The Palins' Statement on Engagement of Bristol and Levi

Via Good Morning America and US Weekly, Sarah and Todd Palin issue a statement on the engagement of Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston:

Bristol at 19 is now a young adult. As parents, we obviously want what is best for our children, but Bristol is ultimately in charge of determining what is best for her and her beautiful son. Bristol believes in redemption and forgiveness to a degree most of us struggle to put in practice in our daily lives.

We pray that, as a couple, Bristol and Levi’s relationship matures into one that will allow Tripp to grow up graced with two loving parents in his life.

More here and here.

And via PalinTV, GMA's story:

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Levi Johnston Apologizes for Lying About Governor Palin and Her Family

I'm posting this against my better judgment. People magazine reports:

"Last year, after Bristol and I broke up, I was unhappy and a little angry. Unfortunately, against my better judgment, I publicly said things about the Palins that were not completely true," he tells PEOPLE exclusively. "I have already privately apologized to Todd and Sarah. Since my statements were public, I owe it to the Palins to publicly apologize."

Bristol added her own statement Tuesday saying, "Part of co-parenting is creating healthy and honest relationships between the parents. Tripp one day needs to know the truth and needs to know that even if a mistake is made the honorable thing to do is to own up to it."

"So to the Palin family in general and to Sarah Palin in particular, please accept my regrets and forgive my youthful discretion," Johnston says in the statement. "I hope one day to restore your trust."

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Levi: When Lying Dogs Won't Sleep

Everyone has heard the expression "let sleeping dogs lie." Sounds good and is arguably good advice. But what does one do when a lying dog won't sleep, won't shut up, that is?

Normally I avoid all things Levi. He's not worth it right now. Writing about him is a waste of space. He wants the publicity, so don't give it to him. I totally understand, and usually I'm in agreement. But I also understand a basic principle, and that is this: there's a time to fight back. There's a time when you just have to deal with the barking, biting dog that's been dropping you know what all over the place everywhere he goes. And sometimes you just have speak up--not just to deal with him--but for the benefit of those he's sniping at. This particular mutt, who's been wagging his tail all over Playgirl, refuses to sit down, shut up, or play dead--and this dog is lying every time he opens his mouth.

Levi Johnston has in his camp sensationalist media, foolish Alaska bloggers, and an obviously inebriated, delusional, or severely gullible lawyer. All that, yet he doesn't seem to have anybody in his life to tell him to put his mouth to sleep when it comes to attacking his son's family. No positive male role model to pull him aside, tell him to stop his lying, and just take care of his son. Where's the tough love from somebody who will look him in the eyes and say, "Dude, what are you doing? You're gonna wake up one day from your greed-induced stupor and wonder how you sunk so low as to try to hurt your son and his mom and grandmother like this, and that's gonna be a sad day--for you."

Every time you turn around, Levi's parked on somebody's couch, making mono-syllabic statements about the Palins. And for some reason, he's absolutely obsessed with the Governor. Constantly he's saying she's attacking him so he's going to attack back. Funny thing is, his jaws are the only ones flapping.

Levi, my dawg, shut up your lying. Man up. And please...pay up.

Concerning paying up, according to TMZ:

Levi Johnston's manager, Tank Jones, tells TMZ Levi has paid Bristol more than $10,000 since Tripp was born. Jones also says Levi does not make money off of every interview he does, though he did not say exactly how much Levi has made.

Levi has not given Bristol $10,000. Levi has not had an active role in his son's first year of life.

TMZ also reported:

Attorney Rex Butler tells TMZ, Levi has told Bristol on several occasions he wanted her to come to his house to pick up checks for Tripp's support. Butler says Levi also told her "it would be nice" if she brought Tripp along when she picked up the checks, because Levi wanted to spend time with his son. Butler says on each occasion Bristol was a no-show.

Butler says Bristol is partly to blame for the fact that she hasn't gotten the support she wants. Butler tells TMZ on one occasion Levi was prepared to hand over $3,000 ... but Bristol never showed.

As for why Levi didn't just put the check in the mail ... Butler says, "Why should he have to do that. He's not dangerous to her."

So let's get this straight. Levi loves his son so much that he'd rather give no money at all than put a stamp on an envelope and mail a check? Instead of being a father to his son and providing for him, he'd rather speculate that Governor Palin is behind the legal suit and talk about Bristol's new car. Can you say "dog"? Can you say "lying dog"? If that seems harsh, it'll just have to be harsh because one thing I can't stand is a man--that's right, he's not a little boy anymore--who won't take care of his responsibilities and then lies about it.

You know when tabloids are calling you deadbeat, you've got some stepping up to do. ETonline writes:

In an exclusive interview with ET, Levi says he believes he has given Bristol more than she claims. "I don't really know but my lawyer does. But it's reasonable, what he thought was fair. For them to call me a deadbeat dad's absurd. I attempt to call her all the time and give her texts to make sure he's doing well ... I call her all the time. I try and do everything I can to see my son. I'm making an effort. I'm trying to be there for him."

"I don't really know"? "Reasonable"? "Attempt"? "Try"? "Effort"? Huh? Your lawyer knows what you're giving your son?! Growing up in the church we used to sing a song called "99 1/2 Won't Do." Look, if 99 1/2 won't do, you know 1/2 ain't gonna do!

Bristol, on the other hand, is to be commended. She is taking care of her responsibilities. Here's a young woman who, as she recently told Oprah, gets up at 4:00 or 4:30 every morning, gets her son washed and dressed, works, and takes classes. It's not easy. It's a challenge, but Tripp is her life now, and she is committed to being a good mother to him, not a "reasonable" one.

What does she get in return? The love of her beautiful baby and the joy of knowing she's making a life for her son.

Her ex-boyfriend, however, is traipsing around the country making money by selling his soul--and his lies, gallivanting around Wasilla in his new truck and new trinket (hmmm...), and refusing to buy his son so much as a pair of shoes because his little feelings are hurt that Bristol wouldn't come to his house. In the Black community, we have a word for that. Let me hip yall to it. It's called "triflin'." Of course, the community at large is well aware of the more familiar term: low-down dirty dog.

Tripp deserves better. Bristol deserves better. She's working her tail off for her son, she's learned from some mistakes she's made, and she's committed herself to doing the right thing by remaining abstinent until marriage, to which Levi barks, "I doubt it." (The daily reminder of men like Levi might be the biggest asset to the abstinence movement ever!) By the way, instead of a "role model" like Oprah Winfrey commending her for that decision, she blasted her and gave her a chance to retract it. Are you kidding me?! (I'll deal with Oprah at another time.)

The last thing I want to do is spend a Sunday on Levi Johnston. However, I'll spend a hundred Sundays on the opportunity to applaud Bristol Palin for doing the mature, responsible thing--the hard work. She's a good mom, who has another good mom as an example.

I believe there's hope for Levi; I really do. And I hope he grabs ahold of it soon because he's treading on very thin Alaska ice.

Like I said at the start, there's something to be said for letting sleeping dogs lie. But sometimes you have to speak up.

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Levi Seeks Publicity Instead of Tripp's Well-being

Yesterday we learned that Bristol Palin, Governor Palin's eldest daughter, filed for sole custody of her son, Tripp E. Johnston-Palin, in early November of this year. This should never have been reported on in the first place. Bristol, who has borne all of Levi's attention-seeking lies and antics with quiet dignity, didn't want to publicize this at all. But Levi pushed to have it open to the public. Why would he want this custody proceeding to be played out in public? The answer is pretty simple and obvious: because he wants the media attention. It's his bread and butter after all. He makes his living lying about the Palins. In her affidavit, Bristol made a compelling argument for keeping the custody proceedings closed to the public:

Due to the overwhelming media interest in my family and in Levi Johnston, I believe it would be in Tripp's best interest for this custody matter to be closed, and for everyone associated with this case to refrain from talking to the media about this case.

[...]

I believe that despite everyone's best intentions to remain civil in this case, media involvement will have a negative impact on this matter, and a negative impact on Tripp. In this day and age of the internet, media stories remain available for years, even decades, after they are first published, and anything printed in the media (whether it is true or not) will be available to Tripp when he is old enough to read.

