Alaska won't/can't produce Palin e-mails

[Spindrift]

Apparently Sarah Palin was asked for e-mails when she was still gov back in 2008 and they still haven't been turned over.
http://openchannel.msnbc.msn.com/_n...r-palin-e-mails-may-exceed-her-time-in-office

Here's the process -- and the problems that have caused the delays in producing the e-mails:
The state said it could not produce an electronic copy of the e-mails, despite the state law requiring just that.
An offer from a legal services company, to convert all the e-mails to a secure electronic archive at no cost, was ignored.
The state law department acquired software to work with electronic e-mails, but couldn't figure out how to get the e-mails into it.
The e-mails were printed out by state interns.
State legal staff continue to go over the e-mails, deciding what to withhold under exemptions in the state public records act.
Those decisions will then be reviewed by the governor's office. The governor, Sean Parnell, was Sarah Palin's running mate in 2006.
The printouts, with some material blacked out, will be photocopied and shipped to the news organizations.
The news organizations will scan in the records, restoring them to electronic form in a searchable database online. At that point, the residents of Alaska will be able to read their own public records.

It is quite possible that the State of Alaska IT department is very inept and can't manage to produce them after almost 3 years. But somehow I doubt it.

 

[Biscuit]

If they ever do get released there will probably be some "blue" language and other politically incorrect dialogue. It will be released in a flurry and "news" commentators will discuss this breakthrough in breathless tirades. It will keep us all from discussing the real problems we face.

If it unveils some crime I will eat the appropriate amount of crow, all of it.

Palin is a joke. I have no desire to listen to her yet alone read anything she has written.

 

[Roadtoad]

It is quite possible that the State of Alaska IT department is very inept and can't manage to produce them after almost 3 years. But somehow I doubt it.

Or, maybe, Palin has learned from the Democrats. Remember the billing records from the Rose Law Firm?

 

[Spindrift]

Or, maybe, Palin has learned from the Democrats. Remember the billing records from the Rose Law Firm?

Not sure I see the connection.
The Rose Law Firm was run by a state government and required by state law to preserve their records and be able to produce them to anybody who asks?

 

[Roadtoad]

Not sure I see the connection.
The Rose Law Firm was run by a state government and required by state law to preserve their records and be able to produce them to anybody who asks?

No, the Rose firm was a private enterprise, a law firm, and could easily have claimed attorney/client privilege. Hillary Clinton was subpoenaed to produce the billing records, and they turned up a year later in a closet in the White House.

Why is Palin being asked to produce private e-mails? How are they relevant to anything, including the whole business with her former BiL?

 

[Spindrift]

No, the Rose firm was a private enterprise, a law firm, and could easily have claimed attorney/client privilege. Hillary Clinton was subpoenaed to produce the billing records, and they turned up a year later in a closet in the White House.

Why is Palin being asked to produce private e-mails? How are they relevant to anything, including the whole business with her former BiL?

Because she was dumb enough to conduct state business using her private e-mail address while governor.

 

[Biscuit]

Why is Palin being asked to produce private e-mails? How are they relevant to anything, including the whole business with her former BiL?

I believe this is a freedom of information deal, which is a good thing. Also Alaskan state law requires the release of these according to...well... Alaskan state law. Relevance isn't an issue in this case. The law requires it...end of story.

Journalists want to know more about her and are making a perfectly legal request. I doubt they will find anything of any real interest.

What the hell does this have to do with Hilary Clinton?

 

[Biscuit]

No, the Rose firm was a private enterprise, a law firm, and could easily have claimed attorney/client privilege. Hillary Clinton was subpoenaed to produce the billing records, and they turned up a year later in a closet in the White House.

A closet in the white house is where this thread will end up if you derail it with post number 3.

 

[Roadtoad]

Because she was dumb enough to conduct state business using her private e-mail address while governor.

Okay. Question answered. Thanks.

 

[drkitten]

Why is Palin being asked to produce private e-mails? How are they relevant to anything, including the whole business with her former BiL?

She's not being asked to produce private e-mail. And, in fact, she's being asked to produce email from her yahoo account(s) precisely because it's relevant to a court case charging that she violated the various state open records acts by using gov.sarah@yahoo.com and gov.palin@yahoo.com to transact business with insiders in order to avoid public scrutiny of her official acts as governor.

 

[Roadtoad]

She's not being asked to produce private e-mail. And, in fact, she's being asked to produce email from her yahoo account(s) precisely because it's relevant to a court case charging that she violated the various state open records acts by using gov.sarah@yahoo.com and gov.palin@yahoo.com to transact business with insiders in order to avoid public scrutiny of her official acts as governor.

See my above response.

 

[Spindrift]

If they ever do get released there will probably be some "blue" language and other politically incorrect dialogue. It will be released in a flurry and "news" commentators will discuss this breakthrough in breathless tirades. It will keep us all from discussing the real problems we face.

If it unveils some crime I will eat the appropriate amount of crow, all of it.

Palin is a joke. I have no desire to listen to her yet alone read anything she has written.

