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Erika Bolstad
Erika Bolstad covers Alaska issues, including the congressional delegation, from Washington, D.C., for McClatchy Newspapers. Before joining the bureau in 2007, she spent seven years as a reporter at the Miami Herald, where she covered politics, government and the state legislature. E-mail Erika at ebolstad@adn.com.
Sean Cockerham
Sean Cockerham writes about Alaska state politics. He's worked for the ADN in Anchorage and Juneau, covered the legislature for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, and covered Washington state politics for the Tacoma News Tribune. E-mail Sean at scockerham@adn.com
Kyle Hopkins
Kyle Hopkins covers rural affairs, general assignments and politics for the ADN. He covered the 2006 campaign for governor, has blogged extensively about Alaska politics, covered Anchorage city government and was a reporter based in the Mat-Su. He grew up in Southeast Alaska and previously wrote for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and Anchorage Press. E-mail Kyle at khopkins@adn.com and also find him on our rural Alaska blog, The Village.
Don Hunter
Don Hunter covers Anchorage city government and politics. He is a longtime ADN reporter and editor and wrote for the Anchorage Times. E-mail Don at dhunter@adn.com
David Hulen
David Hulen, the ADN's state and local news editor, is responsible for political coverage. He has been an editor and reporter at the ADN for more than 20 years. E-mail David at dhulen@adn.com
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Follow the former Alaska governor's actions as she embarks on life outside of office.
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The FBI raided state legislature offices in Aug. 2006, and the fallout since has been epic in Alaska's political world.
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Ramras: prosecutors too easy on "despicable" Allen, Smith - 10/27/2009 8:40 pm
Palin's book retainer: $1.25 million (Updated) - 10/27/2009 8:32 am
Wall Street Journal writes about Parnell - 10/26/2009 4:44 pm
Legislators looking at new office building in Anchorage - 10/26/2009 3:56 pm
Richard Foster's funeral scheduled - 10/23/2009 5:36 pm
Sen. Wagoner rebuffed from majority - 10/23/2009 4:04 pm
Coghill confirmed, Bunde new minority leader - 10/22/2009 6:00 pm
Frank Bailey book: “Renegade: Sarah Palin's Hatchet Man” (Updated) - 10/21/2009 12:01 pm
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Palin's going to Wisconsin (updated with Missouri appearance) - 10/19/2009 2:55 pm
Posted: December 24, 2008 - 12:02 pm
Comments (0) |
From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage -
PETA has been shopping a story here for the last couple of days saying that someone claiming to be from Palin's office threatened to sue them over a video game they posted on their Web site.
The game lets players pelt Colonel Sanders, the "Trollsen Twins" and Palin with snowballs. A PETA spokesman said that when they asked who the caller was, he told them to take the game down or read his name on a lawsuit.
Palin spokesman Bill McAllister said yesterday that no one at Palin's office had heard anything about such a call.
Politico.com has more on the saga here.
This morning, PETA sent a copy of this escalating e-mail battle between the group's president, Ingrid Newkirk, and McAllister:
From: McAllister, William D (GOV)
Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 11:26 AM
To: christined@peta.org
Subject: The PETA Files
Your website claims we have threatened to sue you. What do you base this on? Be specific.
Bill McAllister
Director of Communications/Press Secretary
Office of Governor Sarah Palin
...
From: Ingrid Newkirk
Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 11:52 AM
To: McAllister, William D (GOV)
Subject: To answer your enquiry:
Importance: High
Dear Mr. McAllister,
We base this on a phone call. Why don't you ask in your office and be specific as to on what grounds you can sue us? We know that we can use the game as it's pure parody. I thought people in Alaska had a sense of humor? Ingrid Newkirk
...
From: McAllister, William D (GOV)
Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 3:54 PM
To: Ingrid Newkirk
Subject: RE: To answer your enquiry:
That's not very specific. Who called? Name and title given? Did you even attempt to verify it was genuine? Or are facts just cumbersome?
...
From: Ingrid Newkirk
Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 11:56 AM
To: McAllister, William D (GOV)
Subject: RE: To answer your enquiry:
Do they train you to be rude?
...
From: McAllister, William D (GOV)
Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 3:58 PM
To: Ingrid Newkirk
Subject: RE: To answer your enquiry:
OK, so the bottom line is, you have attitude, but no facts. Sounds about right.
...
From: Ingrid Newkirk [mailto:ingridn@peta.org]
Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 12:21 PM
To: McAllister, William D (GOV)
Subject: So, are you backing down up there?
No, YOU have attitude, and it's a bad one, and so did your legal emissary who must have gone to the same charm school.
...
From: McAllister, William D (GOV)
Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 5:03 PM
To: Ingrid Newkirk
Subject: RE: So, are you backing down up there?
Our still unnamed legal emissary, huh? Whether or not I'm charming in your eyes, at least I'm accountable.
...
From: Ingrid Newkirk
Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 1:59 PM
To: McAllister, William D (GOV)
Subject: sorry?
You will be when you die, don't you think? Did someone put Red Bull in your water cooler? Are you now saying that no one called from your office, that's my question, or did the person who called overplay his hand, or what, not that I really care any more?
...
From: McAllister, William D (GOV)
Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 6:09 PM
To: Ingrid Newkirk
Subject: RE: sorry?
To answer the question in your subject line, yes, you are sorry.
I wouldn't know if the person who (allegedly) called overplayed his (a man, then? - still waiting for more details) hand. No one here knows what you're talking about.
Oh, you used to care? Which decade was that?
NOTE: I'd e-mailed McAllister to confirm the e-mails are authentic. Here's what he said:
Either PETA is reckless and gullible enough to web-post an assertion about the governor’s office based on what they admit was an anonymous phone call, or else they made the whole thing up.
The bottom line is that no lawsuit was threatened or is being considered concerning their silly on-line snowball game, and I am certain the call, if it even occurred, did not come from this office. At best, they simply don’t care who the made the call, but just see an opportunity to continue their histrionic commentary on the governor. And of course that’s why they sent the e-mail exchange to you and Politico. (We didn’t know anything about this web-posting until Julia O’Malley e-mailed me about it yesterday.)
Oh, and I’m having turkey for Christmas dinner.
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