Sarah Palin might be a newcomer on the national stage. But she reminds at least one Alabamian of a character from Karl Rove's Deep South
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Sarah Palin might be from the Great White North of Alaska. But the more we learn about her political tactics and professional ethics, the more she seems like a character from Karl Rove's Deep South.
As a resident of Alabama, I'm reminded of one of our own "loyal Bushies," U.S. Attorney Alice Martin. Scott Horton, of
Harper's magazine, has called Martin perhaps the most corrupt and crooked person in public office. It's starting to look like Palin, John McCain's surprise running mate on the Republican ticket,
is going to challenge Martin for that title.
Palin seems to have a knack for going after the livelihoods of people she perceives as enemies. Martin has made frequent use of this tactic,
and it's one I'm personally familiar with. Evidence strongly suggests that Martin helped cost me my job at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), after I had worked there for 19 years. My great sin? Writing a blog, on my own time, with my own resources, that deals truthfully with Republican corruption in Alabama.
We've learned that
Palin even has a Jack Abramoff problem, just like Governor Bob Riley of Alabama. And like the folks who ramrodded my termination at UAB, Palin hums and haws when irrefutable evidence of wrongdoing surfaces--in the form of an audiotape.
While most of the country has just gotten to know Palin over the past six days, those of us in Alabama feel like we've known her for a long time. She's a character straight from the Great GOP Playbook of Corruption.
Authors Bio:I live in Birmingham, Alabama, and work in higher education. I became interested in justice-related issues after experiencing gross judicial corruption in Alabama state courts. This corruption has a strong political component. The corrupt judges are all Republicans, and the attorney who filed a fraudulent lawsuit against me has strong family ties to the Alabama Republican Party, with indirect connections to national figures such as Karl Rove. In fact, a number of Republican operatives who have played a central role in the prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman (a Democrat) also have connections to my case.
I am married, with no kids and two Siamese cats. I am the author of the blog Legal Schnauzer. The blog is written in honor of Murphy, our miniature schnauzer (1993-2004)who did so much to help my wife and me survive our nightmarish experience with corrupt judges.
I grew up in Springfield, Missouri, and I am pretty much a lifelong St. Louis Cardinal baseball fan. I've lived in Birmingham for almost 30 years and have adopted the UAB Blazers as my Southern college football and basketball team to follow. Also, follow East Tennessee State basketball.
An avid reader, both fiction and non-fiction. Influential writers on public affairs are Kevin Phillips, Michael Lind, Thomas Edsall, E.J. Dionne, Molly Ivins, and Scott Horton.