Sunday, September 14, 2008

Private Vendettas

Of all the stories that have circulated in the press lately about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, perhaps the most frightening ones are related to her actual conduct in office. From contemplated book-banning to obsessive secrecy... is this really a woman we want a heartbeat away from the American presidency? Here's some of the latest from the New York Times:

"So when there was a vacancy at the top of the State Division of Agriculture, she appointed a high school classmate, Franci Havemeister, to the $95,000-a-year directorship. A former real estate agent, Ms. Havemeister cited her childhood love of cows as a qualification for running the roughly $2 million agency..."

Also: "The governor and her top officials sometimes use personal e-mail accounts for state business; dozens of e-mail messages obtained by The New York Times show that her staff members studied whether that could allow them to circumvent subpoenas seeking public records.

Rick Steiner, a University of Alaska professor, sought the e-mail messages of state scientists who had examined the effect of global warming on polar bears. (Ms. Palin said the scientists had found no ill effects, and she has sued the federal government to block the listing of the bears as endangered.) An administration official told Mr. Steiner that his request would cost $468,784 to process."

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