Sarah Palin may have been unclear as to why she decided to quit early as governor, but her lawyer, Thomas Van Flein, is insisting that it is not because of an investigation of wrongdoing involving her house on Lake Lucille or the Wasilla Sports complex. The link was published in pieces by Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore, Huffpo, Washington Post, the NY Times and MSNBC.
While Palin’s rationale for leaving the job early is questionable, if not laughable, she has reason to be miffed about the suggestion that she is leaving with investigators on her heels. Special Agent Eric Gonzalez stated that “[t]here is absolutely no truth to those rumors, that we’re investigating her or getting ready to indict her. It’s just not true.”
Does this make it defamation? Probably not. Palin is both a public figure and public official. As such, she fails under the New York Times v. Sullivan standard and must show actual malice — defined as knowing falsity or a reckless disregard that the story was untrue. It is a standard that was designed to be difficult to satisfy. The purpose of a letter from counsel is to put the news organizations on notice that the story is false and defamatory. Any later stories are then easier to prove as defamation with such notice.
The Los Angeles Times quickly published an article debunking the link, here, despite the fact that the theory continues to multiply over the Internet.
Коллеги , посоветуйте , кто знает или сталкивался.
Хочу купить украшение с бриллиантом массой от карата, но осознаю, что это стоит безумных денег и мне не по карману.
Но слышала , что существуют облагороженные бриллианты, которые ничем не отличаются от обычных, но стоят дешевле в
два раза.
Кто-нибудь вообще держал такие в руках, они правда прекрасны ?
“Mike S., I appreciate your comments, but I do not believe that Doug Feith, Paul Wolfowitz or Elliott Abrams regard George Bush and Dick Cheney as their “betters.” Indeed, my opinion is that their primary foreign policy concern is Israel’s security, and they have consistently derided diplomatic efforts in favor of military solutions in the Middle East. I also believe that they view themselves as smarter than Bush and Cheney (which is certainly true at least with regard to Bush) and determined that the latter’s desire to invade Iraq played very nicely into their views.”
Mike,
You and I will just have to keep disagreeing on this. My contempt for people like Feith, Wolfowitz, Perle and Abrams has everything to do with the fact that they see themselves as the “intellectuals” of the NeoCon Movement, but play the toadies to those they perceive as the Aristocrats of the movement. This is just like Kissinger and Nixon. Kissinger of course considered himself much smarter than Dick Nixon, yet kissed Nixon’s behind shamelessly to receive any crumbs of power dropped from the “big guys” table. Before Nixon, he was owned by his former student Nelson Rockefeller, who bought him (literally) for $600,000.
This has always been the way with many “intellectuals” who in past history were the willing servants of those they perceive as powerful, even though they believed themselves smarter than their masters. Secondly, while all of the four I mentioned above are nominally Jewish don’t be fooled by that fact. Jews, even smart ones, are no more immune to self deception and self justification, than any other people. While they might convince themselves that they are aiding Israel in the process of establishing American hegemony, the end result is the power and the money accruing to their masters and dribbled down to them. Nixon, for instance was personally, outspokenly anti-Jewish and yet Kissinger fawned over him. These men are the equivalent of “courtiers” in the courts of medieval kings. They are pseudo-intellectuals in the service of their own egos.
“They have adopted a siege mentality that convinces them that Israel can never be secure unless the entire Middle East is subordinated to our will, and that the U.S., as Israel’s strongest ally”
That to me is somewhat the cart before the horse. The object is the imposition of American hegemony in the ME and one of their justifications for it is supposed Israeli security. This subtlety means a great deal. The Bush Family has a three generation history of being anti-Jewish and at the same time being vassals of Saudi Arabia. The Reagan Administration with
GHW Bush, Schultz and Weinberger in charge were no friends of Israel. Nixon I’ve already mentioned. Go back then to Eisenhower, with the anti-Jewish Dulles brothers in charge of the State Department and the CIA. Kennedy was around for too short a time to know his feelings, LBJ had close Jewish advisors but was also in thrall to Brown and Root, Halliburton’s predecessor, Carter and Clinton seemed even handed. The myth of America’s closest ally though is just that. America’s closest ME ally is and has been the Saudi’s and they are no friends of Israel.
“Ironically, these views find encouragement among Christian fundamentalists, who are no friends of Jews but who favor any actions which they believe will hasten the fulfillment of end times prophecies.”
Right on the money here and I find it hard to consider allies any group that believes i’m going to die in a world conflagration and my soul damned to an eternal hell.
“In sum, I do not believe that either AIPAC or the Christian right have this country’s best interests in mind in their attitudes toward the Middle East.”
As a Jew and a lifelong supporter of Israel I have always hated AIPAC. It is run and has always been run by very rich Jewish Republicans, who while seemingly wielding power actually were the tools of Republican Empire building. The
AIPAC leaders are also like courtiers trying to vie for recognition by those they perceive as royalty. Their policies
for Israel have always been uniformly catastrophic and their interests are mixed in with their own wealth and maintaining it. People always talk about the “smart Jews” and we have had our share of intellects. However, one can be quite intelligent and through lack of self awareness, self deception and the human ability to justify ones’ actions, do the stupidest things.
