Cry Me A River

Cry me a river, build a bridge, and get over it.

That was, of course, Mercede Johnston.

"Doesn't that family make enough money?"

Hm. Perhaps jealousy has been a motivating factor for the Johnstons this past year? Selling little bits and pieces of the Palins' lives so they could make some money off of that rising star once Bristol cut things off.

"Nothing against Bristol and Sarah."

I laugh. And I laugh. And I laugh. I guess that was Mercede's evil twin out there spilling her guts to Star Magazine and other publications (not to mention the talk shows) about how wild the Palins are. I believe she said that Bristol was "crazy." Sure, Sadie. This is all the big mean Palins out to get you. This had nothing to do with you. You're all heart.

I'm not sure when Levi had the time to fight desperately to see his boy. Was it while he was flying all over the country doing photo-ops and selling info on the Palins for thirty pieces of silver? Well, actually, a hundred thousand pieces of silver. Inflation has done wonders for the betrayal industry.

And I'm not clear on how wanting to set up a visitation schedule is trying to keep Tripp away from Levi. But maybe I'm just clueless that way.

You're quite the bleeding heart, kid. See this? This is the world's smallest violin playing "My Heart Bleeds for You." Nice piece for Zaki you did there. Send Dennis my regards.

If Levi really wanted to see his kid rather than drag this out as long as possible to give him an excuse to cry to the media, he would have gotten a job and filed for joint custody himself a long time ago. So spare me the dramatics.

On a more serious note, is $1,700 a month a bit much? I'm thinking, yeah. So maybe Levi should, I don't know, look for a real job with a solid income that they can base the amount of child support on instead of his Playgirl earnings?

Just a thought.

Bristol Responds

"Here is her conscientious reply, which is a much more restrained and gracious statement than I want to make..."

Translation: "Get down on your knees and thank Heaven that Bristol is going to speak for me on this, because Mama Grizzly would rip you a new one."
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Sarah Palin: Fox Hollywood - What A Disappointment

People are asking me to comment on yesterday’s Fox show that felt like another kick in the gut.

Bristol was one who asked what I thought of the show that mocked her baby brother, Trig (and/or others with special needs), in an episode yesterday. Instead of answering, I asked her what she thought. Here is her conscientious reply, which is a much more restrained and gracious statement than I want to make about an issue that begs the question, “when is enough, enough?”:

“When you’re the son or daughter of a public figure, you have to develop thick skin. My siblings and I all have that, but insults directed at our youngest brother hurt too much for us to remain silent. People with special needs face challenges that many of us will never confront, and yet they are some of the kindest and most loving people you’ll ever meet. Their lives are difficult enough as it is, so why would anyone want to make their lives more difficult by mocking them?

As a culture, shouldn’t we be more compassionate to innocent people – especially those who are less fortunate? Shouldn’t we be willing to say that some things just are not funny? Are there any limits to what some people will do or say in regards to my little brother or others in the special needs community?

If the writers of a particularly pathetic cartoon show thought they were being clever in mocking my brother and my family yesterday, they failed. All they proved is that they’re heartless jerks.

- Bristol Palin”

- Sarah Palin

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A couple of observations. First off, it doesn't matter if you're a public figure or not, an attack involving your child does indeed feel like a "kick in the gut." The show was obviously attacking Sarah Palin in all of this. I wasn't sure if Sarah would respond or not, but clearly she has.

She didn't say anything about Stephen Colbert, I believe, because of the Rush Limbaugh controversy. But this apparently went too far. Palin has said over and over again that she doesn't care if you attack her, but if you touch her kids, even if to merely use them as a tool against her, she will respond.

I keep remembering the look on her face in Media Malpractice the moment after John showed her the SNL clip about the "two unwilling teenagers." She looked like someone had punched her square in the stomach. It took her a few seconds to recoup, and when she first responded her voice was small, like she'd had the wind knocked out of her.

As for Bristol, I concur: "If the writers of a particularly pathetic cartoon show thought they were being clever in mocking my brother and my family yesterday, they failed. All they proved is that they’re heartless jerks."

After the 2008 election, a company started making dolls named after the Obama's two daughters. Michelle Obama demanded that they stop. There was nothing malicious about the dolls, at least to my mind. But they're her children, therefore she sets the rules. People backed off, and rightly so. Respect what the mom wants.

