And you thought Rev Wright was anti-american....

[Guest]

The founder of the Alaska Independence Party -- a group that has been courted over the years by Sarah Palin, and one her husband was a member of for roughly seven years -- once professed his** "hatred for the American government"** and cursed the American flag as a "damn flag."
The AIP founder, Joe Vogler, made the comments in 1991, in an interview that's now housed at the Oral History Program in the Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
"The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government," Vogler said in the interview, in which he talked extensively about his desire for Alaskan secession, the key goal of the AIP.
"And I won't be buried under their damn flag," Vogler continued in the interview, which also touched on his disappointment with the American judicial system.** "I'll be buried in Dawson. And when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home."**
At another point, Volger advocated renouncing allegiance to the United States. In the course of denouncing Federal regulation over land, he said:
"And then you get mad. And you say, the hell with them. And you renounce allegiance, and you pledge your efforts, your effects, your honor, your life to Alaska."
You can listen to audio of the relevant section of the Volger interview here. Bill Schneider, curator of oral history at the library, verified the authenticity of the interview and the quote to me a few moments ago.
Palin has courted the group over the years.
Three years after the controversial interview, in 1994, Palin attended the group's annual convention, according to witnesses who spoke to ABC News' Jake Tapper. The McCain campaign is disputing her presence there, but Tapper found two people to attest to it.

		The McCain campaign today [ produced](http://www.johnmccain.com/images/mccainreport/Document.pdf) Palin's voting registration records, and said they proved she was never a member of the party. 

But she has repeatedly reached out to the group. The McCain campaign has confirmed she visited the group's 2000 convention, and she addressed its convention this year, as an incumbent governor whose oath of office includes upholding the Constitution of the United States.
Palin's husband, Todd Palin, was a member of the party from 1995-2002 with a brief exception in 2000.
It's worth noting that Vogler isn't just some figure from ancient history. He is still being hailed on AIP's site this year, the same year Palin addressed the group's convention.
It's worth pondering how big a deal it would be if Obama had ever courted the support of a group whose head had said this kind of thing about America and her flag. Oh, wait...

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/09/aip_founder_professed_hatred_f.php

I'm just trying to hold Palin to the same level of scrutiny as Obama here....so.... discuss

[DaveH]

Good grief Chuck, how many times to I gotta debunk this stuff? I need to start searching the right wing blogs and see what false stuff I can post about Obama.....

:icon_scratch:

Same scrutiny as Obama.... thats funny.

[Afsil80]

After scrolling on the site, I'm concluding that it is a VERY liberal biased site aimed at bringing down McCain..

Credibility = Zero.

This is just going off my moderate mentality, FYI.

[Guest]

Ok...so that site may not be the best info...how about the NY Times?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/us/politics/04party.html?ref=politics

I never said Palin herself was a member, just that her husband was. Who do you think has a greater influence over your decisions? Your pastor or your spouse?

[thrash]

the AIP is awesome and I agree with thier mission 100%. And when/if Alaska seceeds from the USA and has a more free-market / libertarian government than we do, I'll consider moving there.

Of course, I refer to the Civil War as "the war of northern aggression", and it was only after lincoln enacted the Emancipation Proclimation that the civil war had any ethical / moral righteousness attached to it. Prior to that it was a boondoggle.

[Afsil80]

tjamz;239137 wrote:
Who do you think has a greater influence over your decisions? Your pastor or your spouse?

I dunno, but that's a good question for Bill Clinton.

[Guest]

Afsil80;239273 wrote:
I dunno, but that's a good question for Bill Clinton.

If I had to chose between my pastor and Hillary, I would have chosen an intern as well.....

[torbs]

tjamz;239094 wrote:
"The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government," and ..."I won't be burried under their damn flag"

I interpret these quotes as:

"I hate the corruptness within the American government"

"I will work to my death to defeat the corruptness in the people that run this government."

Also, as he was an independant, I'm sure these were his views beings he was an independant. Independants become what they are because they dislike the other two parties to a large extent. Still nothing compared to Wright and Obama's history with other radicals.

[Guest]

See I read that as "I hate america and all it stands for....fuck this country and fuck their flag"

[DaveH]

Just something to think about... Obama smokes like a chimney and both of his parents died when they were young. Biden has had two brain aneurisms. If they get to be pres and veep and they both died, that would leave Nancy Pelosi as President.

I can't think of a better reason to vote for McCain.

:icon_rendeer:

[Guest]

Does Obama still smoke? I honestly don't know. I know he was trying to quit, but not sure on the success rate.

[SPANISH-RICE]

not smoking is unamerican

[DaveH]

Smoking is patriotic.

:icon_queen:

[torbs]

tjamz;239379 wrote:
See I read that as "I hate america and all it stands for....fuck this country and fuck their flag"

That's because you like to take things out of context to fit your views, not as what they were originally intended to be :stirpot:

[Parker]

DaveH;239674 wrote:
Smoking is patriotic.

:icon_queen:
only if it is an american blend.... haha