BendyStrawGate!

"Rogue" elephant bendy-straw

Continuing the narrative of the Leftist media spending its time on things that are insignificant in the extreme, the latest Palin "scandal" has hit the fan. A copy of her supposed contract with the WSB was supposedly found in a dumpster.

Allapundit smacks some of it down here:

So she’ll fly commercial unless you want to hook her up with a particular private jet. In fact, she’ll actually fly coach, which ABC doesn’t tell you, under certain circumstances: Read the rider and you’ll see that it’s only for flights to or from Anchorage that first-class is mandatory. If she’s traveling within the lower 48, riding in the back with the hoi polloi is fine. (For international flights to the lower 48, she asks for business class.)

Actually, there’s no ironclad proof that the contract is even hers: Her name is never mentioned, but given where it was found, the fact that it comes from her speaker bureau, and the fact that it refers to travel from Alaska, the inference is made.

Frankly, I’m amazed that she’s willing to fly commercial at all. Considering the intense loathing she inspires in some quarters, I assumed she’d long since passed the point of needing a security detail when she’s out in public. Is it really just her and Todd (or an assistant) crammed back there in coach among lefties who feel queasy at the thought of her? Good lord.

Oh, something else: Hotline claims that the rider demands that all questions, whether from the audience or from the moderator, be pre-screened, but I can’t find that passage. I see that there’s a pre-screen provision in the section on “Satellite Events,” but there’s nothing about it in “Audience Q&A.” I probably just missed it in my haste of skimming the document. Let me know and I’ll update the post.

If you must read the alleged contract itself, you can download it here.

I simply must paste some of the comments I’ve read over at C4P. It’s a tad long, but good:

yogi41 - BendyStrawGate!

And not just any water…. UNOPENED water! Why not use a water hose, Sarah, like the good little “hick” that you are? / extreme sarc

New User - Can someone find me the famous “Kill all the rich people” speech Palin gave? I must have missed that one.

RINO-Hunter – She has a schedule to maintain. When somebody pays six figures for her to speak, she has to show up on time. First class = you don’t get bumped and put on standby if the flight is overbooked. And the first class clause only applies on the Anchorage to Seattle leg. Once she’s in the lower 48 and there are more travel options, she flies coach. At least according to this “document” they dug up, which may or may not even be authentic.

As far as the water and straws go, she specifies that the water be unopened because some Obama-worshipping libturd would poison it if it weren’t, and who the hell cares what kind of straw she uses? I don’t think it’s “elitist” to aks for water and a straw while giving a speech.

Allie – I used to fly round trip from Alaska to the East Coast about once a year and everytime I flew first class. It is a very long flight and uncomfortable otherwise. When my husband went to Alaska as a consultant for various companies his contract also stated First Class Travel for the same reason. As a matter of fact, whenever he travels as a consultant anywhere his contract states that he gets paid for ten hours per day that he is away from home (flight time is also included as a day away) unless there is a flat fee that was previously negotiated. That is standard. If the flight is less than four hours, then a coach fare is fine.

I wish these people would get some sort of life and if they are going to be so scrupulous in reporting their news then they should report everyone’s flight arrangements and/or speaking requests. I honestly do not blame her for requesting unopened bottles of water since I can just imagine someone putting ipecac or something in the water to embarrass her during her speech.

Lipstick AKA Speedchick – Well, I couldn’t help it so I am reading the contract. I am half way through and I hate to burst all of our bubbles but Palin has the GALL to request if she is seated on stage at a table that the table be skirted. Also, if there is a book signing, the table must be skirted. I don’t know about you but I think that is TOO much.

Come on Guv, your in a dress in front of an audience and you are MODEST enough to DEMAND tha table be skirted???

Get over yourself! /sarc

(I might add – Good thinking on the Gov’s part. Her skirts usually go to her knees, which means she’s got to sit with her legs together constantly. All it would take is for her to forget for a second and someone to snap a picture. Yikes!)

Lipstick AKA Speedchick – Hmmmmm. On page four it says for international events the Speaker reserves the right to visit privately with the host government’s Head Of State, Head of Government, Ministerial Officials and US Embassy.

I really see nothing in it that is a big deal at all. Actually I bet it is a standard type document that WSB uses for all its clients. They just put in a few details, I bet even the water and straws are standard. I teach school and I need to have a drink available in case I need it while talking a lot that day, if you are giving a speech I would say this is mandatory.

Also, I imagine the flight needs are standard too, but I bet many speakers are not willing to fly commericial as she is or even coach on certain occassions.

Much of the contract seems to be a no brainer to me, but you HAVE to put everything in writing or someone would book you flying stand by and send their teenager to the airport in the drifter car to pick you up and book you at the Easy Night Motel and leave you to walk next door to Chicken Express for dinner.

Besides, we are getting a fence soon. We may put it up ourselves but we are getting bids to have it turn key. If we have it done we will sign a contract, it is a private contract between someone providing us a service that we willingly want. Just like the guv.

Paddy Hugh of Oz – This is standard terms by any agency. I suspect “students rifling through dumpsters” is actually lefty-speak for “anklebiters downloaded a standard WSB terms pdf on the interweb”.

A funny thing among many, many other funny things throughout this, is that lefties actually boast about spending time in very large garbage bins.

yogi41 – Well, she certainly has to have some fun with this “scandal”. I hope tomorrow, while she’s speaking, she makes a point to take a long sip of water through a bendy straw.

RINO-Hunter – At her next speaking engagement, just to stir the pot, she should drink Cristal from the bottle through one of those twisty crazy-straws.

(A “Rogue” elephant bendy straw here.)