When it comes to Sarah Palin, those rules don't apply.

As for whether or not the cartoon really was mocking Trig, it appears that Sarah herself is unsure, quote: "Show that mocked her baby brother, Trig (and/or others with special needs)." But when it comes to these things, emotion is more prevalent than reason. It feels like a kick in the gut, whether it was meant to mock Trig or not.

Meghan McCain and Laura Ingraham

Meghan McCain is finally going to talk about Sarah Palin. She's got a new book coming out (Palin seems to be a huge draw for book sales these days) where she's going to spill it all. In a speech in Florida, she had this to say:
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“I liked Sarah,” McCain said, “To me she represents a lot of feminist ideals. Our politics differ.”

She added, “I can’t stand here and say I hate her…I think anybody that underestimates her at any point is very foolish.”

McCain said she couldn’t comment any further because she plans to go into great detail about her experiences and conversations with Palin in her new book, "Dirty Sexy Politics: A True Story," due to be released in August. The book is about life on her father’s campaign.

When questioned about the accuracy of the campaign stories in Mark Halperin and John Heilemann’s bestseller, Game Change, McCain quipped “My book will be much more accurate,” after admitting she had only read the excerpts of Game Change.

McCain was also asked if she thought Palin could win the presidential election if she ran for office in 2012.

“Oh sure,” McCain answered, “I honestly haven’t seen another candidate so far that I believe has the panache.”
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In case you didn't know, "panache" is - "A word of French origin that carries the connotation of a flamboyant manner and reckless courage."

In other news, Scott Brown claims that he's never talked to Palin and they never reached out to each other. So, is Scott Brown lying, or were all those reports that Palin called him on election night lying?

And I finally re-uploaded that Laura Ingraham piece on Bristol vs. Oprah. I just did two vids this time:

Laura Ingraham on Bristol Palin vs. Oprah: UPDATED

Bristol and Tebow. Now why couldn't she have found a guy like that?

UPDATE:

I deleted the Laura Ingraham vids because the echo was bugging me to death. I'm gonna try to have them up again by tonight because I like them, but I like them clear so I can actually listen to them. Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled programming....

Palin's latest Facebook post:
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Women's Rights Groups: Your Double Standard is Showing -

Women’s Rights groups, like NOW, commendably call out advertisers and networks for airing sexist and demeaning portrayals of women that lead to young women’s diminished self-esteem and acceptance of roles as mere sexed-up objects.

What a ridiculous situation they’re getting themselves into now with their protest of CBS airing a pro-life ad during the upcoming Super Bowl game. The ad will feature Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow and his mom, and they’ll speak to the sanctity of life and the beautiful potential within every innocent child as Mrs. Tebow acknowledges her choice to give Tim life, despite less than ideal circumstances.


Messages like this empower women! This speaks to the strength and commitment and nurturing spirit within women. The message says everything positive and nothing negative about the power of women – and life. Evidently, some women’s rights groups like NOW do not like that message.

NOW is looking at the pro-life issue backwards. Women should be reminded that they are strong enough and smart enough to make decisions that allow for career and educational opportunities while still giving their babies a chance at life. In my own home, my daughter Bristol has also been challenged by pro-abortion “women’s rights” groups who don’t agree with her decision to have her baby, nor do they like the abstinence message which she articulated as her personal commitment.


NOW could gain ground and credibility with everyday Americans, thus allowing their pro-women message to be heard by more than just their ardent supporters, if they made wiser decisions regarding which battles to pick. They should call attention to and embrace the Tebow’s message, instead of covertly and overtly disrespecting what Mrs. Tebow, Bristol, and millions of other women have chosen to do (in less than ideal circumstances).

My message to these groups who are inexplicably offended by a pro-woman, pro-child, pro-life message airing during the Super Bowl: please concentrate on empowering women, help with efforts to prevent unexpected pregnancies, stay consistent with your message that for too long women have been made to feel like sex objects in our “modern” culture and that we can expect better in 2010. But don’t let your double standard glare so vividly as to undo some of the good to which you could contribute.

And CBS: just do the right thing. Don’t cave. Have the backbone to run the ad.

To the Tebows: thank you. America is listening. We appreciate you.

- Sarah Palin

Butler's an Idiot

I'm sorry, but this just cracked me up. Levi's lawyer responds to Bristol's request for child support:

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."

