Saturday, July 3, 2010

An Interview with The CSU Stanislaus Student Palin Called a "Dumpster Diver"

I. PA hasn't covered Palin's speech late last month at Cal State Stanislaus, except to post the hilarious video by John Zeigler wannabe, Paul Villarreal, that the blog C4P actually thought showed this kid's brilliance. I couldn't pass that one by.

I listened to and watched Palin's CSUS speech once, though. I was disturbed at her mean girl attack on the two kids who came across the evidence of evidence tampering and document destruction on their campus, that is now bringing the State of California to review its policies toward foundations created to support their higher education campuses. Here's what Palin said in her speech about Stanislaus students Alicia Lewis and Ashli Briggs:

Students who spent their valuable, precious time diving through dumpsters before this event in order to silence someone ... what a wasted resource.

A suggestion for those dumpster divers: instead of trying telling people to sit down and shut up ... spend some time telling people like our president to finally stand up.


Alicia and Ashli did not dive through a dumpster, order the silencing of anyone, waste resources or tell somebody to sit down and shut up. For all Palin knew, they were in the audience. What weird personality trait compelled Palin to make that totally inaccurate and personally spiteful set of comments?

What the two students went through over the course of the spring and early summer was endure being caricatured at dozens of right-wing blogs around the country. The articles tended to be inaccurate, some worse than that. The comments toward them and toward California legislator Leland Yee, who made the non-transparency of CSUS's foundation an issue were
far worse:

Leland Yee is a little flower-print-dress-wearing 7 year old girl, a big pussy with absolutely NO testicals at ALL who wouldn't know what a MAN was if one tossed him outta the damned barbeque. What a leg-warmer-wearing wussy, a bunny-faced little slip of femininity parading around in a suit, ready to FREAKIN WILT at the FIRST little nasty word that gets thrown over the transom.


That's one of the nicer comments about Rep. Yee. Racist? Check. Homophobic? Oh, Boy.

The vitriol directed against the two students was awful too:

It is a sadder day when parents send their children to school to study, only for them to develop into common thieves and buglers.

Always thought there something very fishy about these two sluts’ claims of finding the documents in a “trash can”. It just didn't make any sense.


and (I love this one):

This is the same crapOla those left wing bloggers and others in Alaska were pulling on Sarah with 18 frivolous law suits. Everyone of them were dismissed as total bunk.

and:

Just like their pot smoking dem parents. Dumpster diving runs in the family...


Note that the term dumpster diving appeared at right-wing hate blogs like freerepublic back in April, with Palin adapting the term later, and in her late June speech. That blog went on to publish personal information about the students and their families, and to allow hateful, sexist comments to remain posted. I'm not going to print them. It wasn't, by far, the only blog to create a threat-laden environment for the activists.


II. Today, the web site Politics USA published a long thoughtful interview with Alicia Lewis. The interviewer, Sarah Jones, has been covering the Stanislaus affair. It makes for a very interesting read. For starters, Lewis doesn't appear to be a flaming liberal. Her interests and degree are in political science, and she's just entered the masters program there in public administration. Lewis answered Jones' complex questions in rather straightforward simplicity, for the most part:

Alicia Lewis: At the time we found the documents our intention was to find out what the heck was going on a closed campus day. All we knew was that our campus administration has been under constant criticism for decisions and actions it has made in recent years plus we had a tip from an alarmed source making us even more concerned that something fishy was taking place. We did not know it would lead us in the direction of anything concerning Sarah Palin.


When I heard what Palin said about those that found the documents I was immediately furious. I know both myself and Ashli Briggs have consistently stated that this was an issue about transparency and have advocated that changes be made in the CSU system regarding how donor money is handled.


Regarding the threat level the two students have endured, Lewis had this to say:


Alicia Lewis: I have spoken with the Senator and he has shown such kindness regarding this whole situation. All of us are still on the same page regarding the senate bill (SB 330) that we want to see passed in California in order to prevent mishandling of funds in our CSU/UC system. I am always going to be slightly concerned that some crazed supporter of Palin will say or do something however, I can’t let that stop me from advocating for the school system which I am a part of.



There's no evidence whatsoever that when Palin went to college she did anything to advocate for the school systems of which she was a part. Most of her profs don't even remember her.

