The digital media is now more powerful than a pen and ink on paper... Children are the subject, so let's not forget that in the storm out of Alaska ..

A week after a high-profile uproar with comedian David Letterman over the late-night host's joke about her younger daughter having intercourse with a black baseball player, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is again sharply responding to the appearance of her children in the public sphere.

Palin's latest response comes after liberal Alaskan Blogger Linda Kellen Biegel doctored a photograph of the former Republican vice presidential candidate with her 1-year-old son Trig, who suffers from Down Syndrome.

The Celtic Diva

The Blogger: http://www.divasblueoasis.com/

Her Defense: http://www.divasblueoasis.com/diary/682/lets-correct-that-misinformation-out-there-about-the-palin-photoshopping

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Let's correct that misinformation out there about the "Palin photoshopping"**UPDATE**..
by: Celtic Diva

Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 10:57:52 AM AKDT
Is Linda Kellen Biegel a "Democratic Operative"?
No, I am not. The Democratic National Convention Committee selected 56 blogs as "State Blogs" to represent their states (and territories, and ex-patriots) at the Democratic National Convention in August 2008. That was it!

Other info: I'm a wife, mother of a beautiful daughter and a disabled person myself. Any other biographical information can be found on the left-hand column of the blog.

What exactly is the story behind how the "photoshopped" picture came to be?
I was doing a fundraiser to gather the exhorbitant monies needed for the release of public records from the Governor's Office ($5,552.64) -- a State of Alaska Record's Request.

Some of these emails involve Palin-worshipping talk-show-host Eddie Burke and Anchorage Daily News Gossip Columnist and Editor Sheila Toomey.

I had already started so I really couldn't use any of the "thermometer" programs out there (tracks donations and creates a graph) because I had no idea how to make it count the money already in the Paypal account.

So, one of my readers offered to photoshop "thermometers" each day for me so the donors could have a visual of how we were doing. He came up with a nice version of the State of Alaska for the second day (we skipped the first...I just put the total up without a thermometer).

I wanted to "take that image back" because Conservatives4Palin, a completely non-Alaskan blog, used it for their web-a-thon. On the third day, he sent me the same graphic with the updated percentage, which I put on the blog. Later, he sent the one in question which showed in a humorous way (we thought) the relationship between Palin and Burke. He thought I should have a different one for every day. I didn't have a chance to use it then (I already had the other one up and was away from home) but I told him to do it again for the new percentage tomorrow. He did and, well, you know the rest.

Here are all of the "thermometers" (click each one to enlarge): SEE ABOVE THE HEAD LINE

We were both absolutely floored that anyone would take it for anything than what it was...poking fun at the Governor and Eddie Burke. We also realized that because of my "digging" and writing about the questionable activities of Governor Palin, they were just looking for anything they could twist to try and discredit me.

Why did you take the image down Wednesday night? Was it because of pressure?
Absolutely not! Dr. Chill (the reader in question) was sending me a new "thermometer image" each night after I sent him the total for the day. So, there was no way that image was going to be up beyond Wednesday night anyway because it had the wrong percentage on it. We weren't going to use that same image again, especially when Dr. Chill got the idea to use Burke in his controversial red t-shirt. Besides, there really wasn't any pressure on Wednesday...it was just faux-outrage whining from a bunch of Palin-worshipping bloggers. It didn't really get interesting until Meg Stapleton put her foot in it on Thursday.

Have you apologized to anyone? Do you intend to apologize?

We have nothing to apologize for...it's Conservatives4Palin, Meg Stapleton and the Governor who should be apologizing. Blue Oasis is an Alaska blog with a mostly Alaska audience. (It fluctuates but it's usually about 65% as I've periodically tracked it. That may have changed after this week.) Alaskans "got it" completely because that's who we were targeting. It was the faux outrage and the lies about the posting generated by Conservatives4Palin (run and read by mostly outsiders) and then kicked into the national media by Meg "the mouth" Stapleton at the behest of the Governor. Any misunderstandings were the result of their collective thirst for tabloid fame and desire to twist any truth to discredit a critic. Those who may have been offended were people who NEVER would have seen the picture otherwise and who were not the intended audience.

Was part of your response to Meg Stapleton really "You fail at life?"

NO...ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!! I was NEVER asked for a response to Stapleton's diatribe nor did I post one on the blog. The national media took a quote from an angry article posted 24 HOURS BEFORE STAPLETON'S STATEMENT WAS EVEN RELEASED that was completely directed at Conservatives4Palin and their frenzied smear campaign!!! (The proof...look at the post date.) It was blogger-to-blogger! No matter how much I may disagree with Governor Palin or Stapleton, that would never be part of any response to them.
Will your blog continue to feature satire and satirical images?
You betcha! Celtic Diva

THE BLOG--HISTORY"Blue Oasis" began in 2005 in its Blogger format (now an archive) and became possibly the first Alaska Blog on Progressive Politics. At the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis was honored to represent Alaska as the state blog. Transition--Community Blog In September 2008, Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis moved to a Soapblox Community Blog format. Readers can become full participants by registering on the blog to comment and write "diaries." Diary titles appear on the right sidebar for folks to read and provide comments. Blog editors may choose to move some of these diaries to the front page. While this Community was formed specifically with Alaska in mind, all "friends of Alaska" are welcome as members! **Note about registering** Scroll down the right side until you find the link to register. Then, just follow the instructions! **Note about comments** To comment on a story, click on the heading and then look for the "comment bar" at the bottom (it's light grey, I can't seem to change it). I believe the font color NOW permits you to see the "post comment" text.
YOUR BLOGMISTRESSMy name is Linda Kellen Biegel and I am a former 15-year Federal employee. Thirteen of those years were spent working for the US Army Corps of Engineers. I am also semi-retired from the Alaska music scene (singer, sound tech, stage manager, logistics). When the blog was chosen to represent Alaska in the DNCC State Blogger Pool at the Denver Convention, I attended with the help of Alaska Real blogmistress, Writing Raven and my daughter Morrigan. On August 29th, one day after Barack Obama's inspiring speech at Invesco Field , my life took another turn as it did for all Alaska bloggers when Gov. Sarah Palin was chosen to be John McCain's VP running mate. Since then, I've either assisted or have been interviewed by media from the UK, Italy, Australia and Germany as well as national media outlets such as Wall Street Journal, NY Times, ABC Good Morning America's Kate Snow, National Journal, Dallas Morning News, LA Times, and NPR. Presently, I work full-time as a freelance writer, PR, event coordinator, community organizer, wife to computer programmer Josh and mother to 11-year-old Morrigan. Our family especially enjoys our summers in Alaska where we get to subsistence set-net fish Sockeye salmon as well as halibut fish/whalewatch in the family's homemade aluminum boat, "The Neverdone" (when it's working). We reside in Anchorage, Alaska.