[...]

I do not believe that subjecting a one year old child to intense media scrutiny is healthy or desirable. If this case were open to the public I believe it would just cause more drama and friction between me and Levi, which would not be in Tripp's best interests.

We fully agree with Bristol's reasoning. Accordingly, we didn't want to post on this matter at all. C4P's view in regard to Levi and his antics has always been that Tripp's well being must be foremost in our minds. However, now that Levi has fought to make the custody hearings public, and Governor Palin's political opponents are already using this to take shots at her, we felt it was necessary to correct the distortions and lies being presented.

It's clear that Levi views this custody process as an opportunity for more publicity that he hopes will further his modeling/acting/porn career. This is reflected in the argument he presented for encouraging as much public involvement as possible:

"I do not feel protected against Sarah Palin in a closed proceeding," Johnston said in an affidavit accompanying Butler's filings. "I hope that if it is open she will stay out of it. ... I think a public case might go a long way in reducing Sarah Palin's instinct to attack and allow the real parties in this litigation, Bristol and I, to work things out a lot more peacefully than we could if there is any more meddling from Sarah Palin."

It's difficult to read Levi's nonsense with a straight face. This custody process is between Levi and Bristol, but Levi knows that he will receive more attention by attacking Governor Palin. His only intention here is to create a media circus that he can capitalize on while Bristol continues to focus on her son's well being and future.

Bristol addressed this lie in her affidavit:

My mother, Sarah Palin, is not involved in this custody matter other than as a grandmother, so Levi Johnston has no need to be "protected" from her. This case is between me and Levi; my mother has nothing to do with it.

She also brought to the court's attention Levi's on-going attacks on her mother and her family:

As can be seen in Levi Johnston's Affidavit and his Opposition to the Motion to Show Cause he is still attacking my mother and accusing her of being "vindictive," of "meddling," and of intending to "run roughshod" over Levi's "very bones." None of this is true; my mother is not involved in this case. What is clear so far is that Levi has gone repeatedly to national media to spread falsehoods and malign my family - a family that has provided round-the-clock care, love, and affection for our son Tripp. Levi wants these proceedings public to continue to make a spectacle of this custody dispute for his own self-promotion.

Well said, Bristol.

We have documented Levi's numerous lies told in the pursuit of self-promotion, and I'm sure we can expect more during these proceedings. Levi's, and his attorney Rex Butler's, strategy is to make Governor Palin the issue so they can create a situation in which they can profit.

Apparently, however, Levi hasn't seen fit to pay for his son's expenses with the money he's been earning off the Palin name, as Thomas Van Flein, Bristol's attorney, noted in the petition for custody:

To date, Bristol and her family have provided nearly 100% of the child care for Tripp, and paid for almost all costs associated with Tripp's upbringing. Not until October, 8th, 2009, nearly 10 months after Tripp was born, did Levi pay his first dollar to help support his child.

With this in mind, one has to question how interested Levi is in Tripp. Although he's been invited to visit Tripp anytime, he's only done so sporadically. He seems more interested in jetting off to Los Angeles and New York to catch the next gig that presents an opportunity to attack the Palins.

Despite these concerns, Bristol still thinks that Levi should have access to Tripp, and has proposed that the court set-up a visitation schedule for him to spend time with Tripp. That is, if Levi has the time and inclination to do so.

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Kristan Cole (Close Friend of Governor Palin) on Larry King Live!

Video highlights of Kristan Cole, a close friend of Sarah Palin and former spokeswoman, on Larry King Live. November 16th, 2009. Uploaded with permission.

Kristan Cole talks about Governor Palin's experience and capabilities, Levi Johnston and if she feels Sarah Palin should run for President.

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Governor Palin's Good Day

On CBS “The Early Show” Levi Johnston repeated his claim that Governor Palin called her son Trig, who has Down Syndrome, "retarded," prompting a firm rebuttal from the governor.

Instantly commentators, bloggers and journalists all over the country, many with good intentions at heart, questioned the governor's motives for the rebuttal. Conventional wisdom has it that the governor should take the high road, rise above it, and ignore the ungrateful pinhead she once treated as her own child. Some have suggested that if she responds to every ridiculous slur, she’ll never have a chance at a political future; people won’t elect a tabloid figure.

Those arguments are the same made when, on the same network, David Letterman joked about her 14 year old daughter being “knocked up” by Alex Rodriguez. Governor Palin was criticized for her fierce response, and then too she was advised to rise above it.

A recent CNN poll, to which Joshua referred in a post, noted that a 65% majority consider Governor Palin as “not a typical politician”, 64% consider her as “a good role model for women” and 56% believe her to be “caring about the needs for people like you”. The reason Governor Palin receives these high marks is because much of Governor Palin’s appeal is that she is a typical every day person like you and me.

Besides being a national figure, Governor Palin, is a mother, a grandmother, a human being and, yes, contrary to popular belief, she has feelings too. Unlike our president, who calls for a Jihad against a TV network who questions his policies, Governor Palin withstands criticism of her policies with grace and maturity. However, when it comes to her children, her maternal instincts take over and the “mama grizzly” surfaces!

Now, I know it’s difficult, because no one has really ever gone through what Governor Palin has in the last twelve months, but put yourself in Governor Palin’s shoes. You’re a mother of five, your youngest child was born with Down Syndrome (let alone that the mere legitimacy of your motherhood is questioned). Raising five children is a daily struggle in and of itself. And then, one day, your eldest daughter's ex-boyfriend, for no other reason than to make a quick buck, goes on national television, diminishes you and claims that you used to refer to your baby by a derogatory slur.

Being a parent myself, I know what I’d do. I’d pick up the phone, call the broadcasting network, demand to speak to the reporter, and rebuke the lie on live television. If possible, I’d happily throw a few punches at the moron (metaphorically of course) who made those claims without considering the consequences. Although nothing concrete would be achieved, it goes without question that I’d feel much better.

Governor Palin didn’t call the TV show to rebut the claims or to defend her helpless child. She did, however, call out the pathetic liar and express her feelings, heal the pain, and make herself feel better. This is perfectly understandable.

Political pundits in general, and journalists and commentators in particular, strive to continuously offer Governor Palin advice on what to do and how to do it. Maggie Rodriguez, when interviewing the lying, self destructing loser, asked if “he’s hurt by all this”. I wonder how many of those “well-meaning” politicians and journalists have ever picked up a phone to Governor Palin, not for an interview, not for a quote or a ratings boosting juicy exclusive, but to simply ask her if she’s hurt by all of this or how she is doing”. If so, I’m sure she would appreciate it.

From a political point of view, it could be argued that Governor Palin should ignore all the slurs thrown at her and her children. But Governor Palin is not a typical politician; she’s a human being and a mother, with feelings, just like you and me.

None of us can know for sure, including Governor Palin, what her political future might be. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow, the next day, a year from now. What we do know is that after releasing her statement, for today, just today, Trig Palin’s mother felt good.

(H/T Doug for editing assistance)

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Lynda Resnick, Levi and Diana – Pomegranates, Pistachios and a Princess

On the face of it doing a commercial advertising pistachios might not seem to be an unreasonable way for Levi Johnston to get some money to help support his son. After all when he did try to get a proper job as a trainee electrician Dan Fagan exploded with indignation and Jeanne Devon and the Huffington Post were full of glee when the subsequent furore forced Levi to throw in the towel. That of course was much earlier this year when Johnston and his family travails were top targets of the national media.

Now, of course, HuffPo sails a different tack and it’s worth a minute just comparing the comments on the two posts. In just a matter of months Levi has gone from zero to hero for the HuffPo crowd and you don’t have to visit
221B Baker Street find out the reason. Once a prime target for the Palin haters he has gone quisling and joined the army of occupation offering himself as a willing tool for any ploy that can be used to demean, denigrate and embarrass Governor Palin and her family including, of course, the mother of his own son.