Ha, ha, ha! Oh, that's priceless! Among the usual "caribou barbie" garbage there are some pretty good comments on the article:
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1. He's a pig. Talk about an ego "Why should I stick them in the mail?" perhaps because you want to support your kid by any means?

So what if she's driving around in something like that? I know several well to do families that have bought their child cars. (Sadly I wasn't one of them)


2. First, you send the money and show good faith, with no drama. After time, she begins to trust that you care about your son, and THEN she might even arrange to meet to pick up the checks and bring their son. Who ever said, I've got support money.....come and get it? That's not how it's done. Clearly this guy doesn't get it....any of it. If he's that immature, then he should stay on the path he's on, make as much money as possible, and move on.


3. Man up you D bag and pay support. This stupid crap about paying her if she comes over is lame. If he wanted his kid so bad he could have taken that 100k and fought her. What a fing loser. In California they would have raped him with support the min he didn't mail the check. The DA offices here can collect a fee for helping collect so the parent just needs to call them and they will be on the dead beat like the A team.

I am a single father and my ex does this crap too. She hasn't paid me anything because she only wants to pay 50 a month so because I think a college grad can make more and pay me more than 50 bucks I am going to go to file the same papers. The stupid ex won't even help pay for my girls meds when she is sick.


4. His lawyer is some stupid sled chasing loser too. Who cares what Bristol is driving it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if her mom leased it for her or Bristol got it on her own. To say thats the other reason he won't send any money for his kid is a joke and he should be dis barred.


5. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? come to my house and pick up a child support check???? Mail the check and go see your son on your own time. The two have absolutey nothing to do with each other. It's time to take on your responsibility and stop using your 5 minute fame as a teenage father to become a celebrity. Take care of your child


6. What a bunch of BS. I have been a legal assistant for over 26 years and not once in all those years have I ever heard such crap! Refusing to pay child support unless the receiving parent comes to your home to pick it up?!?! Seriously? I would love to hear that excuse fly in a courtroom where I live. If he wants to be a father, let him be a father but part of being a good parent is supporting your child, not playing ridiculous games with the other parent. Oh, and who cares what kind of car she drives?


7. How ridiculous. This male (not a man) cannot mail his support to his son? The mother has to pick up his son's support check in person? Come on! This guy is total dirt for publicly trashing his son's family, and now he is demanding his ex show up in person if she wants his financial support for his own son.

What Bristol drives is irrelevant. Her mother probably does pretty well financially with her book and her new job at FOX. At least someone is kicking in to support Bristol and the baby. I don't see how the type of vehicle Bristol drives should impact if this loser supports his son.


8. So he wants her to go to his house to pick up checks and take the kid with her so he can see it. Hey Butler it cuts both ways this little wanker can get in his car and drive over to her house to drop off a check and see his kid I haven't heard that she a threat to him either.
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On the accusation that Bristol's been driving around in an Escalade...um, so what? It might belong to her parents. And even if it doesn't, it's hardly relevant. Rich or poor, fathers have to pay child support. My dad had to pay through the nose for the kids from his first marriage. We were pretty poor until my half siblings hit eighteen. Sorry, Levi. This is just the way it goes.

Another Day, Another Headache

'There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit.'

That's a phrase that's been playing over and over in my mind these days. I watch Romney and McCain flank Scott Brown, a man who ran on Palin rhetoric. I watch McCain use Palin to get reelected (no surprise, we all knew she would support him) and oh, what a shock, he's bringing in Brown too. What a pathetic, pathetic man. He knows we couldn't care less about him so he uses the young talent to get his sorry butt reelected. No matter. He's powerless now anyway.

Sarah's smart. She knows what she's doing. But that doesn't mean I like John McCain any more. Politico has a fairly fair piece on it here.

Sarah will be on Oprah this afternoon with Bristol. Should be interesting. I believe they might swing by Entertainment Tonight as well. Of course the press is criticizing it and every other move Palin makes or doesn't make, but what else is new? Palin is going to become much more mainstream as the year goes on. Tammy Bruce doesn't want Palin too get too familiar, but I think she will. As she does, she will broaden her appeal. She can either be a firecracker and have a few million people crazy about her, or she can calm her image down a little bit and have tens of millions okay with her. Then she's free to fight for the Presidency (if that's what she chooses to fight for) from there.