As a university educator, I'm always happy when students see themselves as part of their system, and encourage that. These are incredibly difficult times for the hundreds of thousands of college and university students in California's schools. Lewis and Briggs are an inspiration. They are also our future.

Good luck Alicia and Ashli! I'd be proud to have you as my students.

10 comments:

EyeOnYou said...

You cannot possibly expect Sarah Palin to understand or accept the desire of these students to seek the truth.

She was an utterly forgettable student because she had no interest in learning more, or being a part of the system and working towards a goal of making things better not just for herself but for others as well. She didn't then and she doesn't now.

Her only goal is to enlarge her bank account and seek adulation from as many as possible, while attempting to gain power through manipulation of the truth.

WakeUpAmerica said...

Open message to Sarah Palin:

Do you get a feeling of pride from being such a hateful, vicious person? Does it help to make you feel more important than the person upon whom you are spewing venom? I'm asking because I really just don't get it. I'm not used to seeing this kind of behavior from a supposed adult. How do you reconcile your hatefulness and copious lies with supposedly being a Christian? Again I ask because, quite frankly, I see those traits as being diametrically opposed to Christianity. Really, I don't get it at all.

So perhaps while you are doing all that praying and waiting for doors to open, you could think about these things and try to come up with a reasonable answer.

mycatslennynora said...

I would rather have my son or daughter dumpster diving than vandalizing school buses or destroying other peoples property. At least these two girls are in school. That's more than we can say for some of $arah's children.
Happy 4th of July!!

mocha said...

That's the authoritarian way toward those who don't "fit in", who don't follow the group, who think and act as individuals - badger them, shun them, attempt to humiliate them into compliance. The problem is it only works on other authoritarians, the ones that want/need to be dominated and controlled. You see this behavior in the mid-west over things as simple as the length you mow your grass. The very people who demand sameness are the ones threatened by a black man in the White House and by 2 college girls who exposed the pettiness of the queen's speaking requirements. Bendy straws indeed. Did you notice the anger when Palin bent the straw during that speech?

Anonymous said...

I am having trouble with our unlamented gone-gov shooting her mouth off with
"California State University's motto Vox Veritas Vita ("Speak the Truth as a way of Life"). "
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veritas )
in the background...
Funny at some level, disgusting at multiple levels...
Insulting to students at all levels...
alaskapi

Anonymous said...

Here is also a youtube clip with the part of the CSU speech where Sarah Palin rails against the "Dumpster Divers":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBWmEDUiQRs

Anonymous said...

My hat is off to both of your students. What courage they have and I am so pleased to see this in our younger generation.

Alicia and Ashli have shown me more character in one day then Palin has shown in two years.

Girls, remember every age, every generation, will have it's narrow minded divisive people, and its forward looking inclusive people. We struggle each generation, for who will prevail.

Unfortunately we will always have Palin's around. i am always hopeful that education and love will always win out over willful ignorance and hate. there is no guarantee that it will. good luck to both of you.

honestyinGov said...

Phil, I attended the CSU Protest with Ashli, Alicia and the others and got to speak to them and took the pics that Palingates had posted the next day as well. AKM also posted a story summary of my recollection of the day and my comments referring to both Ashli and Alicia.You can read them there as well.

Sarah and the CSU Foundation are not the ONLY ones to try to berate, demean and disparage these two strong young women for the actions they took. After the event the CNM(YuoTubes- Conservative New Media )sought out an interview with the State Senator from that District, Jeff Dedham. They enlisted his Opinion/help and brought Him into their little propaganda campaign in an attempt to ' blame ' the students and portray the Foundation as the ' victim '.( It worked for Sarah.. Right?)So.. even elected State officials are in on the act. I'll let Senator Dedhams words speak for him in the YouTube clip and you judge. I called Senator Dedhams Office last week.( CA 12th District ) I would encourage others to do likewise to show you support for these 2 brave young ladies. Tell the Senator... " You Lie ".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iVz1uVv3i0&feature=watch_response

I'm sure you have noticed that the CNM group ( Breitbart wannabees )has joined up and become BFF's with the C4P for propaganda purposes. You ran one of their clips in your previous story.CNM & C4P... what a Family.

Philip Munger said...

honesty in Gov:

Thanks so much!

LYNN bRADDY said...

Had this been Bill Ayers speaking these two gals would have been praising CSU to the hilt. They are worried about Palin making $75,000 when H. Clinton is forking in $459,000