Handled by Anchorage attorney Rex Butler and “private investigator” Tank Jones (seen with Levi in the pistachio clip) Levi has been trundled across the networks and the tabloid magazines as a Z list “celebrity” teasing viewers and readers with the prospect of hearing some dirt about the Palins. But there never was “dirt” to expose.....The trouble was that the tease always turned out to be all bait and no fish – a bit like that vomit-inducing “Rose Cottage” plate that used to be advertised by The Franklin Mint a few years ago.

"Rose Cottage" - you bought it not for the pleasure of seeing it on your wall every day (unless you were an officer in Cuba’s Secret Police and you had a special cell that needed something to break the will of even the toughest political prisoner) but for the implied promise that it was collectable and that one day Sothebys would sell it on your behalf to a billionaire from California who lived in a Versailles style house filled to the brim with priceless works of art – someone like Lynda Resnick.

(BTW - check out e bay to find out how eager collectors are for supporting the stimulus by bidding for “Rose Cottage” and other Franklin plates.)

But wait – wasn’t it Mrs Resnick and her husband who owned the Franklin Mint and issued and endorsed “Rose Cottage” in the first place? Of course it was! Another factoid – the Resnicks control Roll International, the company behind the pistachio ad. Greg Tart uncovered this on his Team Sarah blog and Gary from Sarah’s Web Brigade connected a few more dots. He explored the possibility that the Resnicks, who are very big cheeses in the California Democrat Party establishment, might have a closer interest in Alaskan politics than merely employing Levi to humiliate his son's mother and grandmother in an ad for nuts – after all, Lynda Resnick does blog regularly at HuffPo, not a place renowned for being even handed about Governor Palin.

Strangely enough we in the UK are also familiar with the Resnicks because a few years ago they had a row with the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund as The Daily Telegraph pointed out in 2004.

Two years ago, Stewart and Lynda Resnick defeated the Memorial Fund's claims that they were illegally selling goods bearing Diana's image. At a cost of £4 million (which the Fund had to foot), they proved that, under Californian law, a dead person's representatives have rights over that person's image only if the person is born in California.
Since then, the Resnicks have been able to sell what they like and still bring their case against the Fund for damaging their business. The Fund called them "vultures feeding on the dead".

The Memorial Fund was set up to try to ensure that anybody making money from Diana’s image should keep things tasteful and also share part of their profits with those charities and good causes that were near to her heart when she was alive. Not only did the Resnicks win the case but they later sued the Fund for millions more for defamation over the “vultures” quote.

Some believed that the trustees of the fund (one of whom was the Bishop of London) were naive and unwise to antagonise the Resnicks. Eventually the case was settled out of court after the Resnicks offered to donate any money they would win to several of Diana’s causes. Nevertheless, familiar as people were in the UK with the Franklin products, the whole affair left a lot of Brits with a feeling of unease about the Resnicks and their approach to Diana’s memory.

Today, of course, Lynda Resnick and her husband have moved on to bigger things – not just pistachios but also pomegranates

In the opulent headquarters of Roll International Corporation, on the fault line between Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, Lynda Resnick is telling me proudly about POM Wonderful - the juice that stole America's hearts and became the health-drink sensation of 2005. 'Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the bottle would become the famous little character that it has,' she says, in a Jewish-American voice pitched - like her age - somewhere between Ruby Wax and Joan Rivers. 'When you pick it up, it's hard to put it back on the shelf,' she rasps, clutching the bulbous figure-of-eight as Eva Longoria did in an episode of Desperate Housewives earlier this year. 'It just fits in your hand, it's fabulous.

Not that the pomegranate road has been totally devoid of bumps. For a while there was a row with PETA about the use of animals in testing POM and also a suggestion from some scientific quarters that the POM "antioxidants for health" claim (backed by some peer reviewed studies) might be a little bit more open for discussion

'You can show all sorts of things in 10 people or 25 mice,' says Dr Richard Bogle, senior registrar in cardiology at Hammersmith Hospital, London, 'but when you start extending it across big populations, it's different. You find the magnitude of effect is smaller than you would have predicted from small-scale studies, or that there is no effect at all.'
That is one big problem with the antioxidant story, he says. In particular, the Big Three - vitamin C, vitamin E and folic acid - have proved disappointing in large-scale trials. 'Nevertheless, antioxidants are a recurring theme,' Dr Bogle explains, 'because companies realise that this is a pathway well trodden by the public: they have this idea that antioxidants are a good thing, the elixir of life, anti-ageing, anti-heart disease. There is no real evidence.'

Lynda Resnick is no stranger to controversy. In 1971 as a dedicated opponent of US policy in Viet Nam she helped her friend Daniel Ellsberg photocopy the documents that were later published by The New York Times as The Pentagon Papers – a secret government report that revealed a far more active involvement in post 1945 Indo China than had previously had been publicly admitted. Indeed at one time charges against her were being seriously considered but eventually they were dropped.

Nobody can doubt that Lynda Resnick and her husband have strong liberal/left views. However it must also be conceded that they are both extremely able business people who have managed to amass a vast fortune by dint of their own blood, sweat and brain power. Much of their fortune is also given to a wide variety of charitable causes to benefit those who are less fortunate than themselves. It seems a shame, therefore, that they should approve the release of a commercial that appears deliberately contrived to humiliate a young mother who is trying to do her best for herself and her baby in circumstances that some might not choose to describe as ideal.

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Trig Palin - Why I Got Involved

Last night, I was disgusted to read Levi's latest lies about the Governor and the relationship she has with her son, Trig:

Sarah Palin seemed to dote more on her new grandson, Tripp, than on her own infant, Trig. "Sarah has a weird sense of humor. ... Sarah would call Trig -- who was born with Down syndrome -- 'my little Down's baby.' ... and sometimes say, playing around, 'No, I don't want the retarded baby -- I want the other one,' and pick up Tripp. That was just her -- even her kids were used to it."

To say that I'm angry at Levi's lies would be a tragic understatement. For those of you that don't already know my story let me briefly share it with you.

I've been a political junkie for many years but although I had influence among voters, I was incredibly reluctant to become vocal during the 2008 Presidential Election. I run several websites, channels and blogs that have a more religious tenor and considering how politics and religion are a particularly volatile mix, I've tried to keep the two separate.

But when Governor Palin stepped onto the national scene and declared her support for families with special needs, it became difficult for me to remain silent. The oldest in my family, my sister Shannon, has mental and physical disabilities but has been one of the greatest of blessings in our lives. I remember sitting next to my mother during the RNC and seeing the tears stream down her face as Governor Palin spoke....because for MY family, she was speaking to us.

The slander, the lies and the venom that were leveled against Governor Palin and her family disgusted me to my core. THAT'S when I decided to take a stand.

I immediately made a video about Governor Palin and her son, Trig. To my great surprise, this video was featured on the JohnMcCain.com blog for several days. That was the beginning of all the Sarah Palin videos you've seen from me since.

In response to Levi's lies, I stayed up late last night and made a remake of that video. With all the tenderness of my heart I plead with you to send this video to everyone. Not just to people that will agree with it, but to those who have misconceptions about Sarah Palin. The love that the Governor has for her son (and family) is clear and knows no bounds. This video, while it only grants us a small glimpse into that part of her life, shows the Governor's sincerity and hopefully it will help others to see it.



So again (and as always), I am counting on you to help me viralize this video. I have done what I can do and I now trust you to do what you can to stand with the Governor.

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Levi the Liar

It brings me no pleasure to address a habitual liar, potential nude pin-up model, and puppet to Obama minions Rex Butler and Tank Jones, but Levi Johnston's (or is it Ricky Hollywood?) foray in to the world of essay writing deserves to be taken in proper context. Pretending for a moment that Levi actually wrote that essay, any reasonable and objective person will dismiss its contents after a simple review of his credibility. By his puppetmaster's own admission, Levi's out to cash in on the Palin name:

This is the cards that was dealt to him. So now what do he do? Go work at McDonalds? So people can ask him, as he makes $8 an hour, "Hey, how's Sarah Palin? How's Bristol?

According to Tank, if Levi's going to lie anyway, he might as well get the big money. Unfortunately, the truth doesn't pay, so under the tutelage of his attorney, Rex Butler, and personal bodyguard, Tank Jones, Levi has come to understand what sells. For example, here's some of the things Levi was saying about the Palins earlier this year:

"They're good people," he said. "They don't push me, you know. They kind of — they don't really tell us what to do, they don't tell us, you know, they're good people. So I like 'em."