The March for Life is happening today too. Sarah said on Twitter that it's one of the things she will talk about on Oprah today. Sarah also reminds everyone to tune in to Glenn Beck today. It's his genocides special. Should be really good. Heh. Ironically, for me, it's on at the same time as the Oprah interview. Sorry, Glenn, I'm going to have to catch you at your rerun:)

What's going on in the Bristol/Levi custody battle? Pretty much what goes on in every custody battle, only with the media. Levi will be on the Insider sometime this week. Yay. Can't wait for that. I've actually calmed down a lot about this whole thing. It used to be that any mention of Levi's name churned my stomach. Okay, there's still a little rumbly in my tumbly about it, but for the most part, I've decided that a calm, rational approach is the best.

This week, a friend of Levi's sold some pics and a quick story to RadarOnline. He basically said that both Bristol and Levi were guilty of freaking out about nothing, they don't get along, and Sarah stays out of it for the most part. He also said that Sarah's a good person. Story here. Mercede Johnston put this up on her Facebook.

Oh, so you don't like it when people sell you out to the media, huh? Well, now you know how it feels. I seem to recall a certain teenage girl talking to Star Magazine quite a bit. Wonder who that was? Hmmmmmmm.

Bristol and Levi are 19 year-old parents. This drama happens. They've just got the world watching.

Bristol has asked for interim child support until a child support order is given. Documents here.

On to happier things.

I like this vid of a military guy commenting on Palin in September of 2008. Audio a little low. You'll have to turn it up:



And you've probably heard by now about the "scandal" that was Mayor Bloomberg holding back photos of a trip Governor Palin made to NY in 2007. I think the story came out last November. Here's Bloomberg's comments on it:



Here are the pics from the visit. Found here:

Big Hollywood on Levi

Levi as a young boy

Article in Big Hollywood - Levi Johnston: A Hollywood Cautionary Tale :
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Fame is that place where character is rarely able to sustain itself. I don’t know how much character Levi Johnston had as a boy, but as a young man in the grips of the Hollywood culture machine he’s lost it all.

Levi’s story is one that plays out hundreds of times each year in Hollywood. The young either come to La La Land seeking fame, or have the opportunity for it laid in their lap due to circumstances they often times never sought. The wreckage of most rarely see the light of day, much less the pages of Playgirl magazine, they only end up chasing a dream that never comes, in rehab, jail or worse.

When one unknowingly trades character for fame the recipient has only one recourse, attack the catalyst that brought them the opportunity in the first place, in Levi Johnston case it’s Sarah Palin and the mother of his child.

When young men lack positive role models at home, often times they go astray in that long stretch towards manhood, only to end up a tool for whatever hungry machine is in their path, gangs, a White House intern, or the exploitative elements of Hollywood. When a young man’s character fails him, good parents are needed to right the course. Levi Johnston didn’t have that growing up in Alaska....

Getting your high school girlfriend pregnant is hardly worthy of fame, that is unless her mother is the Governor of your state, a vice-presidential candidate and conservative woman. Only then do the leftist vampires of Hollywood come out of their dark corners and offer you the glowing flame of fame. But what they didn’t tell Levi is that he’s just another one of their moths and the moment he’s served their purpose they’ll push him into the flame and exterminate him.

Levi’s now what Hollywood calls an actor and model, surrounded by the illusionist of Tinsel Town, an agent, a lawyer, a publicist. They prop him up on Tyra and Larry King for painful interviews of which reveals only a young man being nudged towards the embers. They set him up on public dates at children’s events with despicable bottom feeders like Kathy Griffin, get him to hock pistachios on TV and take his clothes off in magazines, all while taking 10, 15 and 5% of his gross respectively. When he’s done with the rounds in Hollywood they set him ablaze by dragging his child into the circus with a court battle because they tell him having custody would be good for his image. And when the media showers the public with the car crash that is Levi Johnston they are filled with glee because somehow they believe they are helping their liberal cause by destroying a young man, smearing a young mother and mocking a conservative woman who rose to power by her own boot straps.

There are worse things in life than ending up an electrician in Alaska and a present, active father in child’s life. I hope that’s where Levi ends up; it’s a far nobler and more lasting life. Cause if he stays on the path of the hungry machine that is Hollywood, just another moth reaching for the fame flame, you’ll see him years from now on “Celebrity Boxing,” “Tool Academy” or “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here” and he won’t be the handsome young man with so much potential that he is today.

