Watching Sarah Palin's Alaska

1. Some of the scenery was spectacular, as one can imagine it should be.

2. Where's Track? Supposedly, he helps around the house.

3. Todd looks mildly annoyed.

4. They really should have spent more time teaching Piper's friend (McKenzie? McKinley) to fish. She said she had never caught a fish. Both the guide and Todd should have realized that having her land her own first catch might have made some precious footage. It appears she didn't catch one, and - believe me - those fish were there to catch, and easily.

5. The rock climbing episode was simply awful. I can sympathise with Sarah that the first step for a beginner is really, really hard, but most tyro climbers quickly realize how much energy it takes within a few vertical moves, how one can take advantage of staying close to the rock face, and how isometric the whole exercise is.

She kept on leaning outward and whining. Her pants seemed to restrict lateral moves of her legs, which wasn't her fault. But her whining and self pitying was horrid. (I used to rock climb - 5.7 - 5.8-ish level)

6. The inevitable scene where she encourages people and the kids to think of Joe McGinniss as something he certainly is not probably bothered me the most. Even more than that graty, cat scratching on a window pane voice.

This episode has been well covered by other bloggers and journalists, who had seen the scene in trailers or promos, and were troubled by its potential as slander. It is slander. Blotting Joe's face out in the scenes in which they invade his privacy is sleazy, feeding the false meme that equates him with some criminal or weirdo.

I only spent part of one day with McGinniss while he was here. I set up his security perimeter shortly after he moved in. I got him the stuff, set it up and left. I'm convinced that he was in far more danger of harrassment or danger along that lake shore than were the Palins, not just then, but through the summer.

image - Zina Saunders