We agree that a two state solution is the only viable option and I think on many things regarding Israel our positions are
not antipathetic. The big difference is you see the US as being the main supporter of Israeli interests, while I see it as Israel’s keeper, trying to maintain a status quo that is beneficial to the Saudi’s and to the Oil Interests. In my view, perhaps if the US would butt out a little bit, the people living in the ME, including Israel, could finally attain peace. With the US backing, people like Netanyahu get into power and stupidly (he is a truly stupid man)do the bidding of the Saudi’s.
Mike Appleton:
I think basically you are correct but a 2 state solution could have been achieved years ago had the Palestinians played the martyrs. the nightly news would have been awash in Palestinian blood and they would have had a state many years ago.
the leadership of the Palestinians are as intractable in their desire for the destruction of Israel as the Neocons are in their desire for Israels continuation. 2 religious views fighting for supremacy. It has not turned out well for either.
However Israel is a democracy and has respect for the human rights of her citizens, this alone is a reason to support her continued existence. I don’t see this philosophy as detrimental to American interests. Although sometimes I wonder who is playing whom.
Mike S., I appreciate your comments, but I do not believe that Doug Feith, Paul Wolfowitz or Elliott Abrams regard George Bush and Dick Cheney as their “betters.” Indeed, my opinion is that their primary foreign policy concern is Israel’s security, and they have consistently derided diplomatic efforts in favor of military solutions in the Middle East. I also believe that they view themselves as smarter than Bush and Cheney (which is certainly true at least with regard to Bush) and determined that the latter’s desire to invade Iraq played very nicely into their views. Abrams has been outspoken in his criticism of Pres. Obama and would like nothing more than U.S. military intervention in Iran.
These folks represent the intellectual elite of the neocons and I perceive them as dangerous. They will fight tooth and toenail to prevent any Palestinian resolution which involves the creation of a separate state, even though I think it is pretty clear that no other resolution is viable, meaning in accord with the realities. They have adopted a siege mentality that convinces them that Israel can never be secure unless the entire Middle East is subordinated to our will, and that the U.S., as Israel’s strongest ally, must come to recognize that aggressive action is the only solution, meaning war.
Ironically, these views find encouragement among Christian fundamentalists, who are no friends of Jews but who favor any actions which they believe will hasten the fulfillment of end times prophecies. It was for this reason that Bush had no difficulty in building support among evangelical conservatives for his war policies.
In sum, I do not believe that either AIPAC or the Christian right have this country’s best interests in mind in their attitudes toward the Middle East. I think that Bush and Cheney were useful tools in promoting their ideology. And I think that the almost visceral hatred expressed toward the Obama administration by these forces is expressive of a fear that Israel will be abandoned.
Jim,
Now you know why I gave you the hammer for your tactic. Now that you know who and what they are, maybe you’ll think a bit harder and ask more questions before towing not just their line, but any party line. Political parties are for one thing only: providing branding for those too stupid or too tired to filter through all the bullshit coming out of Washington for themselves. The ONLY reason I have a party affiliation is KS has closed primaries (also a load of gerrymandering crap). If you’re paying attention, there’s plenty of outrage due both parties, it’s just unfortunate that the criminals in the GOP took it to another level. Cheney and his crew seriously need to hung from the neck until dead. You got a little of that Neocon propaganda on you as evidenced by your initial word choices and tactics (a common affliction for traditional conservative Republicans as most of the Neocon poison has been pointed directly at you), but now that you are aware of it, it should be easier to avoid. See, you thought we progressive are the enemy, when the Neocons have been standing behind you laughing their asses off as they picked your pockets and coopted national security for their private profits in addition to committing the outrage of protecting those who DID attack us on 9/11, their business partners the Saudis. You aren’t the first conservative Republican coming in here looking to “kick some liberal butt” only to get a rude awakening to who really wanted to harm them. It was indeed “your own” people who sold you out Jim. The question you have to ask yourself is what are you going to do about it? Reclaim your party? Start a new one? Start pushing for criminal prosecution? Or let evil happen by doing nothing?
I made my decision when I swore to uphold the Constitution.
Screw the Neocons and anyone who backs them. Any one of the those treasonous bastards would be most unfortunate to encounter me in a dark alley or anyplace else for that matter. I am a son of Jefferson and they tread upon me and my rights at their risk.
How powerful is this small group we call Neocons?
In the April 30, 2009 issue of Nature, a virologist was quoted as saying,“Where the hell it got all these genes from we don’t know.” Extensive analysis of the virus found that it contained the original 1918 H1N1 flu virus, the avian flu virus (bird flu), and two new H3N2 virus genes from Eurasia. Debate continues over the possibility that swine flu is a genetically engineered virus.
http://www.newsmax.com/health/vaccine_swine_flu/2009/07/07/232717.html
How do you prevent a revolution? -Give them something more important to worry about. It must be something that affects the strong more than the weak.
I wouldn’t get stuck on the neocons when we have neoliberals in charge now.
Not a difference between the two, really. The end game is all the same. Domination of the world’s energy resources and the inhabitants.
Fascism doesn’t care what political end of the spectrum you claim. That is just sheople food.
They use these little wedges to divide us… keep us fighting over bullshit that matters little in the scheme of their atrocious and murderous criminal activities.
Remember, Barack Obama is protecting the previous bastards. He, now, is complicit and guilty, as if he called the shots.
In many ways, he and his crew are worse than the last. At least with them they were in your face about what was going on. The new regime just smiles, tells us one thing and immediately does the opposite.
They all suck.