Sarah Palin and Friends

The Alaskan Independence Party

What is the Alaskan Independence Party?

1. The A.I.P. sympathized with Timothy McVeigh.

2. Founder Joe Vogel: “The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government", “and I won't be buried under their damn flag." (Joe Vogel is buried in Canada.)

3. “I’m an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions." Joe Vogel – Founder.

4. Dexter Clark, vice chairman of the A.I.P.: refers to the American soldiers in Alaska as "occupying troops."

5. Michael Hill, a representative of A.I.P., stated on Glen Beck’s program that the goal of the A.I.P. is to dissolve the United States and the Constitution.

This is Sarah Palin’s and the Republican Party’s version of patriotism and love of country.

"First Dude", Todd Palin, registered with the Alaskan Independence Party in 1995 and remained a member for seven years. "Besides a short period of a few months in 2000 when he changed his registration to undeclared, Todd Palin remained a registered member of AIP until July 2002 when he registered again as an undeclared voter."

The AIP was founded in 1984, but its website doesn't begin listing officers until 1992, when its founder, Joe Vogler, "Disappeared in 1992, body found in May 1994."

This is the same Joe Vogler who turned-up dead in a Fairbanks gravel pit, the victim of a "plastic-explosives sale gone bad", according to his murderer.

Sarah Palin addressed the Alaskan Independence Party Convention a little over 6 months ago, happily telling its attendees that she shared its "vision of upholding the Constitution of our great state", curiously not mentioning the Constitution of the United States. She encouraged AIP to "keep up the good work".

The AIP website enshrines on its website a long screed from Joe Vogel that concludes:

"We (the Alaskan Independence Party) ask that a courageous member of the United Nations sponsor us to appear before the General Assembly to present our case, that we may be restored to the list of Non-Self-Governing Territories so that we may eventually secure our right to self determination. We would also like to take the matter before the International Court of Justice if such is feasible."

Listen to Joe Vogel

What Else Does Sarah Palin Believe?

Based on news accounts of the past few days, the following is what we can expect if Sarah Palin becomes president (a possibility more likely than not if McCain is elected):

1. Never-ending war. Ms. Palin believes that the Iraq War is part of God's plan. This is in line with the larger vision of the church she has attended during most of her adult life and which she visited as recently as two months ago. That vision is that wars lead to the much awaited Armageddon. Armaggedonists in Alaska believe that their state will be the "shelter at the end of the world" for the thousands of refugees who survive the final battle. Yes, Ms. Palin is entitled to her own religious beliefs, but a president and commander-in-chief with those beliefs will promote continued war and will never be concerned about the death and suffering of our country's young people and thousands of others in various foreign lands. If war is unending, our economy will continue to be bankrupted by military spending, and a military draft will most certainly be required to provide the fodder for the wars.

2. The promotion of Bush's anti-environmental decisions. Ms. Palin is an assertive, vocal opponent of environmental stewardship, willing to bring suit to remove protections for endangered species. She does not think that human activity has been a cause of global warming.

3. The end of Roe v. Wade. Ms. Palin is staunchly opposed to any female having the choice to terminate a pregnancy, no matter what the circumstances. If Ms. Palin has her way and is able to appoint a Supreme Court justice who shares her views, even young teenagers who have been victims of rape or incest will not be able to receive assistance other than to be forced to have a full-term pregnancy. A related consequence is that medical personnel would be subject to criminal prosecution for providing any other kind of assistance.