskan resident told me that this is a new courthouse. In 1988, the old district courthouse was right next door to the old folks home. That part of the story is relatively consistent in three different variations of the story so I think that stands: they used people from an old age home for their witnesses. This just takes me to the point that I made in the post on why would they do that instead of using family, especially since the reason stated for eloping was to save her parents money.

    The other point that people came up with that there is a three day waiting period is quite valid. I asked on the other site and someone told me that, in other states, both individuals have to apply ahead of time. I do not know for sure what the rules were in Alaska. Of course, someone else said that a judge could wave this requirement, which would mean that Sarah could have conceivably used her charms to get him to do this.

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  26. Nice blog Vera. After reading comments regarding the "wedding" all I can say is the woman lies for the sake of lying. I think they call that pathological, that's sad.

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  27. Anonymous 4:11,
    I agree. I wrote a post awhile back on this subject if anyone is interested here

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  28. I recommend Kyra post to anyone who is interested on this topic. I found it insightful and i got a better understanding about the difference between pathological and compulsive lairs.

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  29. Vera: I am a property owner in Wasilla Alaska. The courthouse and Pioneer home are actually in Palmer, Alaska.
    The court address is 435 S. Denali Street.
    The Palmer Pioneer home is at 250 E. Fireweed Avenue. As I recall, I don't think the pioneer home is across the street from the courthouse, but in the vicinity. Possibly if you go to Google Earth you might get a picture of how close the Pioneer home is to the courthouse. I think there are several buildings at the pioneer home.

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  30. Anon 5:43,

    Thank you for commenting, it is wonderful to have people from Alaska to give me feedback. You are right about the locations of the Pioneer Home and the courthouse. However, as I found out from another long term resident from Palmer, the courthouse used to be right beside the Pioneer Home in the late eighties. So this part of her story checks out. The other parts of the story, about the waiting period and other details, are still up in the air.

    I think it may be easier to compile a list of things that Palin has not lied about as opposed to what she has lied about. It would be shorter.

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  31. As others have mentioned, it is hard to believe anyone could grab a couple of residents out of an old folks home - I mean come on. Even rural Alaska must have some rules about that. It sounds like something you'd see in a movie - which makes me wonder if she did see it in a movie and incorporated into her life story...

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  32. "Tight abs"? i had exceptioally tight abs with my only baby, and I ended up as big as a house. The only advantage was I sprang back into shape once I gave birth.
    Palin is full of it.

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  33. Not SE Cupp,

    Actually I do think that it is possible that Sarah Palin managed to bend the rules to get those seniors to the courthouse. She is also capable of sweet talking the judge to overlook the waiting period. It is all part and parcel of being a con artist, which we know she is.

    Your comment about it being like a movie interests me. Once you get the hang of the checklist, you realize that they are part of the dramatic plot of most movies. which is why when you witness it in real life there is a feeling that it is surreal. They are over represented in news stories as well. On any particular day I could go through the paper or blogs with you and point out their direct or indirect influence. After all, what kind of people do you think was behind the economic downturn, the torture memos, the problems with the Republican party, Iran and other hot spots. Even a story like the natural disaster in Haiti has elements within it.

    People write about theses people all the time without knowing the context of why people and events are unfolding as they are. For example Andrew Sullivan's blog - The Daily Dish - is one I read regularly. I would estimate that over seventy-five percent of his entries are unknowingly about the psychopathy checklist in one way or another. His mental health breaks are actually breaks from dealing with the checklist and reminding us that there are other good people in the world.

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  34. Vera City, could you comment on the psychology of “eargate”. Gryphen at Immoral Minority has a blog on “The Tale of Two Babies”. I am a medical professional and find the evidence very compelling that there is at least two if not more children who have been presented as Trig. It is very hard to believe that some one would do this given that Tig is such a high profile child. I don’t expect you to know if it is true or not but could you give an opinion if substituting children is consistent with your understanding of the pathology of Sara Palin.

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  35. Anon 9:33,

    Yes I believe that she would do this (eargate) and it is the pathology that emboldens her to attempt to bring it off. They are impulsive risk takers who would have no qualms about perpetrating a scam with these dimensions. They have no empathy, which means they would have little regard to the effects on the babies or the other people around them - including the real parents.

    I would venture to say that the likelihood of this stunt being pulled off by someone who does have the capacity for empathy would be very low - their feelings would get in the way making them unable them to pull it off. It is the shock factor that "no one would do that" which helps the scam to be undetected. People are right in asserting this for the most part, but they tend to ignore that there is a minority part of the population who are capable of doing that and far worse.

    There are other parts of this that has sarah palin's signature written on it. Significantly her feeling that she can do a half done job of deception and get away with it. It also seems to keep showing up in how she presents every changing bodies and pronounces them to be whatever she wants them to be. My trilogy series on her padding herself and Bristol point to that and even this current post is about her presenting herself as something the eyes could see that she is not (the false tight abs pregnancy).

    I think some people have read this post and the padding one and thought that, perhaps, I am being petty when it is taking the time to notice these inconsistencies which allows us to see that she could casually switch babies and assume that we will fall for it.

    I will try to write something more clear in a bit.

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  36. When you write this very accurate psychological profile of Sarah, it reminds me of John McCain, whose history shows that he has the same kind of impulsive risk-taking behavior – but to an even more outrageous degree. The Draft Sarah Palin for Vice President Fund was set up by Sarah Palin at least as early as August 2007 (http://palinforvp.blogspot.com/): I am beginning to think that McCain (and several others) was also in on baby-gate from the early stages, and that the fact that other higher-up republicans know about it (and may have even been in on its planning) is one of the reasons the story has been impossible to break to the main stream media. I also think that his story about choosing her late in the game and not having enough time to do a thorough vetting has been a ruse for covering his tracks in the whole scenario.

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  37. speaking of homeschooling, was just reading some very disturbing statistics about the percentage of Christian homeschooling parents who use the sadistic abusive child abuse techniques promoted by the Dominionists. checkout GodsOwnParty blog.

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  38. Vera, you said: "They have no empathy, which means they would have little regard to the effects on the babies or the other people around them - including the real parents."

    I'm wondering if you think the switching had a negative effect on the babies. Do you think that the babies were unaware of being switched and that the switching was nothing more than a positive experience in their young lives as they were picked up and handled as opposed to just being left to sleep or coo or do what babies do when they're left alone? And do you think that in the minds of the people doing the switching, they felt they were doing good for some of their friends and the babies?

    I'm not so sure that this was sadistic child abuse as suggested by kellygirl. What do you think?

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  39. I've been thinking about your checklist...it really does apply so much more than one sees superficially...

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  40. Not SE Cupp,

    Yes it does. Either directly in the action that the individuals themselves do or indirectly in the way that society changes to adapt around them. A regressive shift in the moral compass of a particular group is often because of them or their ideas. The need for regulation is because of them, which is why ideas like libertarianism and anarchy will not work, unless you are actively promoting a degraded, brutal society. They are the root of most crime and corruption. They are also behind the boom and bust cycles in the economy which ultimately cripple most of the population.

    Although I haven't looked at her closely at this point, the whole premise of your own blog, I am not SE Cupp, may actually be about the checklist - directly or indirectly.

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  41. I started doing more reading on Hare, did you see the article in the New Yorker regarding him and followers of his work?
    It might be interesting to list with my posts which characteristics seem to be evident in the writer of the article I critique...anyway, thanks for the thought provoking...

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