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Friday, September 05, 2008


(Gov. Palin prepares for a blanket toss in
Barrow, Alaska, on June 30.)

Full Text of Sarah Palin Story in the National Enquirer

[UPDATED]

This caveat needs to be stated, just in case National Enquirer's attorneys decide to hassle me in court over keying in the text below, and posting it around the web: I believe it's within the scope of the fair use doctrine of U.S. copyright laws to provide the entire article from the September 5 edition of the National Enquirer on my blog to stimulate knowledge of the article for the general public.

As you can see from the note below, I've heard from the National Enquirer, and they're not happy with my posting their full article:
Michael,

We appreciate you interest in The National Enquirer’s Sarah Palin article but you cannot post our entire article, as you have done. You are violating our copyright. Please take it down ASAP. Thank you.

David Perel
Editor in Chief
National Enquirer

Needless to say, I've heavily reduced the amount of text from the article. You can still read excerpts from the story on the publication's site. Here are selections from the article:

Sarah Palin's Dark Secrets
by Rick Egusquiza, Michael Glynn and John Blosser

Sarah Palin is hoping to unite America as John McCain's vice president, but her own family is divided in a vicious war that is exposing her darkest secrets and threatens to destroy her political career ...

The Enquirer has learned exclusively that Wooten cheated on Palin's sister Molly with his first wife Angie, and when Palin found out, she went ballistic.

Palin charged that Wooten threatened to kill her father.

Another incredible allegation emerging from the family war is that Palin, mother of five, had an affair with a former business associate of her fisherman husband, Todd.

"Todd discovered the affair and quickly dissolved his friendship and his business associations with the guy," charges an enemy. "Many people in Alaska are talking about the rumor and say Todd swept it under the rug." ...

24 comments:

  1. That's it? Big yawn.

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  2. Anonymous9:05 PM

    Daughter Bristol and Mother Sarah could be my niece and my sister. Pretty funny. Can't wait to tweak my flaming left-wing working professional sister about that.

    What is the stereotype about teenage daughters and their mothers (grin)?

    For a good take on stereotypes and the drama of life read Tom Wolfe's "The Bonfire of the Vanities".

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  3. Although I welcomed the chance to read the whole story without paying the Enquirer for it, I can't see how you're justified in printing it whole. All you need to say is that the whole and entire sourcing for the "affair" smear is "an enemy charged." It's not necessary to print the whole thing to make that point. As much as I deplore their making money off this smear, there's no fair use loophole that permits you or me to take that money out of their pockets this way. (Educational fair use does not permit me, for instance, to copy someone else's copyrighted textbook whole just because others will get an educational value from it.) Think it over, as a writer, and do the right thing. Best regards.

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  4. Plot? Lies? About a disagreement when the pregnancy should be announced and a wedding planned? I'm sure it was uncomfortable for everyone, with all parties wanting their way. To call one person's way a plot or a lie seems to miss the simple meaning of the words.

    We all know what the word affair means, and I will be interested to see if there is any evidence. It is an easy accusation to make and hard to disprove. As to the ex-brother-in-law, it is wise to withhold judgment about everyone's story until there is data. Gov Palin's official line is believable and consistent with what little we know, but I would not put a stamp on it yet.

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  5. Anonymous9:43 PM

    Palin's "former brother-in-law, state trooper Mike Wooten" was using his taser on Palin's 10-year-old nephew.

    Next!

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  6. Sarah Palin has risen very fast. She comes from a family without much money or power and it is not unreasonable to think that people in her extended circle might be jealous of her success. Many of those around her seem a bit resentful that she pulls it all off. Besides, can anyone truthfully say that a rebellious 17 year old is controllable by even the best parents? I have yet to see any evidence of real misconduct. Before the Enquirer puts these allegations out they need to come up with some real proof rather than some sleazy innuendo. Kind of like the NYT reporting on "allegations of possible misconduct" that elevate someone's resentment into a crime.

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  7. Anonymous9:55 PM

    "I believe it's within the scope of the fair use doctrine of U.S. copyright laws to provide the entire article from the September 5 edition of the National Enquirer on my blog to stimulate knowledge of the article for the general public."

    And I believe bloggers can make up copyright law whenever it suits them. Which, obviously, is always.

    Dude, if you can't adhere to even basic understanding of the law how it applies to you, how can you comment on or criticize politicians when they don't do it either?

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  8. Anonymous10:01 PM

    The Enquirer uses that word "incredible" a lot.

    I think they know exactly what it means.

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  9. Anonymous10:05 PM

    Funny, I didn't know Andrew Sullivan was working for the Enquirer.

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  10. Anonymous10:27 PM

    No way this constitutes fair use. The disclaimer is a pretty transparent fig leaf. But, I don't give a damn about it; I suspect the blogger doesn't, either. Nor must Instapundit, who linked the piece.

    The Enquirer can't engender much sympathy on this score, since the only reason it hasn't been sued out of existence is the unjust stringency of libel law. It's not necessarily unwise that our libel laws are so tough to enforce, but it is certainly unfair.

