Politics

According to a story in the Huffington Post, the self-proclaimed pitbull with lipstick known more commonly as Sarah Palin has referred to the social networking site Twitter as “that twittering little thing” on Tuesday at a speech in Arkansas. The quote was actually reported towards the end of a story by CBS News about Palin’s speech to Tea Party members:

When she was asked what she believed was the number one threat to America today, several audience members shouted, “Obama!”

Arkansas Republican Party Chairman Doyle Webb, who moderated the Q&A session, responded by adding, “Besides Obama.”

Palin then chimed in as many in the crowd laughed.

“See, they said that, I didn’t,” she said. “Just you watch now, too, because somebody will be here with their little Twittering thing, and it’s going to be on the Internet any minute now.“

The Huffington Post considers the knock as a surprise since the ex-governor is heavily involved in Social Media, including on Twitter @SarahPalinUSA and on Facebook which she has previously used to bypass the media.

Personally, I don’t find it surprising at all. I think she is a fraudulent Twitter user, using a staff member or volunteer to actually update her account. A quick glance at her Twitter updates show some oddities that are indicative of her accounts being handled by others:

• Her TweetStats show December as being her most prolific month with 76 Tweets that month… and then a whopping 18 for the month of January, as I’m sure book sales flatlined
• She is averaging 2.6 Tweets per day across her roughly two month career on that Twitter acount
• The VAST majority of updates are coming “from web” as opposed to one of the large number of third party clients or mobile applications

So while Sarah Palin knocks Twitter, it has exposed her as a fraud in its use… and that puts her right back with the politicians of the establishment who are more interested in lining their own pockets then doing the work of the people for the people.

Most people were surprised that there was no official head of the TSA when there was an attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 over Detroit last Christmas. The appointment was reportedly being held up by Congress. Last week Errol Southers withdrew from his White House nomination to head up the TSA. So now the White House has to go and find a new nominee.

I don’t know about you, but I am severely frustrated by the government’s lack of urgency in this matter of national security. I mean surely SOMEONE wants the job…

Yeah… I’m all about the monkies today… have a safe week…

Awhile ago there was a Lincoln Park, Michigan 911 Operator who refused to send an ambulance because the caller was cursing during the call. So when I caught sight of this tweet today it got my mind to thinking about what the conversation between Meghan McCain (who lives in New York City) and the 911 Operator who answered the phone when she called might have been like:

911 Operator: 9-1-1, what borough is your emergency?

Meghan McCain: Um, it’s not actually in a borough

911 Operator: What city is it in?

Meghan McCain: Umm, not too sure, maybe Seattle

911 Operator: Maybe Seattle? Do you have any definite information?

Meghan McCain: Well I know it’s someone who may have wanted to kill themselves 8 hours ago

911 Operator: 8 hours ago? Are you sure about this?

Meghan McCain: Of course I am! It’s on the Internet! It must be true!

911 Operator: Stay right where you are ma’am, we’re dispatching an ambulance to your location right now for your psychiatric emergency

In all fairness I have no idea how the actual conversation occurred, but that’s my imaginative one. Here are a few more of Meghan’s tweets regarding that incident:

What is she referring to you may be wondering? She’s talking about the middle tweet in this screenshot of three:

Here’s a Twhirl snippet of Rolson141’s Twitter profile from earlier yesterday:

Rolson141 seemed to tweet out his desperation to both Meghan McCain and Martha Stewart after he spent 8 hours celebrating Sarah Palin leaving office. Meghan McCain, by her own admission, found out 8 hours after the fact, but at least she took action. Although she seemed a bit undecided about what to do for a few minutes, I applaud her for actually listening to those who interact with her on Twitter.

Martha Stewart however kept it real by continuing her corporate mongering ways and showing a complete disinterest in those who continue to indulge her and keep her out of the poor house:

Martha Stewart recently made some pretty snide remarks about how Twitter was superior to Facebook. In an interview at The Daily Beast she heralded Twitter as the best thing since sliced white bread when saying:

“First of all, you don’t have to spend any time on it, and, second of all, you reach a lot more people. And I don’t have to ‘befriend’ and do all that other dippy stuff that they do on Facebook.”

I didn’t realize that listening to others, engaging people, and building relationships was a “dippy” thing to do. Does that mean that since Facebook has 250 Million users, there are 250 Million Dipsticks in Martha Stewart’s view of the world? Well there is certainly 1.2 million dipsticks on Twitter… those that are actually following Martha Stewart.

As for Rolson141, well I guess now he knows who his REAL friends are… and Martha Stewart isn’t one of them.