And:

They always treated me like a son. I mean they were -- they were real nice to me. And I thought of her as like my second mother. You know, Todd was always, you know, a great guy and helped me out with a lot of things. So I mean they welcomed me.

Quite a difference from what he's saying now. After Rex and Tank convinced Levi that the truth doesn't sell, they've resorted to complete fabrications intending to create scandals that they can profit from. The more outrageous the stories they come up with are, the more publicity opportunities they all get. In the latest example, they've concocted a story that is so laughable, it's difficult to imagine anyone reading it can keep a straight face:

Sarah told me she had a great idea: we would keep it a secret—nobody would know that Bristol was pregnant. She told me that once Bristol had the baby she and Todd would adopt him. That way, she said, Bristol and I didn’t have to worry about anything. Sarah kept mentioning this plan. She was nagging—she wouldn’t give up. She would say, “So, are you gonna let me adopt him?” We both kept telling her we were definitely not going to let her adopt the baby. I think Sarah wanted to make Bristol look good, and she didn’t want people to know that her 17-year-old daughter was going to have a kid.

This one is just too easy to debunk, especially after Levi admitted that Governor Palin never "pushed" him. Levi is claiming that Governor Palin kept "nagging" him with this plan right after she had Trig. We're supposed to believe that she thought she could pass Tripp off as her own when she just gave birth. I don't think so. It would also look a bit odd if she went around telling people she just adopted a baby after recently having Trig. And, besides the fact that the pregnancy was an open secret in Wasilla (something that Levi expects us to ignore, I guess), Governor Palin would have to keep everyone who knew about Bristol's pregnancy quiet; which included Levi's family and friends, her family and friends, Bristol and Levi's friends and all the people any of them happened to tell. I told you it was hard to keep a straight face. This is merely another lie in long series of lies.

Let's take a look at some of Levi's claims...

In an interview with Larry King in April, Levi claimed that he cast a vote during the Presidential election:

KING: We're back with Levi Johnston.

In the next segment, we will meet his sister and mother.

Did you vote?

L. JOHNSTON: I did.

KING: So you're registered to vote.

Did you vote for...

L. JOHNSTON: Sarah Palin.

KING: OK. Just -- just wanted to check.

Actually, he didn't. The Associated Press reported:

Johnston didn't register in time to vote, according to the Mat-Su Division of Elections Office in Wasilla. But he's rooting for John McCain and Sarah Palin.

In July, Levi claimed that Governor Palin resigned because of money:

The former fiance of Gov. Sarah Palin's 18-year-old daughter says he thinks he knows why the Alaska governor is resigning - concerns over money.

[...]

"I think the big deal was the book. That was millions of dollars," said Johnston, who has had a strained relationship with the family but now says things have improved.

Putting aside for a moment that it was announced all the way back in May (well before she resigned) that the governor had signed a book deal (with a contract structured to follow Alaska's ethics laws - in other words, it wasn't an issue) presumably worth millions of dollars, Levi later changed his story in order to sell it to Radar Online:

Sarah Palin's marriage has been in trouble from the beginning, says Levi Johnston, the father of their grandson Tripp and ex-fiance of daughter Bristol.

What's more Levi told RadarOnline.com in an exclusive video interview that he believes marital problems were behind Palin's decision to resign as governor of Alaska.

When we asked if the couple had marital problems, Levi responded: "Oh yeah. There have been from day one."

RadarOnline.com then asked if Levi thought marital problems were the reason she stepped down from political office. Levi answered, "Oh yeah I do."

Levi later backed off that statement in an interview with Bravo:

Interviewer 1: “Yeah, I want to know is it really true that Sarah and her husband is getting a divorce? And, if so, how much of that information that you know about?”

Johnston: “I – uh – I heard about some of that and I actually don’t have a whole lot of information on it, so I couldn’t tell you for sure, man.”

Interviewer 2: “Well, I had read that you had said that they were fighting like cats and dogs in that house, no?”

Johnston: “Oh yeah, they were, I mean, you know, like every other family.”

According to the Anchorage Press, Levi claimed to live with the Palins before Governor Palin was selected as McCain's running mate:

But things were pretty normal between them—Levi stands by his story that he was staying at the Palins’ house regularly—until Senator John McCain tapped Sarah as his running mate on August 29. When Sarah became a vice presidential candidate, things started going downhill for Levi.

Now he claims that he lived with them after the election:

For “Me and Mrs. Palin,” Johnston tells Vanity Fair his story about life with the Palin family—with whom he lived for two months after the election—over the course of his two-and-a-half-year relationship with Bristol.

Ricky Hollywood can't keep his story straight, because he never lived with the Palins. Around the time he told Vanity Fair that he was living with them, he was working on the North Slope full time. Obviously he couldn't be living with the Palin's while he was on the North Slope. But saying that he lived with them, gets him a higher price in liberal rags like Vanity Fair. As Governor Palin said:

"I know the truth about my family. I know details about whether Levi Johnston was allowed to live with my teenage daughter or not. By the way, it would be over my dead body that a kid would live with my teenage daughter," Palin said.

Also included in the essay that was written for him, Levi added this:

Sarah doesn’t cook, Todd doesn’t cook—the kids would do it all themselves: cook, clean, do the laundry, and get ready for school. Most of the time Bristol would help her youngest sister with her homework, and I’d barbecue chicken or steak on the grill.

Yes, if it wasn't for Levi, the Palin children would have never been fed. Never mind that a journalist for Esquire not only witnessed Governor Palin cooking, but teaching Levi how to cook as well:

Bristol comes into the kitchen with Levi Johnston, her fiancé. He's a good-looking kid, very Abercrombie & Fitch. He says hi all around but doesn't say much more. When he's over here, it's usually just him and Todd and Trig in a house full of women, and the women dominate the conversation. He nods at Todd and Todd nods back.

"Levi got his wedding ring stuck on his thumb," Molly says.

"Levi!" Sarah says. "That's par for the course. That means you're stuck. That's symbolic or something." She pulls a roast out of the refrigerator and calls Levi over and starts showing him how to marinate it. "Now, Levi, look, I'm gonna put this stuff in here..."

This is a woman who saved Alaska money by eliminating the previous governor's personal chef, so perhaps Team Levi should have reconsidered this lie. They might have also remembered that this same woman was seen on national television cooking for Greta van Susteren and Matt Lauer.

I could go on, but I think a clear pattern of behavior has been established. Levi Johnston has no credibility because he'll say anything for money and attention.

Since Levi or Ricky or whatever he calls himself is a public figure, I have a few questions for him:

What is your son's favorite toy?

Does he sleep through the night? If so, how old was he when he first slept through the night?

Does he like to go the park? Do you take him to the park? How often? What does he like to do at the park?

Has he come close to saying a word? What about sitting up? If he does sit up on his own, when did he do that for the first time?

Where do you work?

What brand of diapers does Tripp use? How much does a pack of diapers cost? How many diapers does he go through in a day? How about in a week? A month?

What kind of formula does he use? How much does he consume in a day? How much does a day's supply cost? How about a week's supply? A month?

How much do you pay in child support?

Earlier this year, he told Larry King that he "ain't doin' a lot of no child support right now". He's not providing for his son, but he's providing for himself somehow. After all, new trucks don't pay for themselves:



While being interviewed on Bravo this month, Levi chose to deflect the child support question. Apparently it wasn't as important as the some of the other questions he answered in the interview:

On if he’d ever pose nude: “It depends on the money, man. It’s gotta be right for that.”

On being a gay pin-up boy: “I think it’s great, man. Um, I like my fans. Just another person.”

You never know when a new career path will reveal itself. This interview could prove to be a pivotal moment in Ricky Hollywood's career. From HillBuzz:

Redeye, a publication of the Chicago Tribune, has an article in it today about Levi Johnston, the father of Bristol Palin’s son, being offered $25,000 to pose nude for a website called StraightCollegeMen.com. The site’s owners, Bait & Tackle Enterprises, created an open letter website to Levi called LeviNaked.com inviting him to Las Vegas to continue making an ass of himself…just with less clothes on than when he does it on Larry King or on Kathy Griffin’s arm.