I give it 50/50 that there's something in the e-mails that will be more than just embarrassing. Why? I don't know, but she's already been shown to have used yahoo accounts to conduct state business, which in and of itself is not legal.

I have a friend who's the mayor of a small town and he does not respond to e-mail unless it is within the town government or an official response to an official request. He is just scared to death of dashing off an e-mail and saying something he probably shouldn't to someone he thought he could trust and then having that forwarded around. He is very approachable in his office, always returns phone calls, if you include a phone number he will call you but he will not answer an e-mail. I think he's over-reacting a bit, but it has happened with a couple minor town officials who sent unwise e-mails and were then pressured to resign.

 

[Aoidoi]

Didn't Bush do the same thing with whitehouse emails? You'd think they'd have a process in place to preserve them given the law, but I suppose since no one ever seems to get in trouble for losing them there's no real incentive to improve.

 

[casebro]

But emails are all totally recorded on the server. "Can't retrieve" or "Can't reproduce electronically" are B.S. I think somebody needs to subpoena Yahoo.

PS.- same goes for posts on forums. Consider every digit, every one or zero, as permanently recorded.

 

[mortimer]

I work for a content management software company, and have worked with federal, state, and local governments as they try to archive documents, emails, etc. I can tell you right now, the OP does not surprise me in the slightest.

First off, it's not easy to implement. Second, government IT departments tend to be bureaucratic nightmares. Third, relative to the computer systems and software currently in place in government, email archiving and retrieval is a fairly recent need.

 

[novice skeptic]

Not sure I see the connection.
The Rose Law Firm was run by a state government and required by state law to preserve their records and be able to produce them to anybody who asks?

No but it was required by Federal and Congressional subpoenas, and I'm sure there were IRS, Arkansas Department of Revenue and other agencies that required them to keep billing records.

None of that excuses the state of Alaska in this case.

 

[deepatrax]

I for one am glad to see this story...

Because it ensures that Sarah Palin stays in the news

The Left created her, so it only seems fair that they get to be inundated week after week with the Palin saga.

The Left had a chance in the last Presidential election to let Sarah drift off into obscurity, but they just couldn't do it.

As if off on some great "We despise Conservative women!" crusade, they had to follow and report on every single Palin story they could get their hands on...and they did it with enthusiasm bordering on insanity.

And so...instead of living a quiet life in Alaska or being relegated to doing the rare weekend FOX News interview...Sarah capitalized on her opportunity.

And she made millions!

And in about a little more than a year, when it's revealed that she won't be the Republican nominee for President in 2012...the Left will be dumbdfounded

And they will look themselves in the mirror and ask, "Did really I just spend the last couple of years obsessed with the inane minutia of a middle-aged woman's life!??"

 

[Spindrift]

I for one am glad to see this story...

Because it ensures that Sarah Palin stays in the news

The Left created her, so it only seems fair that they get to be inundated week after week with the Palin saga.

I didn't know the "Left" (whatever that is) nominated Palin to run for the Vice President.

The Left had a chance in the last Presidential election to let Sarah drift off into obscurity, but they just couldn't do it.

As if off on some great "We despise Conservative women!" crusade, they had to follow and report on every single Palin story they could get their hands on...and they did it with enthusiasm bordering on insanity.

The crusade is "We despise stupid Conservative Women!", get it right.

And so...instead of living a quiet life in Alaska or being relegated to doing the rare weekend FOX News interview...Sarah capitalized on her opportunity.

And she made millions!

She made money off the left? I think it was the people on the right giving her money.

And in about a little more than a year, when it's revealed that she won't be the Republican nominee for President in 2012...the Left will be dumbdfounded

I'd be dumbfounded only if the Republicans were dumb enought to nominate her, which I don't think they are.

And they will look themselves in the mirror and ask, "Did really I just spend the last couple of years obsessed with the inane minutia of a middle-aged woman's life!??"

And the answer would be no.

I don't think potential corruption or abuse of office qualifies as inane minutia.

 

[deepatrax]

I didn't know the "Left" (whatever that is) nominated Palin to run for the Vice President.

No, the Left only started their crazed bashing of her the very day she was selected. And ever since, every move she or her family makes is chronicled by the Liberal media...to the rabid enjoyment of their Liberal viewers.

The crusade is "We despise stupid Conservative Women!", get it right.

No, the idiocy is that the Left believes Conservative woman are stupid...because they're Conservative woman.

She made money off the left? I think it was the people on the right giving her money.

It appears that the subtle inference in my comment has eluded you...she wouldn't have stayed in the Media spotlight if not for the Liberal obsession with her. Media Spotlight = Speaking engagements = Book deals. The insane Liberal criticism of her caused the Right to rally around her.

I don't think potential corruption or abuse of office qualifies as inane minutia.

No, the insane minutia and the craziness is now around your obsession with reading her emails.

but hey...if it makes you happy, have fun!

 

[fishbob]

The governor, Sean Parnell, was Sarah Palin's running mate in 2006.

The governor, Sean Parnell, is a less flashy, less stupid, male Sarah Palin. Except he won't quit.