Meghan McCain is a writer for The Daily Beast, but did not do the Martha Stewart interview. Perhaps Meghan should take the time to educate Martha on just what Social Media is really about.

For those of you who are either still recovering from the Fourth of July binge or too enthralled by the developments in the passing of Michael Jackson, there was another big story that dropped on our nation. Former Republican Party Vice-President nominee Sarah Palin announced her resignation from the Office of Governor for the state of Alaska. She did so at a low attendance press conference last Friday, July 3.

What is interesting about the situation is that Palin is resigning with 18 months left in her first term. During the press conference she didn’t cite any one particular reason. She blathered on about basketball, lame ducks, and something of a higher calling, but there was no concrete empirical reason as to “why”. After the press conference she did what every other good politician does after dropping a bomb or two… she went fishing. So with so many questions still out there, when Sarah Palin did not return their phone calls, who did CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC turn to?

They turned to Sarah Palin’s social media outlets.

They turned to her Facebook Page Notes and her Twitter Account to receive more information. They then proceeded for the last 4 days to have political analysts decipher what it all means.

So what exactly has this shown us about Social Media? It shows us that if you establish a social media presence and become a trusted source of information, in a time of informational crisis Old Media will turn to Social Media for answers.

Now THAT is a huge endorsement, intentional or not, for social media.

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• Palin Takes to Web for Hints of Political Future (abcnews.go.com)
• Sarah Palin Takes News Nets By Surprise: “This Does Not Feel Like the Act of a Woman Who Wants to Have a National Career” (mediabistro.com)
• Murkowksi Blasts Palin: You Abandoned Our State (huffingtonpost.com)
• ‘Gone Fishin’: What’s Next for Sarah Palin? (abcnews.go.com)
• A close reading of Sarah Palin’s Facebook message to the nation. (slate.com)

Last week I wrote about the Obama Administration’s ill conceived Flyover Of Excess. Today, after receiving harsh criticism after initially stating the photo taken would not be released, the White House released both the actual photo that was taken while creating such a stir and the findings of its internal investigation.

In a statement on April 27, White House Office Of Military Affairs Director Louis Caldera stated:

Last week, I approved a mission over New York. I take responsibility for that decision.

Today he truly accepted responsibility as the White House reported that President Obama accepted his resignation. While there is rumor that he was “forced out”, well if he didn’t want to go willingly for his ambient stupidity then he should have just been outright fired for it.

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• NYC flyover cost more than $300,000 (msnbc.msn.com)
• So Why Does Air Force One Need Publicity, Anyway? (time.com)
• Photo Op Panic: 911 Calls Reveal Terror during NYC Air Force One Flyover (abcnews.go.com)
• You: $328,000 Photo: NYC Air Force Shot Won’t Be Released (abcnews.go.com)

Monday afternoon I was stuck in a holding pattern above LaGuardia Airport on a return flight from Denver after a weekend with friends in Santa Fe. Once I finally found myself on the ground I noticed there was a heightened level of security in the airport, but for once I can agree it was for a good reason.

Someone thought it would be a okay to fly one of President Obama’s Boeing 747 that gets used as Air Force One and two F-16 Fighters over the Statue of Liberty at a low altitude. The planes reportedly flew past the Statue a total of three times giving Air Force photographers an opportunity to take an iconic photo of the plane similar to the one above.

The flyover caused nothing but sheer panic in a city that has watched as not one, but two jetliners were purposely flown into its skyline. It was a mission approved by Louis E. Caldera, the Director of the White House Military Office. He did issue a statement of apology and accepted responsibility for his severe lack of common sense and good judgement.

You want to know what amazes me?

CBS News reports that the flyover of the three planes cost somewhere in the range of $328,000. This very same photo could have been achieved using Photoshop, as the Daily News points out, and it would have both cost a lot less and not caused such an uproar. So how many more of these frivolous missions do we taxpayers foot the bill for and not know it?

We are quick to jump on the auto industry for flying their private jets which by the way helps fuel the actual economy since they don’t use Air Force Bases. We are quick to jump on banks and insurance companies who have longstanding plans to spend money in Las Vegas. We are quick to jump on people who get raises we are promised. So why aren’t we jumping up and down all over not just the ambient stupidity of this decision, but also its expense?

Oh right, because now pigs are flying too.

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• Feds’ Photo Op With Low-Flying Jets Scares NYers (laist.com)
• Air Force One is one ’spiffy ride,’ Obama says (cnn.com)
• Low-level flight panics New York (news.bbc.co.uk)
• Pentagon Seeks Air Force One Replacement (cbsnews.com)
• Obama’s first flight on Air Force One (gadling.com)