Bloggers and the Art of Victimhood

By now you've probably heard that Palin had a book signing in her hometown of Wasilla recently, and that two guys were told they couldn't be there. The event was paid for, private, and the organizers had the right to keep out or let in whomever they chose.

The two guys shown the door were Jesse Griffin and Dennis Zaki. Zaki ran a website called Alaska Report until recently, and Griffin is a blogger. Not just a blogger, but the blogger who has spewed the most vile things about Sarah Palin, including (but not limited to) perpetuating the movement that Trig is not Palin's son, that Todd and Sarah hate each other, and that Levi is the greatest thing to ever walk the face of the earth.

Where does Zaki come in? Well, Zaki was "Gryphen"'s enabler. He linked Griffin's blog on his website and ran his headlines, including the infamous one that Todd and Sarah were on the brink of divorce (which Griffin emphatically proclaimed was not a rumor, but fact.) The divorce debacle lead the Palins to think about legal action, since Griffin didn't even attempt to cover his butt by saying it was a rumor, but in the end they decided it wasn't worth the trouble.

The Palin's attorney sent a letter to Zaki and to Griffin telling them that the story was blatantly false and to correct it immediately. Both refused.

The letter was sent confidentially. Nobody in the Palin camp publicly tried to "out" Griffin, but in an attempt to make the Palins look like the bad guys (when all they were doing was defending themselves against a blatant lie which would make its way into the mainstream media through Zaki's website), Zaki posted the letter sent to Griffin online.

He blacked out Griffin's name and address, but to make the Palins look like bullies, he left in the part that gave away Griffin's occupation. Zaki admitted that he had gotten several of these letters from the Palin's attorney, but nothing had ever happened. Apparently, they were formalities, but to make the Palins look bad, he posted this one. In so doing, he outed Griffin's identity.

Then, of course, the left-wing blogs whined and cried about how the Palins had exposed Griffin, when nothing could be further from the truth.

Zaki has since moved on to other pursuits as a freelance videographer. Gryphen continues his Trig Trutherism and other Palin bile on a daily basis.

Linked to Gryphen are other blogs like Palingates, the blog whose ridiculous story on "Busgate" (the idea that Palin *GASP!* took a plane between some book tour stops instead of her bus) found its way to CBS without any help from the Palins whatsoever.

This episode debunks the idea that the Palins bring it on themselves by responding to these ridiculous accusations. "Busgate" is proof positive that the media will run with these rumors eventually whether the Palins say anything about it or not. Palingates is now attempting to prove that Track is not Todd Palin's son, but is the product of an affair between Sarah and Curtis Menard. That Tad (Palin's first miscarriage) was Curtis' child as well, and that perhaps it was not a "miscarriage" after all. I suppose next they'll be saying that Sarah sabotaged Curtis' plane, or that she was behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

So, when Gryphen announced that he was going to see Sarah at the Wasilla book signing on his blog, I was concerned about Sarah's security. Now, I don't think he actually would have done anything, but the tomato-throwing incident I think gave the Palins some pause. They're being more careful now.

Not to mention the simple human factor of it all. Palin is not a politician. She owes nothing to anyone. She is a private citizen. If she doesn't want to shake your hand, guess what?

Take the political element out of this. Put yourself in Sarah's shoes. Here are people that on a daily basis stoop so low as to question your very motherhood. Forget the political aspect, as a mother, it would be everything in my power not to unleash unholy fury on these punks.

A disclaimer - Griffen and the like have every right to pop off about whatever tickles their fancy, and the Palins have never tried to shut down their blogs or anything of the sort. All of their reactions have been defensive in nature, responding to the lies and insinuations.

Gryphen isn't the problem. Palingates isn't the problem. These people can sit around in their little deranged pits and say whatever on earth they want. The problem is that the mainstream media desperately wants their accusations to be true. And in so doing, the mainstream media becomes irrelevant.

Mark my words, this will be the media's downfall. They will lose their legitimacy, and in so doing, lose their influence. And if Sarah wins the Presidency in spite of the media, she won't need the media to maintain her Presidency. Unlike Obama who is a media prop, Sarah will be truly independent. They won't be able to touch her.

Notice the media's coverage of this. They won't mention the details I've outlined here. They'll link Griffin's blog instead. Like Sarah said in her book, it's not so much what the media says, it's what they don't say. "The sin of ommission is glaring."

I can't help but think the reason these people are so ticked off is because there's nothing they can do about it. As a private citizen, Sarah is beyond their reach. They were destroying her with the system before, using her own integrity against her. They can't do that now. She has taken herself out of their gameplan, and they've never been more angry or more desperate.

One more point - Sarah Palin has standards. Unlike Obama who will kiss the shoes of our enemies and have pictures of Mao on the White House Christmas tree, Sarah refuses to shake Oliver Stone's hand and calls John Kerry an elitist loon. She draws a line at the refuse pit, and I like that. Reaganesque, that is.

Now Palingates and Celtic Diva are screaming about a lady who went to the book signing in a "Sarah Palin - LIAR!" shirt and was looked down on by the folks attending there. What did they expect? Palin fans to give her a big ole' hug? Tit for tat, Palingates. You insult us, we'll insult you.

It's the same attitude they use with Levi. They act like the Palins should give him a big bear hug every time they see him. People with integrity don't take kindly to treacherous and lowlife behavior, and they're not going to say it's okay. Nobody ripped the shirt off of that lady, and nobody's going to hurt Levi. That's called "tolerance." We might scream and holler, but that's our freedom of speech.

And here's what I don't understand about the whole protesting thing: yes, you have a right to protest, but you should also have a shred of common decency. I don't agree with Obama's policies, at all. But I would never go disrupt one of his rallies. That's his rally; that's his turf. If his supporters want to go there and fawn over him, whatever. I'm not going to get in their faces about it.

Liberals don't operate that way though. They are provacative. If you don't agree with Palin, why on earth go to a book signing? Yes, you have the right to, but that doesn't mean it's good sense. It's just ignorant to disrupt other people's good time.

The strategy is one of liberal agitation and victimhood. They provoke in order to get a response which they then scream is persecution or someone's attempt to take away their free speech.

It's like the terrorists lobbing rockets into Israel and then crying because Israel hits back. And the media is sympathetic to the terrorists, which is why the terrorists use that strategy. It's good for propaganda purposes.

I swear, it's like the annoying kid in your school that had every right to hover his finger an inch away from your face because "he wasn't touching you," but it took everything in your power not to punch him right in the face.

Just because you have the right, doesn't mean you should. And if you do, don't be surprised by retaliation.

Watch this vid. A group of protestors during the campaign try to block Palin's bus. They run out into the streets, and when the police try to counter them, they scream "Police brutality! The whole world's watching!"