Here's a "best of" Ricky Hollywood video we put together:

UPDATE: Politico has more contradictions from Levi here.

UPDATE II: (h/t jim) In an interview with GQ magazine earlier this year, Levi had this to say:

Did you get the sense that her parents were pressuring her?

I know that her parents didn’t want us together. I really don’t think they did. So they probably put a little pressure on her. But at the same time, they told us they wanted us to get married when they found out Bristol was pregnant. Whether they put pressure on her for the breakup—I don’t know what the deal was.

Question for Levi: If Governor Palin wanted to hide Bristol's pregnancy, then why was she pressuring you and Bristol to get married after she learned of the pregnancy?

UPDATE III: Levi: Who you gonna believe, me or your lying eyes?

The Reliable Sources blog at the Washington Post quoting Levi:

"She says she goes hunting and lives off animal meat -- I've never seen it. I've never seen her touch a fishing pole. She had a gun in her bedroom and one day she asked me to show her how to shoot it. I asked her what kind of gun it was, and she said she didn't know, because it was in a box under her bed."

Hmmmm...

















UPDATE IV: Seth Adam Smith takes apart another one of Levi's lies here.

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Levi Johnston's Mentor - Tank Jones

All young people need a mentor. For most of us it is our father or mother, but -- if those people are not available in our lives -- it is useful to find another person to fill that void. Other family members, coaches, or older friends are all people who can mentor a young person. A mentor is somebody who can give you guidance, advise you when life has thrown you a curve ball, or even just be there when you need some help.

We covered the Rex Butler-Tank Jones-Levi Johnston relationship the other day in this post. Later that afternoon, Alaskan radio host Eddie Burke discussed Rex Butler and Tank Jones. Mr. Butler called in to the show to give his take on the situation, as is his right. Mr. Butler revealed during his call-in that Tank Jones is the "mentor" to Levi Johnston. Here is the audio:



In today's Alaska Ear section of the ADN, this was reported:

Rex, super-stud P.I. Tank Jones and Levi were spotted breaking bread at a local restaurant last week.

Tank Jones is perfectly entitled to any professional career he chooses, but this does not make him an honorable person. Tank Jones is a private investigator, whose principal goal is to dig up dirt on people. If you read his MySpace profile, this is what you will find in the "Who I would like to meet section:"

Who I'd like to meet:
You... If you believe that your signigicant [sic] other is having a fling and/or affair, call us. We'll unleash the truth.

Now, Levi Johnston, on his many media appearances has suggested that he would like to grow up and become a real father to his son. Of course, this is a very honorable thing... When he finds a job and stops his dreams of becoming an actor or model, he can accomplish this. Thinking about this whole thing makes you realize that this young man needs a mentor. Somebody who can show him how to be responsible and act like an adult. A person who can guide him through these tough times.

Should that person be a private investigator who makes his money doing this?

As a private investigator, Tank Jones sees what isn't meant to be seen, hears what isn't meant to be heard, knows what is supposed to be secret. He's pretty sure, for example, that a client's boyfriend who ducked out the door at 5:30 for an early-morning run didn't mean to be videotaped indulging in a little side-dish activity on top of a picnic table in Elderberry Park.

Here is some of his most memorable work:

The suspicious bride-to-be who learned her fiance had a boyfriend.

The traveling husband who found out his wife didn't have a boyfriend after all. She had three.

The woman who fainted when Jones discovered two weeks before the wedding that her fiance was doing, let's just say, The Funky Chicken without clothes, with one of her best girlfriends.

Having Jones as a mentor is also very costly:

Jones charges $65 to $175 an hour, with those higher rates kicking in once he has to travel outside the Anchorage area, stay in motels and rack up other expenses.

One would think that those higher rates would kick in when Jones was accompanying Levi on his media tour recently. But something tells me that Jones is such a good guy that he does this for free. I mean here he is mentoring Levi Johnston out of the goodness of his heart.

And who can honestly say that they don't want somebody like Jones as a mentor? All young men with dreams of being a good father should hire get in touch with the great mentor, Tank Jones.

And the next time you suffer from a slip and fall, you should get in touch with Rex Butler. They do share the same office after all.

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Money-Grubbing Smear Merchants Rex Butler and Tank Jones Target Governor Palin

Some of our readers have emailed us wondering what Dennis Zaki at the Alaska Report website is alluding to with his teaser headline:

An iceberg is heading toward the Palins. Can it be stopped? I don't think so. Will it sink the ship, all signs say yes. Stay tuned...

We decided to do a little research. It is clear that the Alaskan leftwing blogs are working together to destroy Sarah Palin and her family. First their work centered on frivolous ethics complaints, and now they are moving on to the Palin family itself.

Apparently there's some coordination going on among the anklebiting Alaskan blogs. (Surprise!)

Who do they think they are fooling? One day they post an anti-Palin article on their blog, and the next day an ethics complaint is lodged using the very same language as the anti-Palin article?

On the day that Bill McAllister went on Eddie Burke's show to announce that Governor Palin had launched a Twitter account, the lefty Alaskan blogs seemed convinced that some bombshell would be dropped -- and made posts with "hints" as to what it would be about, kind of like The Riddler in a Batman movie. See Mudflats and Celtic Diva and judge for yourselves.

Anyway, lets get back to the teaser headline on the "Alaska Report." It took about three minutes to discover where this headline originated -- the Immoral Minority blog. Our readers should be aware, if they are not already, that the operator of the Immoral Minority blog, "Gryphen," is a "Trig Truther," meaning somebody who does not believe that Trig Palin is Governor Palin's son. Examples of his "Trig Trutherism" can be found here, here and here. Gryphen also believes that Bristol Palin is pregnant again, and that Levi Johnston has been fathering children with other teenage girls.

Being a "Trig Truther" is the ultimate sign of Palin Derangement Syndrome. We were successful in our efforts to stop the Anchorage Daily News from linking to this nutjob's website.

So this guy is not the sharpest tool in the shed. The operator of the Immoral Minority blog admits that he is in regular contact with Rex Butler and Tank Jones. Rex Butler is the high-priced attorney who is handling legal issues for the Johnston family. Butler magically appeared in court to defend Sherry Johnston on her drug-dealing related arrest -- she originally was so broke she had to get a public defender. Butler is apparently also representing Diana Palin in the proceedings on her criminal charges.

How does Sherry Johnston afford an attorney like Rex Butler? How do the Johnstons get the money to zoom around the United States giving interviews? How do they pay their rent/mortgage or even the payments on Levi Johnston's truck (judging from this video, Levi's truck seems to be a Ford F-150 SuperCrew, which sells for about $30,000)?

Airplane tickets from Anchorage to Los Angeles and New York run a minimum of around $700 per person, and that doesn't include hotel stays and other transportation. Trips from Anchorage to Florida, where Mercede Johnston claimed (on Larry King's show) to have traveled in March, are running around $1200 round trip.

They have claimed on television that they are not receiving compensation for their appearances. So what gives? Levi has no job, his mother has no job, his sister has no job, so who is paying for this "Smear Palin" tour? If you recall the Larry King interview with the Johnstons, you will remember that Mercede Johnston mentioned that she had recently returned from Florida. Why Florida? Well, Florida is where Star Magazine has its headquarters. Hold on a second, Mercede gave an interview to Star Magazine!

So while Rex Butler is handling the Johnston publicity schedule, Tank Jones is the private investigator whose job it is to dig up dirt on the Palin family. Together they are "Butler and Jones" specializing in ambulance chasing and infidelity claims.

Check out Tank Jones' MySpace page, specifically the "Who I'd Like To Meet" section:

Who I'd like to meet:
You... If you believe that your signigicant (sic) other is having a fling and/or affair, call us. We'll unleash the truth.

Here are his MySpace Friends.

