Does this resemble the actions of someone who has nothing to hide: Palin allies sue to halt trooper probe.
The truth of Troopergate will certainly be made public. Sarah’s supporters are hoping it be can be suppressed long enough to get her elected. I wish integrity mattered more to Americans. I’d love to hear Sarah apologize for abusing her power to meddle where wise counsel advised her she ought not meddle. I’d love to see Sarah honor the pledge she made to cooperate with the investigation.
Now that she’s a VP candidate, the investigation she was to cooperate with is now a “witch-hunt.” We have learned that she has been systemically using personal email for official government use. How can we assume this was anything but a deliberate effort to skirt federal laws requiring the archival of government communications? This is every bit as bad as Bush’s “loss” of emails.
America, are you sure you want this woman one beating heart away from the office of President?
Is it true he tasered an 11-year-old step son? http://tinyurl.com/taser-gate
That being said, I don’t really care. I’m voting for Bob Barr this year.
Jason
That is a half truth. Yes, the man and his 11 year old son were playing with his taser. But, the taser had training cartridges in it. The father had taken the precaution of making sure his son would not be injured.
As a son, a father, and a volunteer youth worker who has worked with groups of boys of that age, I can state with confidence that the vast majority of 11 year old boys would LOVE to play with a Taser gun. I’m not just talking shooting with it, but role playing, as the administrator or recipient. Heck, I’m in my 30’s now and I’d still enjoy it. For further evidence, consider the popularity of paintball.
When my father saw me heading for the pigpen with a aluminum tent stake to test it’s conductivity, his response was, “Hey ma, come watch this!” He knew the electric fencer would shock me, but wasn’t going to cause any injury. He gave me the freedom to experiment and feel the consequences of my choices. I thank him for that, many times over.
In excellent books on child rearing such as Why Gender Matters, we learn that boys are natural risk takers. This plays out daily on Main Street and Wall Street. The trick with parenting is to put the boy(s) in environments whey they can take risks without causing any lasting injury, “Hey son, lets ride our bike off the pier instead of that overpass with concrete below…”
I obviously wasn’t present, but it appears that the father did that. Later, when the relationship soured between him and his wife, she used that as ammo in the case against him. It sounds extremely vindictive to me. Especially when you factor in the moose charge. She bought a moose license. He filled it. This happens tens of thousands of times in rural American hunting communities. She was complicit with it when it happened. After the relationship soured, she used that as ammo against him. Based on what I’ve read from first-hand sources, both of these women are fiercely vindictive, beyond all measure of reason.
Those are not leadership qualities I can respect.
I find it interesting that you point to the moose hunt and the tasering, but fail to mention the fact that Wooten was suspended for drinking alcohol in his patrol car. I’ve always know you to do your research well, but I’m not so sure that I agree with you on this one, Matt. The fact is for every story you read about that slams Palin like the one you referenced, you can find one touting her excellence. And the reassignment of Monegan is within her legal right as governor. I know you know that. This had been made out to be entirely about Wooten, and I am not convinced that it really is about Wooten. Wooten seems to me to be more of a red herring in the investigation.
I, myself, have not had time to research this thoroughly, but think it would be highly interesting to see if the FOIA that an Alaska businessman has invoked for Branchflower and French’s records will be honored. Their transparency in this matter would shed some light as to why Palin et al. are not being as transparent as one would like. Then again, maybe it will point to her complicity. As I said, I am not sure.
Unlike most of your posts, none of what you have posted shows the incredible thought power that you usually use and I know you have. Maybe it was for the sake of brevity and you’ve just left some stuff out.
And for the record, I disagree with your taser/fence metaphor, and i disagree about using/playing with a taser on a 10 year old boy. If Keith did that, I’d not be a happy girl!!!!!! Tasers are NOT toys, and are NOT the same as electric fences. Tasers have also been attributed to injury – though I realize that this is a controversial topic, as law enforcement and advocates say they are safe. As a police officer, Wooten would most likely have access to a pretty serious taser. Commercially available tasers (one I could buy) can emit about 50K V, an electric fence has a maximum of 10K. Regardless of whether the taser was a “playful” event, a “learning” event, or “abusive” in the Wooten situation, I think that it shows poor judgement to allow a 10 year old to be playing with it or using on him. IT IS A WEAPON!!!
Well Matt, this is Dad. Would be interested in the amount of electric emitted by the taser before I cast judgement, I know as a fact Police tasers are much stronger than electric fencers. I do know the fencer as I purchased, it from Sears, the voltage was 4000 volts for a split second. I give you that for a point of fact. Much to do is being made, and facts are being misrepresented concerning Wooten and the police officer, far from the troopergate you referred to. The officer was never fired, and is still a police officer in Alaska. Troopergate as you recall that was the miss use of power by Billy C. as a escourt service. Not exactally apples for apples, I would say. Wooten was relieved, and reassiged from his job for failing to accept the the decision of his commander and chief, perfectly legal, and could have been fired as he was appointed and appointments are at the will and call of their commander same as military. He has no grounds to be bring any charges and she is perfectly within her rights to not respond. Nuff said, I disagree with you on this one. Dad
Correction, I meant Momegan,not Wooten the trooper. Dad
“Wooten said he deeply regretted the Taser incident, offering an extensive explanation. He said the device was set on “test” and contained less power than an electric fence. Wooten said he shocked boy using clips attached to his shirt and not darts fired from the gun.
He said his stepson became curious and wanted to feel the Taser in the same way that troopers tested the device on themselves during training.
“He was inquiring about the Taser and all the ins and outs about it,” Wooten said. “I hooked him up to one of the training aides and turned it on for less than a second. I had him on the living room floor with pillows around him and made it as safe as possible. When it was over he thought it was great and wanted to do it all again. He was bragging about it and telling everyone in the family about it.”
Jon Marc Peterson, one of Wooten’s attorneys, said the Taser incident was a violation of policy because he was using state equipment for personal use. “It was not the actual Tasing of the stepson that was the issue,” he said.
Wooten’s wife was in the home at the time, investigative reports state. The boy’s extended family, including Chuck Heath, the father of Sarah Palin, thought the story was humorous, Wooten said.
“If I had it to do over again, I wouldn’t do it,” Wooten said. “It’s one of those situations that nobody cared about. Everybody laughed about it, until several years later and it was made to be something it wasn’t.”
Taser volunteers describe the training setting as getting their funny bone hit. The boy begged to do it again. Nobody complained at the time of the incident. It was years later during the divorce proceedings that Uncle Todd and Aunt Sarah made a big deal of it.
I can totally see myself in either role, as Wooten or his son. With Martha whining about how Tasers aren’t toys. You might even get in on the fun too, Dad. 🙂
The question I’d pose to those who are currently questioning my judgement is this, “Which is safer? Humoring the boy with training cartridges, or waiting until he takes the Taser out of daddies car and plays with it unsupervised?” When my children are at a friends house and happen upon a weapon, I want them to respond with understanding and respect, not curiosity.