Wasilla did not want to pay the cost for rape kits and so decided to bill the insurance company of the patient (crime victim) or the patient directly (crime victim) for the cost of the kit rather than pay it themselves as the state law required. Read on. You’ll see why I believe it.

New Mayor Palin Fires Police Chief, which is her right 1/30/97:

The Anchorage Daily News reported that Palin delivered letters to Police Chief Irl Stambaugh and City Librarian Mary Ellen Emmons on Jan. 30, 1997, saying their employment with the city would end. The reports said Palin took the action because she felt the two did not fully support the changes that she wanted to make as the newly elected mayor. Both Stambaugh and Emmons had publicly supported Palin’s political opponent, incumbent mayor John Stein, in the 1996 mayoral campaign, the reports noted. http://www.politifact.com/trut…..ments/702/

On March 6, 2000, Del Smith, the Deputy Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Public Safety, testified in support of HB 270 (the bill outlawing the billing of rape kits) and the minutes noted:

He commented that he does not think that a victim ought to even see a bill related to sexual assault whether it is on their insurance form or not. He emphasized that a police agency investigating a crime should pay because that is the cost of doing business in the collection of evidence no matter what the crime; he does not know of any police agency that has requested payment.

Gov. Palin under fire for Rape Kit and Bridge to Nowhere by Former Gov Knowles (Wasilla hometown paper The Frontiersman says it’s TRUE.)

Knowles broke new ground while answering a reporter’s question on whether Wasilla forced rape victims to pay for their own forensic tests when Palin was mayor.

True, Knowles said.

Eight years ago, complaints about charging rape victims for medical exams in Wasilla prompted the Alaska Legislature to pass a bill — signed into law by Knowles — that banned the practice statewide.

“There was one town in Alaska that was charging victims for this, and that was Wasilla,” Knowles said

A May 23, 2000, article in Wasilla’s newspaper, The Frontiersman, noted that Alaska State Troopers and most municipal police agencies regularly pay for such exams, which cost between $300 and $1,200 apiece.

“(But) the Wasilla police department does charge the victims of sexual assault for the tests,” the newspaper reported.

It also quoted Wasilla Police Chief Charlie Fannon objecting to the law. Fannon was appointed to his position by Palin after her dismissal of the previous police chief. He said it would cost Wasilla $5,000 to $14,000 a year if the city had to foot the bill for rape exams.

In the past we’ve charged the cost of exams to the victims’ insurance company when possible,” Fannon told the newspaper. “I just don’t want to see any more burden put on the taxpayer.”

An effort to reach Fannon by phone Wednesday was not successful.

Knowles and Weinstein also went after the Republican ticket on several statements now airing in campaign ads around the nation, including Palin’s claim that she opposed federal money for the “bridge to nowhere.”

The governor has refused to acknowledge her explicit support for the $230 million Gravina Island Access Project in her effort to sound more like an anti-earmark reformer to a national audience, Weinstein said.

And she still supports spending $400 million to $600 million on “the other Bridge to Nowhere,” the Knik Arm Crossing, which would provide residents in Palin’s hometown of Wasilla faster access to Anchorage, Knowles added. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/100/story/52266.html

A former worker with VCCB notes via 9/22/08 email:

Rape kits and other medical expenses of this type would be paid by the VCCB, 100% guaranteed. The City of Wasilla could have technically ‘charged’ the victim but even if they did, the VCCB would have paid the bill in full. I still know a few of the Board members and the supervisor and I can tell you that they are very liberal with the way that they pay the victims bills. http://confederateyankee.mu.nu/archives/274003.php

The debunking of this claim is true only if you accept that Wasilla police are in compliance with the law by billing an alleged rape victim’s health insurance or sending the victim the bill and having them seek reimbursement from the VCCB. It’s clear that the Wasilla police chief’s intention was to do so in violation of the law although no records of such billings could be produced. Palin’s hand picked police chief, in trying to avoid $5000 – $14000 per year in evidence collection expenses in rape investigations decided to try and have the expense paid by an entity other than the town, in violation of the statute.

Update: Rich Lowry was definitely among those who was thinking of blow jobs and masturbation “starbursts.”

Keith Olbermann called Lowry out on Friday’s show, even said, “if you want to sit there and masterbate . . . “

Didn’t know one could say that on teevee.

who plays biden?

Probably Darrell Hammond. He’s the resident impressionist but Hader is pretty good too.

yup. biden does it. i do it very, very rarely and every time i di i feel like a dope.

mccain does it too!

tee hee

“I know something, now you know it too”

I hate when male politicians wink too. Someone in the Senate–it might even be Joe Biden (though he certainly didn’t do it last night)

yup. biden does it. i do it very, very rarely and every time i di i feel like a dope.

the entire arsenal of dumbed-down culture war winger weaponry, to produce effect of it sucking everything along with it on its route towards the cliff’s edge of political Armageddon…[my bold]

Palin’s got the kind of arsenal that scores direct hits on the Rich Lowry’s of the US population. Several women that I know have been fuming that their sons and spouses are claiming ‘Palin’s hot‘!
See scribe @4 for one example of this phenomenon.

But I think for MadDogs’ ‘no info’ voters, it may work.
For those like myself, it’s just more gas on the Palin fire.

With the sound off, she looked even more manipulative to me.
But it sounds like scribe probably had an ideal viewing venue: she looks ‘hot’ but she sounds… verrrrry Barbie.

FWIW, agree with Prof Foland @17 that Biden really, really smacked it out of the ballpark on several criteria. That had to be really tough to avoid the emotional toxicity she was flinging around and still keep focused and level headed. If that wasn’t a Political Trial By Fire for Joe Biden, then I don’t know what would be.

Neil @59:

Whoever agreed to no follow-up questions ought to be shot.

Yup. Huge mistake for the Dems, and for responsible government.