Here is Gryphen admitting to being in contact with Butler and Jones and also admitting to working with other bloggers to smear Governor Palin:

By the way I was also happy to hear "Tank" Jones receive that shout out from the Johnston family. Tank was the man who graciously answered my questions about Levi and let me know, and therefore all of you, that he was safe.

[...]

P.S. I have shared some of the more sensitive information with my fellow bloggers so do not worry that I am in any danger or that this information will not be made public at some point, it will. That is what makes us such a formidable community of bloggers.

Having the proof that Gryphen is in contact with Jones and Butler, we can now establish that Butler and Jones are the people behind the Levi Johnston "media tour across America," based on this next comment by Gryphen:

Now we all have to sit back and see what Rex Butler and Sherman "Tank" Jones have in mind for future Levi television appearances.

Ah, so there you have it. The lawyer and the private investigator are pushing the Johnstons to appear on television programs. This flies right into the face of Levi Johnston's claim that he is simply trying to clear his name in the media and that he is not "white trash." Levi can care less about giving his side of the story, he appears on these television shows because his attorney tells him to appear on the television shows. Unless of course, telling his side of the story involves getting an acting gig:

Johnston said he's working odd jobs and hopes to be an electrician. Or perhaps the publicity surrounding his relationship with Bristol will lead to an acting or modeling gig.

Levi Johnston claims that he wants to clear his family of the allegation that they are "white trash," and yet the allegation itself came from his sister's interview with Star Magazine, in which she claims that Bristol Palin called the Johnstons "white trash." Bristol Palin never called Levi or his family that. His own sister aired that. It's as if they created the slur and then presented their media tour as the solution to the slur they created.

All that talk about this not being about publicity is nonsense. This has never been about Levi's son, it is about smearing Governor Palin, which is something Rex Butler himself took part in during the 2008 campaign. Is this Rex Butler or Al Sharpton?:

Blacks don’t have the levels of access to the governor and state commissioners as with past administrations, said attorney Rex Butler, an Alaska resident since 1983. It seems the posture of (Palin’s) administration with Blacks is: Don’t need them—don’t worry about them.

Apparently Butler is doing such a fine job of scheduling the Johnston's media circus that Sherry Johnston, currently awaiting trial for selling drugs, was able to skip out of the state without notifying the prosecutor in the case. This is, of course, a sure sign of innocence.

It should also be noted that Rex Butler is a consistent donor to Democrats.

UPDATE: There is also this interesting comment at the end of Gryphen's "iceberg" post (the one in which he teased his readers about some major scandal that would sink the Palins):

I am also going to put a PayPal button on this site in the next few days. I have resisted doing this for a long time because I just don't like to ask people for money, but information has proven costly and I am going to run out of funds in the near future. If I am going to continue forward I am going to have to be able to pay for access.

The information is "costly"? Is he bribing people? Or is he just trying to make money off of his sordid little smear campaign?

Please note: The Immoral Minority is a Google Blogger site, and he still has "blogspot" in his web address. That means that he has not paid for his domain name (as C4P has. You'll notice that we do not have a "blogspot" in our web address). Blogger does not charge for bandwidth. It's free. In other words, there is no overhead for Gryphen's website. He already has Google ads (which C4P does not), so he is already making money off of his blog. The only reason to have a tip jar is for tips. (We do not have one at C4P, but when we finally move to a WordPress format, we will have to because we will have to pay for bandwidth.)

So, the question remains: Why does he need more money?

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Elise Patkotak: It Is All Palin's Fault, All Of The Time

Elise Patkotak has written a piece for the ADN were she explores the Levi Johnston saga. Of course, all blame seems to rest with Governor Palin. I have decided to take apart this article point by point.

Where once Alaska was known, when it was thought about at all by people in the Lower 48, as a cold, dark state with stunningly beautiful vistas, the northern lights and Eskimos, we now are famous (infamous?) for our very own version of the Hatfield and McCoys, except that our feud involves our governor sparring with an 18-year-old unwed father. Charming.

Personally, I don't see it that way at all. What I see is a supposed "man" going on national television and telling lies about the Palin family and discussing the sexual relationship of his son's mother. I am reminded of that old liberal canard that says that if an 18-year-old can go off to war, then surely he should be able to legally buy a beer. Well, if an 18-year-old can legally buy a beer, then surely he should have the common sense to realize that the tape of his appearance on gossip television shows will be displayed on youtube for his son and all of his sons' friends to see. Governor Palin is a mother, a mother who is defending her family. She doesn't stop being a mother because she has the title of "governor." Governor Palin spent an entire campaign watching as lies were told about her and her family and little was being done to refute or defend against them. I believe that Governor Palin has decided "no more!"

While the economy collapses, the Legislature plays tit for tat with the administration over everything from open Senate seats to AG appointments, and some of our stimulus dollars face the real possibility of paying for California's schools because suddenly we don't want federal money, our governor is on television trading barbs with Levi Johnston over whether or not he spent the night at her house sleeping with her daughter.

First, printing money in order to "fix schools" in California or any other state will not bring about economic recovery. I would like to read a piece by Ms. Patkotak in which she lays out how exactly this stimulus would accomplish "saving the economy." Also, Governor Palin has not appeared on television to discuss this issue, the Johnston family has. And the issue is not whether or not Levi "spent a night" at the Palins, it is whether Governor Palin allowed him to live there. Governor Palin has said that this is not the case, Levi Johnston lied about Governor Palin on national television, and she responded in a press conference to the lie. I do not believe that Governor Palin is someone who likes being lied about on national television. It also seems that Ms. Patkotak does not feel that Governor Palin can handle the responsibilities of being the governor and being a mother, but then again Patkotak feels that you can turn around an economy by "taking federal money." I don't know much about Ms. Patkotak, but something tells me she is a bit of a liberal, and we all know that only liberal women can provide both family and governmental leadership. I wonder if Ms. Patkotak would have the same reaction to Hillary Clinton defending her daughter?

I'm horrified that any politician would bring their family's private life so far into the public spotlight and then keep it there by responding to the juvenile idiocy of an immature 18 year old who is clearly attempting to milk his 15 minutes of fame for all they are worth. Imagine a male politician carrying on like this about his unwed teenage daughter's single parenthood.

I don't recall Governor Palin bringing her family life into the public spotlight. Actually, I feel that this is the biggest lie ever told by the media regarding Governor Palin -- that she somehow pushed her family onto the American people. She has a large family and she is a politician. Politicians with large families receive media coverage. Politicians bring their children on stage with them from time to time. I am eagerly awaiting Ms. Patkotak's book detailed how the Kennedys have "pushed their family into the spotlight." When the Kennedys were in the White House, the American people heard about the family all of the time. No, it was not Governor Palin who pushed her family -- it was the hundreds of reporters and lawyers dropped into Wasilla in the first week of September that did that, looking for anything they could find to damage Governor Palin. Ms. Patkotak is right about one thing: Levi is milking his 15 minutes of fame. However, Levi Johnston is lying about the Palin family, when someone lies about you on national television... you respond. Governor Palin is not "carrying on" anything, the Johnston family is. The Johnston family is the one attending television interviews, not Governor Palin.

At what point does some adviser not lean over and whisper in Palin's ear, "Just say you have no comment and move on to actual state business?" Is there really no one in this administration capable of convincing Palin that she refocuses the spotlight on her family every time she dignifies a remark by Levi with a response?

[...]

Someone has to be the adult in this situation. Levi is 18. Sarah is ... well, older. I would suggest that she take the adult role.

One again, does Ms. Patkotak feel that Governor Palin has been neglecting state business? Ms. Patkotak again reinforces the lie that Governor Palin somehow purposely attracts attention to her family. I'm sorry Ms. Patkotak, but the spotlight was focused on the Palins on August 31st and it has never left. Also, she is not dignifying Levi Johnston with a response as you say. Governor Palin is watching as her family is lied about and she seems to be the type to not take that sitting down.

Oh, and Ms. Patkotak, when you are 18 you are also an adult. When you are 18 with a child you are really an adult. When you are 18 with a child and without a job, if you were somehow not an adult already, you need to become an adult really fast. Levi does seem to have a nice new pickup truck though, I wonder where he got that. I'm sure the car dealership where he purchased it thought they were dealing with an "adult." However, Levi could just be waiting for the day in which his young son asks him, "Hey dad, is that you on the Tyra Banks show talking about mommy?" That might be the day he decides to become an adult.

