WASILLA, Alaska — The young lady at the desk of the Dorothy Page Museum and Visitor Center has blue hair — not the blue-silver of advanced age, but a punk-rock razor-cut style dyed cerulean blue. She is friendly and helpful to out-of-towners who stop by the Main Street museum to ask about the town’s most famous resident. Has Sarah Palin become a tourist attraction in Wasilla? “I don’t know,” says the blue-haired woman. “I guess a lot of people have added it to their itinerary.” Rumor is that the Palins are out of town and hope of an interview seems doomed to disappointment. Then my cell phone rings. “This is Todd Palin,” says the man on the phone. We chat briefly about the recent GOP primary victory of Joe Miller . I explain that I’ve driven 50 miles from Anchorage to Wasilla just to get a sense of the town where Sarah began her political career as a city council member and mayor. Todd then tells me that although his wife is out town, he’s still in Wasilla and … Half an hour later, I drive down an unpaved road past a large Miller-for-Senate campaign sign and turn into a driveway marked with multiple “No Trespassing” signs, past which no wise person would go uninvited. Here, nestled among birch trees on the shore of scenic Lake Lucille, is the home of the woman whom liberals love most to hate — and Todd, the man who got the nickname “First Dude” during his wife’s term as Alaska’s governor. Todd opens the front door and his youngest son, two-year-old Trig, scampers across the living room to greet the guest with a “high five.” Rambunctiously energetic, Trig is the focus of his father’s attention — Todd bounces the toddler on his knee, reads him a book, and fixes him a bottle — for the next several minutes until 16-year-old Willow comes downstairs, scoops him up and carries him upstairs for sisterly babysitting. Getting an interview with Sarah Palin is difficult. Getting an interview with Todd is next to impossible, and I would never have gotten this far if mutual friends — including Anchorage conservative talk-radio legend Eddie Burke — hadn’t vouched for my bona fides. So most of the conversation over the next two hours is off-the-record, or at least on background. To breach that agreement would be to put myself into that category of reporters whom Sarah Palin recently described to Sean Hannity as ” impotent, limp and gutless.” That was most specifically a reference to a profile in Vanity Fair by Michael Gross that was, in the words of Politico ‘s Ben Smith , ” so bad that even her harshest critics are leaping reluctantly to her defense.” Smith noted that Melissa McEwan , a hard-left feminist blogger and certainly no Palin fan, called the Vanity Fair article “the worst thing I’ve read all day” and accused Gross of employing “misogynist smears.” How bad was it? It was even denounced by Shannyn Moore, one of Alaska’s most relentless anti-Palin bloggers (which is a tough competition, by the way). So often have the Palins been the targets of such media abuse — thinly sourced hit jobs based on anonymous gossip from the disgruntled and deranged — that one hesitates to approach them with notebook and pen in hand. And right next door to the Palin home is a classic case of the raging two-year-long pandemic of journalistic psychosis that Michelle Malkin was the first to diagnose as Palin Derangment Syndrome. On the other side of a tall fence that Todd built to protect what remains of his family’s privacy is a rental home currently occupied by Joe McGinniss, a journalist with a contract for a book about Palin. When McGinniss moved in and the Palins complained about this bizarre intrusion, McGinniss went on NBC’s Today show to portray himself as the victim of ” the same kind of tactic that the Nazi troopers used in Germany in the ’30s.” As ironic as that claim may be, perhaps the greater irony is that anytime Sarah publicly mentions the media’s evident vendetta against her, her critics accuse her of “whining.” Todd Palin is no whiner — a former oil-rig worker who has proven his toughness by winning the 2,000-mile “Iron Dog” snowmobile race four times — and he seems mainly interested in pointing out how little credit his wife has gotten for her accomplishments during her truncated tenure as Alaska’s governor. He talks at length about her success in securing an agreement to build a natural gas pipeline from the North Slope down through Canada to the “lower 48,” to name just one notable achievement. In fact, Todd can talk Alaska politics and energy issues with such a thorough mastery of details that he could easily be mistaken for a think-tank analyst, except that he’s obviously not the sort of neurasthenic geek one usually finds in those policy-wonk jobs. He’s a red-blooded hands-on kind of guy, and is proud to point out that he acted as general contractor in building the latest addition to the Palin property, a two-story structure that includes a state-of-the-art TV studio that Sarah uses for her appearances as a Fox News contributor. He emphasizes that his wife began her political ascent with “in-your-face local politics,” where the interaction between Sarah and her Wasilla constituents was direct and personal. The same kind of “in-your-face” quality characterized the recent Republican primary in which Palin’s endorsement of Miller (who supported her in her 2006 gubernatorial campaign) was seen as the key to the Tea Party-backed insurgent’s upset of Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Many have portrayed that race as the byproduct of a personal feud between Palin and Murkowski, but Todd disavows any such animosity, noting that the two women were often allies in the past. Professionally, I’m obliged to mention speculation about Sarah’s plans for 2012, but Todd says his wife is currently focused on the upcoming mid-term congressional elections, now less than nine weeks away. And after November? I wasn’t taking notes and my memory is notoriously dodgy, so it’s possible that Todd’s answer was, “We’ll see.” Or maybe he didn’t say that. A good reporter never burns his sources.