When Levi is older I hope he’s able look back at this time in his life and feel a sense of shame, only then will he know that he’s begun to rebuild his character.
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This guy made a few factual errors in his article, like failing to mention that Levi was run out of his job because of political opponents of Palin, and he apparently doesn't know that Levi's father has left home.

People who write articles like this are people who truly care about the Johnstons, Levi in particular. People who try to make everything big, bad Sarah Palin's fault are only aiding Levi in his self-destruction. Trying to excuse Levi's actions and rushing to the defense of his poor decisions of late does nothing to help him. The Palin-haters are just happy to have someone to do their dirty work. They accuse Sarah of using him - well what on earth do they think they're doing?

Now, legally, I don't think Bristol has much of a case. Hope springs eternal, but the fact remains that Alaska favors joint custody and Levi, while being a scumbag, has stayed within the law. It sucks to have him get away with being a douchebag, but such is life.

At the end of the day, it might be a good thing. I believe he truly does love Tripp (who wouldn't love their son?) and if joint custody is granted I can only hope that some better judgment on Levi's part will start to kick in and he'll start making decisions that are in Tripp's best interest rather than his own. I guess we'll see.

I'm Going to Try to Do This Dispassionately....

There are a few topics running around right now that do nothing less than boil my Viking-blood. But I will try, try to remain calm.

Oh, who am I fooling?

The first has to do with this matter of "banned" bloggers from the Wasilla book-signing event. Have I mentioned lately that I hate the media?

This article in Gawker (I know, I know, it's Gawker) is soul-stirring to say the least. By the article, you would think that Gryphen and Zaki were merely critical of Governor Palin. That they merely disagreed with her on a few issues. What an injustice and an overreaction that they were banned!

There is no mention that Dennis Zaki has been trashing Palin relentlessly in the most ridiculous and flat-out false way for the past year, including his assertion that Governor Palin plagiarized Newt Gingrich after she cited Newt twice in a speech.

The worst part though is that Zaki put links on the front page of his website to gutter-trash places like Gryphen's Immoral Minority. Gryphen has spewed the most outlandish assertions, including (but certainly not limited to) the idea that Trig is not Sarah Palin's son, that Track only joined the army to stay out of jail, that Levi is the salt of the earth and everything that has happened to him is solely Sarah Palin's fault, and Gryphen was the guy who "broke" the story that Todd and Sarah were "Splitsville," a story he pledged was not a rumor, but fact.

That Splitsville story made the headlines on Zaki's website. From there it could spread into the mass media, and it would have if the Palins hadn't adamantly denied the story right away.

But you will hear none of that from the media. The fact that Gryphen is 100% certain that Trig did not come from Sarah Palin's loins (and who knows where Tripp came from) will never enter the conversation.

It would be like President Obama meeting Glenn Beck, if Glenn Beck also spent 75% of his time saying that Barack and Michelle were on the brink of divorce, that Michelle secretly hated her children, and that one (if not both!) of the girls were not actually Barack's.

I certainly wouldn't begrudge the President having a problem with shaking Glenn Beck's hand, even as Glenn Beck currently stands.

It's just disgusting. The more I live in this world, the more I loathe it. It's like that one guy in Psalms who said, "Why do the wicked prosper?"

I guess in this case the question is, "Why do the wicked always seem to get away with it and the good guys can't catch a break?"

Anyway....next topic.

I really am going to try and not be agitated on this one. The one and (hopefully) the only, Levi Johnston.

As you know, Bristol is suing Levi for full legal custody of Tripp, but she also wants Levi to have access to her son via a visitation schedule. She argues that Levi has been largely absent from Tripp's life, that he hadn't paid a dime in child support until this last October, and that Levi is in no position to share custody of Tripp at this time.

She also wants it in writing that Levi's mother can only watch Tripp with supervision. Levi essentially agreed that his mother wouldn't be with Tripp alone, but I doubt he'll go for anything in writing.

I'm going to be honest, Bristol's got an uphill battle ahead of her. It's not easy to convince a judge to grant sole legal custody, and Alaska law is tricky on this. If I were you, I would pray hard.