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My Final Word On Levi What's His Name

No, not from me, from LA Times blogger Andrew Malcolm. I don't think I could have put it any better myself, so I'll just give you the whole thing, live and uninterrupted. Oh, and for me this really is the last time I'm writing about this subject. Ever. Seriously.

Well, once again Larry King's bookers have got the big get -- Levi Johnston is scheduled to be on the CNN show tonight, unless his pickup breaks down in Saskatchewan. It's billed as an "Exclusive." At least for this week. Levi's such a huge star that LK actually had to wait until after Levi did the Tyra Banks Show.
But the nation is pretty gosh-darned excited to get maybe its ninth look at this high school dropout hockey player who is said to have impregnated Bristol Palin, the Alaska governor's teenage daughter. What better reason to put someone on primetime TV for millions to not watch?

There's nothing like the word "former" to help splinter families wide open, which is great TV entertainment. Watching other families squabble and pretending we don't.

So the former future son-in-law of the former future Republican vice president will undergo probing interrogation by the suspendered one, who's been getting married and re-married and re-married and doing this interviewing gig thing since even before Joe Biden became a senator.

Wardrobe note: On tonight's show everyone will probably be wearing a shirt, unlike "Cops."

Because most of the nation's TiVos have already been set to record both of the Billy Mays specials tonight, as a public service The Ticket has collected virtually all of Levi Johnston's answers in advance for your political edification and reading pleasure here this morning. So here we go:

Hullo.

Yup.

Nope.

Not really.

Yeh, I guess.

I think so.

She did.

March.

Moose chili.

Yes, I'm pretty sure she did.

I can't say it on TV.

He wasn't happy.

No, he was really nice. But very old.

Really exciting. Those jets go, like, very fast. And high up too.

Well, to be honest about it, maybe. I don't know. Could be.

I was nowhere near Anchorage that day.

Red Wings. All the way!

Nah, I'm not big enough. Those guys are, like, huge!

Originally, I planned on a double major of political science and history before law school. Then starting a major corporation and becoming president of these United States. But having seen inside the belly of the modern political beast up close last fall, Larry, frankly, I'm no longer that certain.

I believe money has sullied -- I dare say, corrupted -- the entire system's integrity. Just look at the TARP rollover. American democracy does work in a wondrous way, but it's very messy and ponderous and unorganized. It's a lot like hockey without the ice, uniforms and sticks. And helmets. And pucks. And fights. And speed. And rules.

Right now? Well, not much. I'm still recovering from quitting my apprentice electrician's job and working on saving the princess in Super Mario Brothers. But you wouldn't believe how hard that is. Reminds me of the Middle East conundrum.

No, the teachers were really boring. But I plan to get my GED in a few years. And then maybe drive the Zamboni in Kotzebue. Or Fairbanks. I haven't decided.

Thank you for having me, sir.

And, Mr. King? May I wish you and all of your viewers a very Happy Passover.

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Zo Defends Palin, Moral Principles

(h/t Hot Air)

If you haven't yet met Zo, pop culture genius, you've been missing out. Watch and enjoy.

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Dan Fagan Personally Attacks People And Then Condemns Personal Attacks

Fagan has written a new PDS-induced screed for the ADN:

It is amazing how quickly Palin Nation can turn on you. Remember the outrage after I questioned how Levi Johnston was accepted into the coveted ASRC apprentice program without meeting the requirements?

Instead of addressing the issue, the governor and her rabid followers took exception with my even asking the question. The governor said my raising the possibility of special treatment "threatens to destroy a young man's opportunity for work."

That was accompanied by thousands of e-mails from Palinbots saying I had destroyed young Levi's life.

Hey, Dan, these two events (you costing Levi his job and the Palins' current issue with Levi) are mutually exclusive. Your questioning of "special treatment" had a lot to do with Levi losing his job. End of story. Just because Levi and the Palins are "at odds" today, does not mean that what you did was right or decent. You are using the situation between Levi and the Palins to somehow clear yourself of any vindictive pettiness in going after this kid. This is a very childish move on your part, but not surprising that you would lead your article with it.

What caused Palin and her cult followers to turn on this young man? He agreed to go on the Tyra Banks show.

Enter "Truth Squad" hit woman Meghan Stapleton.

"Bristol did not even know Levi was going on the show. We're disappointed that Levi and his family, in a quest for fame, attention, and fortune, are engaging in flat-out lies, gross exaggeration, and even distortion of their relationship."

Imagine that. Someone in a quest for fame, attention and fortune, engaging in flat-out lies, gross exaggeration, and even distortion. I wonder if Stapleton knows anyone else like that.

First, Fagan uses the situation to clear his name from his earlier misdeeds, and now he is attacking Meg Stapleton. Notice that he personally attacks Stapleton here, by calling her (and/or her boss) a liar. You need to keep that in mind because of the next comment by Fagan:

You would hope these strong attacks from Stapleton are not the governor's doing. It's Stapleton's way of impressing the governor. The meaner she is, the more the governor will know how loyal she is. My experience with Stapleton in the past is she aims to impress her boss. But unfortunately Palin herself has shown a propensity for personal attacks on those she deems as enemies.

So now Stapleton is "mean," and Palin herself levels "personal attacks" on her enemies. When Fagan wondered if "Stapleton knows anyone like that," he could easily be talking about himself. This is, after all, a guy who mocked the name of Governor Palin's grandson and laughed at a special needs child on his radio show. In this very column, Fagan levels two personal attacks, first on Stapleton and then on Palin.

It is about 2/3 of the way through the article before Fagan finally addresses the Levi Johnston situation (all of his personal attacks on Stapleton are out of the way then):

Levi doesn't come across as an enemy of Palin's on the two TV interviews he's done so far. He says he's speaking out to clear his family's name. He says people think his family is white trash and he wants to prove otherwise.

The governor might not like some of the answers Levi is giving. He was asked if Palin let him spend the night in her home and share a room with the governor's teenage daughter even though they were not married. He said yes. Levi's sister backs him up, saying she didn't see her brother for weeks while he stayed at the Palins'. This is not the kind of thing Palin wants to get out to her national evangelical base, but you can't blame Levi for simply answering the question.

Governor Palin addressed this in her most recent press conference, and I'll take her word over Mercede Johnston any day of the week. There were a few interviews conducted around the time that Levi Johnston was supposedly living with the Palins. There was the Esquire interview and the Ziegler interview. The Esquire interview took place right before Bristol had her baby. Levi Johnston is mentioned stopping by around dinner time, and Governor Palin is described as teaching him how to cook. He is not "living" there. Ziegler spent the day at the Palin home the week after Bristol had her baby. In a column he wrote right after the interview, he mentioned seeing Bristol and other members of the Palin family, but made no reference to seeing Levi though according to Mercede, he was "living there" at the time. Around this very time, Levi was working as an apprentice on the North Slope. How could he be on the North Slope and living with the Palins? Maybe Mercede Johnston didn't see him "for weeks" because he was on the North Slope. (I know, it's shocking to imagine that she might play fast and loose with the facts on a tabloid television show in an effort to smear the Palins. Who ever does that?)

Speaking of those seeking "fame and attention," why does Levi's sister even appear on the show? Why does his mother appear on the show? Levi should have conducted the interview solo, but maybe his sister and his mother are "seeking fame and attention," eh Dan?

And I would like to point out that Governor Palin does not "pander" to any audience. She lives her life as she sees fit, with all of the "ups" and "downs." She is a real person, not manufactured by a public relations department. Many American families understand what her family is going through.

Fagan also has a problem with the statement Stapleton released regarding Levi's intentions:

Stapleton's statement went on to say, "It is unfortunate that Levi finds it more appealing to exploit his previous relationship with Bristol than to contribute to the well-being of the child."

