Sarah Palin and the Wasilla Hillbillies

One day in late August, the world was shocked out of its slumber by Sen. John McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate on the 2008 presidential ticket. And NOTHING on the right side of the aisle has been the same since!

Subsequent to the day of the selection, we find this woman has the thinnest of political resumes (for some a political plus, for others of the airhead variety, a liability), the intellectual capacity of a small rodent, the tenacity of a mad dog (perhaps a pitbull with lipstick), and the pedigree that panders to the lowest common denominator of American society (i.e. trailer trash). Within days of her "unveiling" in Dayton, Ohio we find that she lives in Wasilla, Alaska (widely known as the "Crystal Meth Capital" of the Pacific Northwest), she has harassed the Public Service Commissioner into quitting while trying to get her sister's ex-husband fired from his job as an Alaska state trooper, her husband is a card carrying member of the Alaskan Independence Party, she has at least four children, she is possibly the 44-year old grandmother of an infant born of dubious circumstances (read more: here and here), she has a son being quickly whisked off to combat in Iraq, and she has a daughter who had spent the previous six months hidden from the public (presumably to have the infant that Sarah is claiming as her own), and this same 17-year old daughter is currently knocked up (okay, five months pregnant) by some hockey punk from Wasilla. And how can we forget her horrendous television interviews with Charles Gibson (ABC News) and Katie Couric (NBC News); we learned that this woman knows diddly-squat about the world we live in or the state of the current political landscape.

Soon after the Republican National Convention we learn her lovely 17-year old pregnant daughter, Bristol, is betrothed to marry the dude who knocked her up, 18-year old Levi Johnston, in December. Levi sat with Bristol and the rest of the Palin family in St. Paul, Minnesota, during Gov. Palin's speech to the Republican National Convention, and he joined the family on the stage afterwards.

By the end of the campaign, it is discovered that Palin had bolstered her personal wardrobe by accepting $150,000 in clothes for herself and her family from the Republican National Party and her favorite phrase is "Barack Obama has been pallin' around with a domestic terrorist."

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Barack Obama is now the President-elect, John McCain gave a magnificent concession speech while Sarah Palin seethed in the background, she wanted to speak, too! Obama went to work on building his cabinet, McCain went on the late night television circuit to salve the hurt of another lost campaign, and Palin went back to the comforts of Wasilla, ostensibly to run her iceberg of a state.

Thursday afternoon, the squad cars' blue lights were flashing. Alaska State Troopers surround the rundown hovel on the outskirts of Wasilla, Alaska. The troopers served a warrant on the homeowner at the "conclusion of an undercover narcotics investigation." Minutes later they emerge from the residence with 42-year old Sherry L. Johnston in handcuffs. Troopers charged Johnston with second-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance -- generally manufacturing or delivering drugs -- as well as fourth-degree misconduct involving controlled substances, or possession; a total of six felony counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance. The controlled substance was Oxycontin, a powerful narcotics drug - used for high levels of pain - that is only available by prescription. This was the illegal drug of choice of Rush Limbaugh.

She was arrested around noon and released on a $5,000 unsecured bond just after 2:00 p.m.

Ms. Johnston is the mother of Levi Johnston, the Wasilla 18-year-old who is engaged to the governor's pregnant teenage daughter. Ms. Johnston is scheduled to become a grandmother over the weekend, according to the governor's father, Chuck Heath.

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From Wikipedia - OxyContin:

Oxycodone is a drug subject to abuse.

The introduction of higher strength preparations in 1995 resulted in increasing patterns of abuse. Unlike Percocet, whose potential for abuse is somewhat limited by the presence of paracetamol (acetaminophen), OxyContin and other extended release preparations contain mainly oxycodone. Abusers crush the tablets to break the time-release coating and then ingest the resulting powder orally, intra-nasally, rectally, or by injection. Research has shown that the brains of adolescent mice, which were exposed to OxyContin, can sustain lifelong and permanent changes in their reward system. It is notable that the vast majority of OxyContin related deaths are attributed to ingesting substantial quantities of oxycodone in combination with another depressant of the central nervous system such as alcohol, barbiturates and related drugs.

Illegal distribution of OxyContin occurs through pharmacy diversion, physicians, doctor shopping, faked prescriptions, and robbery.

In the United States, Oxycodone is a schedule II controlled substance, i.e. it must be given by written prescription which cannot have refills, nor can it be called in to a pharmacy by a physician. Trafficking (dealing) is punishable at first offense by not more than 20 years imprisonment. If there's a related death or serious injury, then not less than 20 years (up to life sentence) and a fine of US$1 million if an individual or US$5 million if not an individual. On second offense the penalty is of not more than 30 years imprisonment. If there's a death or serious injury, not less than a life sentence and a fine of US$2 million if an individual or US$10 million if not an individual.

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plez sez: WHEW! we really dodge a bullet - BIG TIME - on november 4th. i took some heat for vilifying sarh palin (and her ilk), but stories like these about her friends and associates continue to confirm my worst fears about that woman... she was not and more than likely, never will, be ready to lead this country. her background, her lack of curiosity, and the backwoods mentality of sarah palin simply scares me.

exchange the ozarks for the wasilla mountains, swap out moonshine stills for meth labs and oxycontin tablets, and you are looking at modern day hillbillies... in the flesh! "ellie mae, rench out the washin' in the cee-ment pond, out yonder!" *spit*

the palins glorified the independence of the alaskan spirit and the lack of a moral code - that's why their 17-year old daughter got knocked up in the spring while recovering from a serious bout of mono (if you wanna believe the palins' lies). and poor levi's momma, she was just minding her own business. if sarah hadn't run for vice president, no one would've even been snoopin' around the johnston house!

this whole sarah palin episode is better suited for "jerry springer" than "meet the press."

whatever they got going up there in alaska... i hope they keep it up there, where it belongs!

and i can assure you, the hard-on that plezWorld has had for all things palin has been satiated... i think i can say with relative certainty that i won't be visiting this subject matter any time in the near future... now i'll go up and grab a six-pack out of the fridge that sits on the front porch.

~ ~ Citations ~ ~

Read the Anchorage Daily News article about Sherry Johnston's arrest.

Read the Anchorage Daily News article about Johnston's OxyContin charges.

Read the Politico article about Sarah Palin's future in-laws's arrest.

Read the CNN.com article about Levi Johnston's mother's arrest.

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