Ethics

On Thursday, when the time came for independent counsel Timothy Petumenos to give former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin her comeuppance for putting private fund-raising above the public trust, he picked as the venue the “Adventure Room” of the Hotel Captain in Cook in downtown Anchorage. The symbolism was almost as thick as the media that crowded the smallish space in the basement of one of the city’s long time cornerstones. The hotel was built by Wally Hickel after the Good Friday earthquake in 1964 destroyed much of Alaska.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin–recently dubbed by Gabriel Sherman of New York Magazine as the “President of right-wing America” –and her Anchorage attorney Thomas Van Flein continue to deal in duplicity and fraud in response to findings issued by the Alaska Department of Law regarding Ethics Act complaints levied against Palin and her deceptively named Alaska Fund Trust.

The views expressed in this piece are solely those of the writer and don’t represent any organization he serves. This piece originally appeared as an op-ed on JTA in response to a piece by a new group called, “Jews for Palin.” When President Obama took office last year, our country seemed to be teetering. Eight years of war, monstrous deficit spending, a breakdown of diplomacy and a disdain for science and civil liberties welcomed the new President into office.

When people allow themselves to be overwhelmed by fear things usually get crazy. Sadly, such is the case concerning Health Care reform. During a series of town hall meetings around the country last week, members of Congress have been jeered, shouted-down, and threatened with death. Many of the protesters have been ginned up by pundits and political organizations: Sean Hannity: “Become part of the mob!” read a banner on his Web site.

For a long while, the inspiring tale of Mark Sanford’s Latin American jaunt on or near “the sex line” had gripped America with its romantic melodrama. You can read more about it in the forthcoming Tropic Of Capricorn 2: Buenos Aires Nights , by Henry Miller. But as much as the heart wants more from the Mark Sanford story, like “positions explored” and “quantity of white zinfandel consumed,” it’s now time for the body to get really interested in this whole John Ensign affair story.

On the morning of August 29, 2008, minutes after the stunning news of the Vice Presidential nomination, I wrote a post entitled “What Is McCain Thinking? One Alaskan’s Perspective,” and my humble little blog was never the same. And now, less than a year later, the strange saga of Sarah Palin, the “hottest governor in the coldest state” is coming to an end. When the cryptic press release came from the governor’s office this morning, heads were scratched.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says her political enemies are abusing state law with a flurry of frivolous ethics complaints against her, putting her more than $500,000 in legal debt. Those filing the grievances _ there have been at least 18 cases so far _ say it’s their legal right to hold the Republican governor accountable for what they see as abuses of power. The truth is probably somewhere in between. “Are Alaskans outraged, or at least tired of this yet _ another frivolous ethics charge by a political blogger?” Palin asked in one statement.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Another ethics complaint filed against Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has been dismissed. The State Personnel Board on Wednesday dismissed the argument that Palin violated the Executive Branch Ethics Act in furthering her national political aspirations. The complaint alleged that the governor used state staff to publish a press release announcing Palin as John McCain’s running mate and that state resources were used for partisan political purposes. The board, following the recommendation of an independent counsel, threw out the complaint for lack of merit.