UPDATED: SarahPAC Statement on Trig Palin Photo Manipulation; ADN and Lib Blogger Blackout

This statement was taken from Governor Palin's FaceBook account:

The following refers to a post Conservatives 4 Palin made Wednesday and to which others are responding:

"Recently we learned of a malicious desecration of a photo of the Governor and baby Trig that has become an iconic representation of a mother's love for a special needs child.

The mere idea of someone doctoring the photo of a special needs baby is appalling. To learn that two Alaskans did it is absolutely sickening. Linda Kellen Biegel, the official Democrat Party blogger for Alaska, should be ashamed of herself and the Democratic National Committee should be ashamed for promoting this website and encouraging this atrocious behavior.

Babies and children are off limits. It is past time to restore decency in politics and real tolerance for all Americans. The Obama Administration sets the moral compass for its party. We ask that special needs children be loved, respected and accepted and that this type of degeneracy be condemned."

-- Meghan Stapleton

UPDATE by VO: Ben Smith at Politico has this as well. It seems to me that SarahPAC is beginning a "zero tolerance" position regarding attacks on the Palin children.

UPDATE II by VO: Where are the Alaska Democrats and other Alaska progressive bloggers on this? We've been told by Shannyn Moore how tight they are, and how they meet up at the home of Phil Munger, who is a Democratic Party official:

Feeling like an endangered species, Alaska progressives are tight. The Alaska Bloggers are tighter. Right after the nomination of Sarah Palin for VP, Wasilla blogger, musician, professor, and all around renaissance man, Phil Munger, threw a party at his home-the first of many. Secrecies were sworn; we were not alone in front of our computers-we had each other; Mudflats, Immoral Minority, Writing Raven, Celtic Diva, Progressive Alaska, Alaska Report, What Do I Know, and myself, Just a Girl From Homer.

[...]

What we were going up against was so much bigger than any one of us. We'd email or call each other daily. We'd comment on each other's blogs. We shared a community and a desire to make Alaska better. We told each other when we were wrong.

Are they telling each other now when they're wrong? Nope, they're supporting and enabling outrageous attacks on the Palin children, including Trig Truth and grotesque photoshops of a special-needs child.

Is Phil Munger condemning or criticizing this? Nope, he's linking to, and encouraging the website that carried this grotesque image. AKMuckraker at The Mudflats? Same thing.

No condemnation at all, they just continue to link to and support this person, just as they link to and support those who make ludicrous allegations that Trig Palin is not the Governor's son. Silence means consent - not just for these bloggers, but for Alaska Democrats as a whole.

UPDATE by RAM: As noted above, Linda Kellen Biegel was the official Alaskan blogger at the DNC convention. The DNC platform states:

"We believe that standing up for our country means standing up against sexism and all intolerance. Demeaning portrayals of women cheapen our debates, dampen the dreams of our daughters, and deny us the contributions of too many. Responsibility lies with us all." (DNC 2008 Platform, Sec. I, Page 16.)

We still have not heard from the local Democrats in Alaska about whether they approve of what Biegel did to a photo of Gov. Palin holding her special needs son. They link to Biegel's blog on the Alaska Democrat's website. Do they approve of what she did? Ask them:

Representative_Harry_Crawford@legis.state.ak.us
Representative_Sharon_Cissna@legis.state.ak.us
Representative_Les_Gara@legis.state.ak.us
Representative_Berta_Gardner@legis.state.ak.us
Representative_Mike_Doogan@legis.state.ak.us
Representative_Lindsey_Holmes@legis.state.ak.us
Representative_Bob_Buch@legis.state.ak.us
Representative_Chris_Tuck@legis.state.ak.us
Representative_Bryce_Edgmon@legis.state.ak.us
Representative_Bob_Herron@legis.state.ak.us
Representative_Richard_Foster@legis.state.ak.us
Representative_Reggie_Joule@legis.state.ak.us

Senator_Albert_Kookesh@legis.state.ak.us
Senator_Joe_Thomas@legis.state.ak.us
Senator_Joe_Paskvan@legis.state.ak.us
Senator_Bill_Wielechowski@legis.state.ak.us
Senator_Bettye_Davis@legis.state.ak.us
Senator_Johnny_Ellis@legis.state.ak.us
Senator_Hollis_French@legis.state.ak.us
Senator_Dennis_Egan@legis.state.ak.us
Senator_Lyman_Hoffman@legis.state.ak.us
Senator_Donny_Olson@legis.state.ak.us

UPDATE III by VO: I guess the Anchorage Daily News silently consents as well. They are blacking out the story, despite the fact that we've been tipping them on it since the very beginning and it has now appeared on CNN and Politico. Not even a mention on the Alaska Politics Blog, or the Alaska Newsreader, which purports to round up happenings in the blogosphere. They're normally up for anything to slam Palin (even Trig Truth) but apparently not anything that shows her and her family in a sympathetic light.

UPDATE II by RAM: Gov. Palin just tweeted this:

Perfectly beautiful babies like Trig, & countless others like him, add a special quality to our world. Here's Trig: http://bit.ly/12v0E6

Take a look: here's a video that Trig, Piper & I taped in support of Special Olympics. http://bit.ly/zrRht

This is the photo she linked to:

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