Original post:
Meeting Mr. Palin
Weasels, not only do we here at WZ “scour the bowels of the internet” so you don’t have to, we also plow through those boring criminal complaints and affidavits so you don’t have to do that, either! Today, we’re taking the pink highlighter to the criminal complaint against Zacchary Adam Chesser, the latest in a series of homegrown morons Muslim converts who have deluded themselves into thinking they can be the next “American Muj Megastar“. In his quest for jihadi fame, Mr. Chesser had even come up with his very own stage name, Abu Talhal Al-Amrikee”. Now, he’s ready for his close up … Regarding Zac/Abu’s Islamic background and interest in Jihad: Zac/Abu became interested in Islam in 2008. By his own admission that interest quickly turned into an “obsession” and soon he was “obsessively” watching online videos, taking part in discussions and buying over the counter videos. He admitted to becoming an “extremist” in his beliefs. His preferred mentor was another American Muj Megastar, Anwar al-Awlaki. He visited al-Awlaki’s website and participated in the forums there, going so far as to send his hero al-Awlaki fan mails and asking him for help in interpreting his dreams. (Dreams? You got to be kidding me!) Ever on the alert for American morons to throw in the face of the Great Satan, Al-Awlaki responded to two of his emails. (I bet that was a joyous day in young Zac/Abu’s life.) At that time Zac/Abu prayed to Allah to be in Al-Shabaab. When asked by the FBI in 2009 why he would correspond with al-Awlaki and post at his website when al-Awlaki was an enemy of the US, Zac/Abu replied that it was because he didn’t necessarily disagree with al-Awlaki’s point of view. He claimed that he had once wanted to travel overseas to fight but that his views had since moderated and he didn‘t support acts of terrorism or violence. But his statements during this interview remained contradictory. He acknowledged choosing the youtube screen name “LearnTeachFightDie” because it perfectly summed up his philosophy to “Learn Islam, Teach Islam, Fight for Islam and Die in the name of Islam” and informed the FBI that he still wanted the US military to fail, despite the many deaths that would occur as a result. He remained proud of the fact that he was still the ‘go to’ guy among his friends when it came to the subject of jihad. Regarding the investigation: Zac/Abu has been interviewed by the FBI several times. The first time was in May and June of 2009 and appeared to be in response to his jihadi themed website and video activity on youtube. (He must have been really feeling like a badass when the FBI came knocking at his door. Another glorious day in the life of the Mujahideen wannabe.) No doubt inspired by this attention, he made his first attempt to travel to Somalia via Kenya in November 2009. The trip was scuttled because of his wife’s “lost passport”. (Actually the passport was being held by Zac/Abu’s Mother in Law, who wouldn’t give it up despite Zac/Abu “trying everything” to get it back.) The next time Zac/Abu entered the FBI’s orbit was in early June, 2010. The feds were notified by Customs and Border Protection officials alerting them to the fact that Zac/Abu was slated to leave NYC for Uganda on 7/10/2010. Court-ordered electronic surveillance measures were then instituted and verified that Zac/Abu had purchased an e-ticket to Uganda, flying via Dubai and Addis Ababa. They put a tail on Zac/Abu’s tail and he was observed at JFK airport attempting to leave the US for Uganda with his toddler son in tow. He was denied check-in and advised of his presence on the No-Fly list. He was interviewed by the Secret Service at the airport and told that he would be unable to fly. Defiant, Zac/Abu said that he just might drive to Mexico or Canada and fly from there. (I wonder where Zac/Abu’s toddler son was when all this was going on.) This is where it gets interesting: After being turned away from the airport and speaking with the Secret Service, Zac/Abu contacted the FBI on July 14, claiming to have information that he wanted to provide. He claimed to have had ‘another change of heart after learning that al Shabaab was claiming responsibility for the bombings in Uganda. (Change of heart, my a$$. He probably needed a change of underwear after hearing this news and knowing the FBI was breathing down his neck.) It looks like at this point, Zac/Abu was just trying to do some damage control. The