My personal belief (and this is as far away from my personal feelings as I can get) is that Levi needs to get his GED and get a real job with a real source of income before he should be granted joint custody. I would be in favor of giving Bristol custody for now with the stipulation that the case must be revisited in maybe three years. If at that time Levi can produce evidence that a high school equivalency has been aquired and that he has a job and a stable life, then go ahead and grant joint custody.

I could go into a rant about how I think Levi's a Douchebag, but that's not relevant. I honestly, honestly don't think he's ready yet. Give him another couple years, and then he might be.

My heart bleeds for what Bristol must have had to sit through this last year, having to remain a class act while her ex-boyfriend goes out and trashes the family, the very family that is looking after his son. She doesn't have the forum to say what she thinks about the situation like he does. It kills me to think of Levi essentially being rewarded for his scumbaggery, but sometimes that's the way life is. We'll just have to wait and see.

I really, really do pray with all of my soul that Levi wakes up one day and realizes what he has done and the pain he has caused.

Come on, Flein, Get It Together

After reading through the court documents of the Bristol/Levi case more thoroughly, I have come to this conclusion: Van Flein better step it up a notch.

While Butler's tactics are clearly of the scumbag variety and his ends are clearly wrong, he's also staying clearly legal. Van Flein's been fighting based on right and wrong (with a few legalities thrown into the mix); Butler has no "right" to fight from so he's fighting from pure law. Van Flein better fight the enemy where the enemy lives.

Some of the things in his arguments to keep the case closed to the media were just plain sloppy. First off, it appears that one of the documents that was supposed to be turned in to the court was turned in late.

At another point, Van Flein used a tweet from a fake twitter account (at least I'm pretty sure it's fake, unless Tom knows something I don't know) that was supposedly Levi's as part of his evidence.

Sloppy, Flein. Get it together, NOW.

I know you're a good lawyer, but Rex has been gearing up for this for a year, and he's going to use every dirty tactic in the book while always keeping his big toe just within the line of the law.

You're going to need to do the same. Unfortunately, scumbaggery doesn't matter; the fact that Levi's a douchebag doesn't matter; only the law matters.

And sometimes the law sucks.

Levi/Bristol Custody Battle Vids

Just File, Already!

I held my nose and dove into the cesspool after posting my rundown. According to Gryphen (a very reliable source\sarc), Levi isn't actually planning on filing for custody of Tripp, he's just doing this to discourage the Palins from filing for full custody.

Nobody saw that coming.

Can't give up your meal ticket, can ya? Have to have something to complain to the press about.

If there really are issues, just go to court and straighten it out. But, the aftermath of that would be irrelevancy, so we can't go down that path, can we? No, we must continue to have a reason to slam the Palins - a justification for our shameless money-grubbing. If joint custody is received, what will Levi cry about to get his fifteen seconds then?

Here's Gryphen's comments:

Hold the phone guys! I just received a call from one of my sources and they say that Levi is NOT planning to file for joint custody at the end of this month! I don't know if Levi was misquoted, or if he spoke without checking with his attorney, but it is not in the works thus far.

I did hear however that if Bristol files any papers that Team Levi is ready to respond.

I apologize for getting everybody's hopes up. I was kind of excited as well.

Update2: By now many of you have seen the Insider interview with Levi and wonder if I have gone off of the deep end. I made a follow up call and this is the deal.

TeamLevi is convinced that there will be a motion for full custody filed by the Palin family. In order to let THEM know that Levi is not afraid of that, and that he is willing to go to court as well, he made that statement to the Insider. As you can see from Levi's demeanor he is serious.

The reason that Levi has been giving interviews to Vanity Fair and offering to pose for Playgirl is to make money to care for Tripp. He has been doing the best he can to demonstrate that he is a responsible parent, but the young man simply CANNOT get a regular job.

Being plucked out of the middle of his hunting trip and deposited into the middle of the McCain campaign has changed his life forever. He is unable to return to the life he lived before so, with the help of Tank Jones and Rex Butler, he is trying to make lemonade out of the pile of lemons left to him when Palin evicted him from her home.

Forgive me while I wipe the tear of laughter from my eye.

Posing for Playgirl to demonstrate that he's a responsible parent. Oh, that's rich.

He could get a normal job if he really wanted, but Tank and Rex put a bug in his ear. Levi himself said at the end of the Vanity Fair article that they told him that not everybody has a chance to be famous.