Think about that for a second. Sarah Palin released a statement to the nation accusing the father of her grandbaby of not caring about the well-being of his child. How will Tripp feel the day he learns his grandmother publicly attacked his father? This is family, for goodness' sake. What won't Palin do to anyone getting in the way of her political ambition? If the 18-year old father of her grandchild isn't off-limits, nobody is.

Come on, Dan. You are a man. Did you ever ask how Tripp will feel when he views the video of his father dishing information about the sexual relationship with his mother on a tabloid television show? How will young Tripp feel when his friends show him the YouTube video of this? What kind of a man would do this to his son?

Fagan then writes:

The governor ends her attack on Levi by saying, "Bristol realizes now that she made a mistake in her relationship and is the one taking responsibility for their actions."

I would agree with the governor that Bristol has realized the mistake she made in her relationship. Levi has yet to find full-time employment, but he has time to air his sordid tale on a tabloid television show. Bristol, on the other hand, is pursuing a career in nursing and is raising a beautiful baby boy.

I find it ironic that Fagan would say that the "Palin Nation" has turned on Levi Johnston, when Fagan himself used Levi Johnston in his attacks on the governor. Before the breakup between Levi and Bristol, Fagan was going after Levi. He claimed that the Palins were using their influence to help Levi in his career, and Fagan cost him his job. A person who uses his influence on the radio and in the media to cost a young man his job based on false information is wrong and cruel, regardless of whom the young man is. It was wrong then, and it is wrong now, and that has nothing to do with Meg Stapleton or the Palin family. Now that the Palins and Levi are at odds, Fagan suddenly respects Levi.

Fagan also conveniently forgets to mention Levi's comment on the CBS Early Show about his hopes of getting a "modeling or acting gig" from this new publicity. Why did you leave that out, Dan, considering that you are so concerned about those seeking "fame and attention"?

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Governor Palin on Levi: "Over My Dead Body"; UPDATE: Video of Presser & Eddie Burke & Esquire Article

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The Anchorage Daily News reports that Governor Palin held a wide-ranging press availability today. We'll be covering the policy aspects, in regards to abortion and the stimulus, in several posts tonight. But I wanted to pass along this response from Governor Palin regarding allegations that Levi Johnston had been allowed to live under their roof with her daughter Bristol:

In response to a question from a television reporter, Palin also talked about some of the ongoing drama surrounding her family. Levi Johnston said during an interview on CBS’s “Early Show” that he moved into the governor’s house a few weeks before Bristol Palin gave birth to their child.

"I know the truth about my family. I know details about whether Levi Johnston was allowed to live with my teenage daughter or not. By the way, it would be over my dead body that a kid would live with my teenage daughter," Palin said.

UPDATE by Mel: Video below:



UPDATE by RAM: Take a look at this page from the new Esquire article on Todd Palin. It shows how much the Palins welcomed Levi Johnston into their family. Sarah Palin was teaching him how to cook. They treated him like their own son. And lying about them on a tabloid television show was how he repaid their kindness.

And Gov. Palin is still kind to him. Listen to her discussion of Levi today when she called into the Eddie Burke radio show (at the 4:38 mark):

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Levi Johnston "Open To" Modeling or Acting Gig

Continuing their fame-seeking behavior, the Johnstons appeared on CBS' Early Show with Maggie Rodriguez today.

Levi Johnston stated during the interview that perhaps all the publicity he's getting will lead to a modeling or acting job, which he's "open to".

The Johnstons re-iterated the tale of woe about not being able to bring the child back to their home. Somehow, CBS manages to write a two page summary of the interview without once mentioning that Sherry Johnston is up on drug charges.

(Johnston's) family says they hope the custory dispute over Tripp doesn't land in court -- because it's likely almost any judge in Alaska would side with the Palins.

Gee, ya think?

UPDATE by JR: How about a REAL job? The sooner the better. You have a child, start acting like a father. It also seems that Levi's take on the events leading to the Palins keeping Tripp at their home is missing something: Levi's mother dealing drugs from her house! I certainly would not put a baby in that situation.

Johnston told Rodriguez, "We're not cashing in on their name, you know. I'm just trying to get my side of the story out there and letting people know who I am."

Asked what the biggest misconception about him is, Johnston said, "Probably that my family's white trash."

I don't think acting is the path you want to choose. You are not very good at it. Speaking of acting, where is the CBS investigation into Joe Biden's daughter playing the role of Tony Montana?

UPDATE by RAM: Welcome, Michelle Malkin readers. Please have a look around at our other posts. Also, I just want to reiterate that Palin spokesperson Meg Stapleton told CNN that Johnston never lived under the Palins' roof. And, yes, I do think there is a difference between "living with" and "staying with." "Staying with" the Palins implies that it was for a fixed time and was not permanent. He was there to help with his child immediately before and after the child was born, and certainly nothing untoward was going on with Bristol about to deliver and having just delivered a baby.

UPDATE II by JR: I think it is pretty clear that Levi Johnston is using the Palin name to benefit himself:

Johnston said he's working odd jobs and hopes to be an electrician. Or perhaps the publicity surrounding his relationship with Bristol will lead to an acting or modeling gig.

UPDATE by VO: Matthew Balan at NewsBusters shreds the interview, noting the same omissions and slant that we did.

Reading the transcript, it seems that the Johnstons are cranking up the "creepy" vibe. They state that Sherry Johnston cried with happiness when she found out about the pregnancy. What mother of a teenage son cries with happiness when they get that kind of news? Answer: classless gold-diggers looking for a meal ticket.

If Levi Johnston had any sense, he'd head for a military recruiter and get away from his creepy sister Sadie and his drug-using mother...if he was lucky, Uncle Sam would give him orders to Germany or Korea. Then he could do something honorable while earning money to support his son.

But he doesn't have any sense, as shown by his recent actions. Governor Palin is still popular in Alaska, and there would doubtless have been many employers willing to give him a job based solely on that goodwill. He's squandered that in spades. Idiot.

UPDATE by RAM: VO is right about the creepiness of Sherry Johnston's reaction to the news of Bristol's pregnancy. Sarah Palin had the proper reaction.

I'm especially annoyed by this bizarre statement from Mercede Johnston:

Mercede says she got the impression the Palins were snobby: "I mean, look what they're doing. They're lying, trying to save themselves when they're the ones that asked for it. They brought him to the campaign. They should have known what was coming. They can't turn around and try and take it back now."

She accuses the Palins of being "snobby" and yet at the same time says that they "asked for it" by inviting her brother to the RNC convention. She says "they should have known what was coming." They should have known what, Sadie? They should have known that your brother would spill his sleazy story to a tabloid TV show? How can you accuse the Palins of being snobby when they were apparently willing to embrace your brother because they wanted to give him a chance? If they were as snobby as you are suggesting, they would never have allowed your brother to be photographed with them. They would have never allowed their daughter to be engaged to him.

I feel total sympathy for the Palin family because my own family was in a similar situation once. One of my older brothers was engaged to a woman who had a family as bad as the Johnstons. We knew she was not a good person. My family did everything in our power to dissuade my brother from marrying her, but once we knew that the marriage was inevitable, we all put on a smile and supported him and welcomed her into the family. That's what families do -- they band together and support each other. We didn't particularly like my brother's new wife, but we all helped her and treated her as a sister. My brother ended up divorcing her a few years later after she had an affair. He had supported her through college (and she was the first in her family to attend college). She had gotten what she wanted from him, and he was left with nothing. Her family used him too. I suppose they would call my family "snobby" -- in fact, I believe they did. We were nothing but kind to them. And the Palins have been nothing but kind to the Johnstons. The Palins are a class act. The Johnstons are classless.

We all gave Levi Johnston the benefit of the doubt. We all defended him when Dan Fagan got him fired from his job because we wanted to see this young man succeed and get a fair shake. Even Chuck Heath defended Levi on a local radio show. For the Johnstons to now claim that the Palins are snobs is just outrageous ingratitude.

Gosh, I wonder why the Palins might not like you that much any more, Levi? Perhaps they expect you to earn their respect. Perhaps they expect you to man-up and get a job and support your child. Perhaps they expect you not to air your dirty laundry in public.

UPDATE by RAM II: Go here for Gov. Palin's latest response.

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