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  11. Anonymous10:36 PM

    zzzzzzzz... keep trying guys... you're only pushing people more in Sarah's direction.

    Any quote that is followed by the words "an enemy said" can be safely discounted.

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  12. According to this, any plot to conceal the daughter's pregnancy was poorly executed:

    http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1837862,00.html?imw=Y

    "So his name is Levi.

    "That's about the only thing that I didn't know about Bristol Palin's pregnancy. The rest of the details I picked up almost without trying, while talking about other things with townsfolk — some who know the governor and her family well, some who don't. It was, more or less, an open secret."

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  13. yeah, I had a 17 year old son and my wife and I had a lot of trouble controlling him, too. That's the nature of teenagers. Now he's 19 and we finally got to send him off to college. Three more to go ...
    On Palin - that's the best they can do? Sweet.

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  14. Anonymous11:04 PM

    Is is a "vicious war", "ugly feud", or "messy feud"? And just how "incredible" is it? I'm so confused. I've learned there is usually an inverse relationship between the credibility of an article and the level of breathless, dramatic language used.

    Seriously, how does this matter? Remember, when it was Clinton who was involved in messy sexual affairs we were supposed to forget it and let him "get back to the work of the America people".

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  15. Anonymous11:06 PM

    Another incredible allegation emerging from the family war is that Palin, mother of five, had an affair with a former business associate of her fisherman husband, Todd.

    This phrasing, from the Enquirer, means they have nothing. Their fact-checking is surprisingly rigorous, but it applies only to actual allegations presented as fact In a libel suit, it would be relevant that they don't state she had an affair; they only state that the allegation exists, and they furthermore give their opinion that the allegation isn't credible.

    The phrasing is designed to be defensible in court while still giving the impression that this is reporting of actual fact.

    Compare with the obvious recent example, their reporting on Edwards. Note that this story, unlike the Palin story, has no weasel words. The weasel words only come out when they have no real information, only innuendo.

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  16. Teenage daughter has a baby out of wedlock while mom is too busy with her political works.

    Teenage daughter has a baby out of wedlock to rebel against the stiffling family where mom always stays home, and set curfews at eleven.

    I hope the MSM pile on, and Palin's approval would shoot up to 70.

    Why don't we make a scandal out of this to torpedo her career once and for all: Palin went as far as starting to make arrangements for an abortion scheduled before McCain announced her as his vice president - but Bristol refused.

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  17. Anonymous12:24 AM

    Neither fair use nor fair play exhibited here.

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  18. Anonymous3:43 AM

    If the owners of the National Enquirer believe their copyright has been infringed they a free to defend their right. In they choose not too do so then fair use it is.

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  19. I find the notion that Ms. Palin must be at fault because she's a working mom, and a stay-at-home dad just can't be confided in by his daughters, somewhere between risible and offensive. I suppose those of us with both a son and a daughter will have to have two stay-at-home parents now. Or is it only women who will be subject to this notion?

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  20. Anonymous5:03 AM

    That story was both weak and funny. So the ex-brother-in-law who seems extremely creepy is making allegations and then the Enquirer is posting his allegations. Don't really see any reporting in the article.

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  21. Anonymous5:45 AM

    Strained, very strained.

    Advice to the National Enquirer: a five-month pregnancy can't be passed off as a two-week one, nor can a nine-month-old baby be presented as a miraculously healthy four-month preemie. And shotgun weddings aren't "lies." So it's about propriety, still practiced outside of the MSM's sphere of influence.

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  22. Anonymous8:06 AM

    This is it? National Enquirer is joking, right? I didn't know that they did self parody. Or is this sopmething from The Onion?

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  23. Anonymous11:08 AM

    First Hillary, now Sarah.
    Why do liberals hate successful women so much?

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  24. Anonymous4:05 PM

    I guess the amazing thing is that somebody figured how to make a multi million dollar business out of gossiping and simply being mean.

    Even if all the things they said about Sarah Palin were true,even then she can stand on her own.Her job is her job and her family matters are and should be in a different gategory.

    Do we have to try to destroy anyone who walks on two feet in American political scene ?

    No parent can totally control their children and the outcome of their lives.They make choises and the parents suffer because of it.
    Sarah Palin has suffered deeply because of her childrens choises.

    Do we need to use her pain as morsel to be thrown to the public ?

    Need we teach Americans to be more cruel ?

    Is this what Americans want....dirt and gossip.
    How low can Newspapers go ?

    None of us can choose our relatives and if we get a miserable bunch,there is no
    end of trouble.

    Sounds like Sarah Palin doesnt have the easiest relatives.
    But,who does...we cant choose
    our relatives.

    They come along and we have to deal with it.

    Sarah Palin has to stand on her own merit.Not on her family's perfection.The Politics is not about selling a perfect family to the Americans.We do not have one
    perfect family in USA.

    Sarah Palin's desire and willigness to make a difference in America is still admirable.

    Regardless what gossip mazagines like to say.

    Besides....should we not send some blood hounds out there to check the background of all those GOSSIP EDITIORS,WHO love to eat garbage and FEED it to the Americans....

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