And nineteen-year-old imaginations ran wild.

And, correct me if I'm wrong, but if this is true (with no guarantee that it is, we'll just have to see if Levi does file), then I guess that means that things with the Palins really aren't to the breaking point, and Levi isn't being driven to this because they won't let him see Tripp. It means that this is a preemptive strike, and not at all based in what he's been saying for the last couple weeks.

Which would mean.....

Levi lied?

Gasp! No! Who woulda thunk it?

Wow. This kid is a walking poster child of self-incrimination. Again, no guarantee that Gryphen is in any way reliable. We'll just have to see what happens. One way, Levi's a liar with a meal ticket. The other way, Levi's a liar without a meal ticket. Either way, I don't really care.

The Nineteen-Year-Old Punk from Hades

I'm talking of course of the "Young Man" (as his manager calls him), He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, Levi Johnston. His Vanity Fair article is now online. Check it out, if you've got a strong stomach.

Okay, I'm going to shock you. I actually think that a lot of what he said is probably the truth.

As he saw it.

The question is, what kind of perspective does a (then) eighteen-year-old lend to the discussion? Oh, I don't know, maybe that of an eighteen-year-old? What was really telling for me was when he would say things like, "I never saw...." this and that happen. Like, " In all the time Bristol and I were together, I’ve never seen them sleep in the same bedroom." Well, I hope not! That would've been a little awkward....

He whines about having to cut his hair for the convention. Boo-hoo. I'm sorry your mullet had to be sacrificed for the candidacy of Vice-President of the United States. Sorry it interfered with your hunting plans. He says the convention was boring. Again, my heart bleeds for you. How horrible that you be bored. Perhaps we should stop the whole world and accommodate everything to your liking. You strike me as a spoiled brat. Sorry we couldn't design the Presidential race just so that you could be comfortable. It's life, buddy. Suck it up. And quit the victim theme. As if you're the only guy connected to a campaign who's ever suffered. Maybe you shouldn't have gotten the Governor's daughter pregnant.

I like that he took a swipe at Meghan McCain though. That was funny.

Listen, the Palins are just like any other family. They're not perfect. They never claimed to be. Did Bristol fight with her mom? I don't know. But what teenage daughter doesn't fight with her mom? I did. When you're seventeen, you're not exactly a genius philosopher.

Some things are gross misinterpretations targeted toward boning up the stupid rumors that started during the campaign. Other things I just simply don't believe period. My favorite part was his account of telling the parents that Bristol was pregnant: "Sarah said she was going to get Todd, who walked in looking like he was going to rip my head off. I was ready for an ass whooping." Good for Todd.

Honestly, the article is an embarrassment on many levels. It's embarrassing that the media is willing to lock step with the perspective of a teenage punk. It's embarrassing for Levi, who is basically sticking a knife in the back of his family. It's a story from a spoiled teenager's perspective. Even if you took everything in the article as Gospel truth, you would be left with one conclusion: "What? The Palins are a typical American family? Shock!"

How Dare They - UPDATED

[UPDATE: I wrote this piece months ago in a hurry. For some reason I was going through my featured posts and decided that I needed to clarify something. The clarification is in red below.]

I am sick to death of these Levi Johnston stories where the author starts out, "Levi gets back at the Palins after they dragged him into the media spotlight."

Excuse me, what?

I'm sorry. I didn't know that taking your daughter's fiance in and treating him like your own son was a crime to be repaid by betrayal for 15 minutes of fame and thirty pieces of silver.

I join the media in saying, "How dare the Palins!" How dare they:

1. Not take the guy who knocked up their daughter into the backyard and beat him up. (I'm not saying he should be beaten up, it's hyperbole. How much would you love the teenage punk who knocked up your daughter? Oh, you might come to accept him as part of your family in time because you have to, but in the beginning, there's definitely anger.)

2. Take the delinquent in and treat him like their own kid and help him out all they can.

3. Offer to love and support him even after he makes a complete idiot out of himself on Tyra Banks.

4. Show amazing grace and restraint to never bring up Levi's own family problems or rub it in his face that he's a high school drop-out who got their teenage daughter pregnant and now runs around Hollywood making an a** out of himself without paying any kind of child support.

Yes, how dare the Palins be decent human beings.

Picture of the Day: July 28, 2009

Bristol and Tripp attend goodbye picnic