Part One: Today's edition of the Anchorage Daily News contains a long investigative article by ADN reporter Sean Cockerham. He reports that there is a growing controversy on whether not not some unnamed outside agency determined the timing of the arrest of Sherry Johnston, mother of the alleged father of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol's newborn son, Tripp.
Hopkins claims that State of Alaska and City of Palmer investigators "are alleging political meddling in the Sherry Johnston drug case, including a delay in serving the search warrant because of the November election."
However, it isn't clear from the article, the excerpts from the emails, or in statements by Palin administration officials what the claim "political meddling" means, or how Cockerham can actually make that claim. I'm not saying that Cockerham's assumption is wrong, only that the article's premise is somewhat unclear. From the articles statements by Public Safety Employees Association Director John Cyr, Alaska State Trooper investigator Kyle Young and Palmer Police Department lead investigator, Donna Anthony.
The protestations against "meddling" accusations by Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Joe Masters (Palin's third in six months) and Alaska State Troopers director Col. Audie Holloway are no more helpful. Cyr, Young and Anthony are unclear about what was manipulated, other than possibly arrest timing, and Masters and Holloway are vague about what they appear to be defending themselves against.
Hopefully, more precise details of what has happened here will clarify the situation.
Part Two: In the comments appended to Cockerham's article in today's paper, I noticed something bizarre. My hunch is that Team Sarah or some other Mooselini fan club are teaming together to have critical comments at articles about Palin moderated. As an example, here are three comments that are "pending review":
For God's sake wake up Alaskans. How much more does this women have to dump on you. Join the rest of the nation and pray that she just go away, forever. She is so over her head.
Get rid of this Hillbilly Barracuda immediately! You wait til Jay Leno or David Letterman gets whole of the Levi controversy. It will show this Barbie is a National embarrassment.
Given Palin's less-than-sterling record of integrity, ongoing abuses of power and her demand for puppet commissioners, I believe what the troops on the ground are saying in this situation. Just another nail in the impeachment coffin.
To me, there is nothing in these three examples that would merit being put into moderation. Compare them to this one by an anointed Palinbot that draws no criticism:
u betcha.... And it's Sarah's fualt the lady which she never met or even knew was dealing to right? Everything is Sarah's fualt.... YOU PEOPLE MAKE ME SICK. And lets see troopers union, hahahahahahahah so honost, so faithful, so Wooten...... What the hel- does the troopers union have to do with arrests or investagations? Ohhhhhhh right maybe they can get a DIG in on Sarah... Why not everyone else is.... Jump on the wagon people.... YOU PEOPLE (the haters) MAKE ME SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Separate subject, sort of: I wrote a diary yesterday evening for firedoglake's Oxdown Gazette, about web coverage of Dan Fagan's article on Levi Johnston's apprenticeship, and the article's reltionship to the ongoing demise of the ADN.