brave Muslim warrior folded like a cheap lawn chair, joining the likes David Headley and Tahawwar Hussein Rana in singing like a bird when the feds got a hold of them. Regarding the information he gave up: He did provide an interesting window into the operations of al-Shabaab. Although no names were mentioned in the affidavit, he clearly had contacts within the organization and bragged that he would have no problem getting into al-Shabaab, a “decentralized organization with smaller autonomous units carrying out missions independently.” He claimed the group is easier to join than other jihadist organizations like the Taliban and those in Iraq. (Here’s hoping there’s a series of arrests/drone attacks to follow.) Al-Shabaab advised him that they needed people to provide laptops and cameras. The laptops would be provided to fighters in the field and the cameras were needed for use in their propaganda operations. Zac/Abu informed the feds that the training programs were to commence after Ramadan and he wanted to be there in time to be prepared. The training programs are 6 weeks in length and consist of basic training and firearms instruction. More training is made available to those who show an aptitude for special skills like bomb making or being a sniper. Foreign fighters are especially welcomed and are some of the most respected members of the organization. While all are placed in the media organization located in Mogadishu, they are still expected to take part in the fighting. The official al Shabaab forum is named “al Qimmah” (The Summit) and Zac/Abu acknowledged posting propaganda and videos there. Regarding Zac/Abu’s future: Keeping in mind that all parties are presumed innocent until proven guilty in this great country, (thinking of you Mountain Lawyer and RuPaula!) it looks like they pretty much have this sucker dead to rights. Although, I am still interested in finding out how he got the means to finance this misadventure, (He and his wife are both unemployed.) his motive and opportunity have been clearly established. I predict he will plead out for a reduced sentence – like most of these brave jihad warriors tend to do. (snort!) Not only do the feds have his full and complete confession, they are also in possession of his extensive writings on the subject via his journal, website and numerous articles all speaking to his motive. His website, al Mujahid.com was “dedicated to those who give their blood for their religion”. It’s mission statement states (I know – a mission statement for crying out loud.) that the site is devoted to spreading knowledge about the jihad and mujahideen.” He goes on to insert a disclaimer saying [his website] “is not encouraging specific acts of violence but rather is only intended to encourage general and ambiguous acts of violence.” The criminal complaint highlights several of Abu/Zac’s screeds that all speak to his state of mind when it comes to the jihad:. “How to help the Mujahideen”, and “Counter Counter Terrorism” show that he was definitely contemplating making the leap from website to battlefield. In fact, his journal provides an outline of a “Things To Do Before leaving to become a Muj” list. Things that Zac/Abu went on and checked off his own list prior to attempting to leave for Uganda. Now before you start saying Zac/Abu never did anything but exercise his free speech rights on his website and in his youtube vids, keep in mind that everything was hunky-dory with Mr. Zac/Abu and the feds until he actually took steps to leave the country and join up with al-Shabaab. Also remember it appears that HE has CONFESSED to everything in exchange for favorable treatment. The good news: Zac/Abu still faces his final judgment in front of his Moon God, a judgment which is best summed up in his very own words: “This is a call to action to fulfill your obligation as a Muslim to defend your brothers and sisters. As your brothers and sister [sic] in Somalia are raped and killed by the Ethiopian Puppets, Addis Ababa [sic] and the Somalia [sic] slaves of the United States, will you be like Brother Mohamoud Hassan or Brother Abu Mansour and answer the call to Jihad? For Allah (SWT) knows best and will reward those who sacrificed on the Day of Judgment.” There’s no word how Allah rewards those who fold like a cheap lawn chair and rat out their fellow muj to the feds.
Read more:
Zac Chesser: “Learn Islam, Teach Islam, Fight for Islam and Die in the Name of Islam.”
