[Guest post by DRJ]
The Anchorage Daily News reports the Palin’s personal attorney has issued a statement “denouncing rumors that Palin resigned because she is under criminal investigation and threatening legal action for publishing ‘defamatory’ material about the governor.”
The statement addresses and denies claims that Palin “steered contracts for the 2003 construction of the Wasilla Sports Complex before leaving office as Wasilla mayor.” In addition, Politico has published what purports to be a copy of the statement, and it includes this final paragraph directed at liberal bloggers and media [emphasis supplied]:
“To the extent several websites, most notably liberal Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore, are now claiming as “fact” that Governor Palin resigned because she is “under federal investigation” for embezzlement or other criminal wrongdoing, we will be exploring legal options this week to address such defamation. This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who re-publish the defamation, such as Huffington Post, MSNBC, the New York Times and The Washington Post, that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law. The Alaska Constitution protects the right of free speech, while simultaneously holding those “responsible for the abuse of that right.” Alaska Constitution Art. I, Sec. 5. http://ltgov.state.ak.us/constitution.php?section=1. These falsehoods abuse the right to free speech; continuing to publish these falsehoods of criminal activity is reckless, done without any regard for the truth, and is actionable.”
As they say on South Park, it’s on.
UPDATE: Conservatives4Palin and GatewayPundit discuss this story, too.
— DRJ
[Guest post by DRJ]
Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair has been found dead in a Tennessee condominium, the victim of several gunshot wounds. A female victim, Sahel Kazemi, 20, was also found dead with a gunshot wound to the head.
Nicknamed Air McNair, he began his NFL career with the Houston Oilers and then played for the Titans when owner Bud Adams moved the team to Tennessee. McNair ended his career with 2 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and retired in 2008.
My condolences to McNair’s wife, 4 sons, and extended family.
— DRJ
[Guest post by DRJ]
The New York Times delves into the story of 40-year-old Lieutenant Ben Vargas, the lone Hispanic firefighter plaintiff in Ricci vs DeStefano, and why he did what he did:
“Gesturing toward his three young sons, Lieutenant Vargas explained why he had no regrets. “I want them to have a fair shake, to get a job on their merits and not because they’re Hispanic or they fill a quota,” he said. “What a lousy way to live.”
Vargas is of Puerto Rican heritage like Sonia Sotomayor. His parents are from Puerto Rico and his sister lives there now. Here’s how Vargas explains the difference between Sotomayor’s perspective and his:
“She’s from Puerto Rico, and I’m from Puerto Rico,” he said. “She obviously feels differently than I do.”
***
“I consider myself an American — I was born and raised here,” he said in an interview on the porch of his home in the wooded suburb of Wallingford. “I love my people. I love my culture. I love our rice and beans, our salsa music, our language — everything my parents raised us with. But I am so grateful for the opportunity only the United States can give.”
Vargas’ mentor Deputy Chief John Marquez puts it this way:
“It seems that if you’re not the right type of minority, you get hammered.”
— DRJ
[Guest post by DRJ]
Remember the soldier in Afghanistan who made the cover of the New York Times as he fought the Taliban in his pink “I Love NY” boxers? The soldier is home now and his boxers “will be displayed in the 1st Infantry Division museum at Fort Riley, Kansas.”
— DRJ
[Guest post by DRJ]
The Miami Herald reports Honduras will withdraw from the Organization of American States, claiming the OAS is taking action that threatens Honduras’ sovereignty:
“[A]cting President Roberto Micheletti and vice chancellor Martha Lorena de Casco announced Honduras planned to withdraw from the region’s key diplomatic organization. The move preempts an OAS General Assembly meeting scheduled for Saturday, where Honduras was widely expected to be suspended from the group for overthrowing a democratically elected leader.
The OAS “tried to impose unilateral solutions. The government of Honduras repudiates such attempts to impose unilateral solutions and reaffirms its sovereignty,” de Casco said in a nationwide address. “The OAS is a political organizatioon, not a court of law. … There is no institutional crisis here.”
The BBC reports the Honduran government will arrest Zelaya if he returns and notes that the government has the full support of the Honduran Congress, courts, and “a substantial proportion of the population.” However, the government may agree to move the next elections forward from the scheduled date of November 29, 2009.
— DRJ
[Guest post by DRJ]
Click here to make your own Statue of Liberty fireworks.
— DRJ
[Guest post by Jack Dunphy]
Courtesy of KFI radio’s Eric Leonard comes a report on this bit of cloying hyperbole from the mouth of LAPD Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger, who, while discussing plans for Michael Jackson’s pending memorial, addressed reporters at the Staples Center on Friday: “On behalf of the Chief of Police William Bratton, and the entire Los Angeles Police Department, I would like to express my sincere and deep condolences for the Jackson family for the loss of such a great man.” (Audio clip available at the link.)
Leonard goes on to point out that Paysinger’s characterization of Jackson “may not be shared by the LAPD detectives who were assigned to the Sexually Exploited Child Unit in the 1990s, when they built a multi-victim felony child rape case against Jackson, only to be thwarted by Jackson’s checkbook and since-convicted private eye, Anthony Pellicano.”
Enough said.
— Jack Dunphy