Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for July 24, 2010

Hilarious!!! I met Gary Trudeau once. He came over to the relative I was staying with to borrow a can of peas for a meal he was cooking. Great father, too. Ironic now that I live just 2 miles away from Sarah’s home on the lake.

The coyote had nothing to do with that. And it was a crack lab.

Wasilla: The Meth Capital Of Alaska

More background on the social problems of the home-town of Sarah Palin:

In 2003, authorities uncovered nine meth labs in the area. Last year, the number increased to 42, said Kyle Young, an investigator with the troopers who works with the Mat-Su narcotics team.

Officials with the Office of Children’s Services in Wasilla said the problem affects children. The office receives about 40 calls a month from people reporting abuse or neglect involving some aspect of the highly addictive drug…

When authorities surrounded a converted bus housing a meth operation in Big Lake in January, a 13-year-old boy who answered the door bragged that his mom cooked the best meth in the valley, according to the troopers.

During a 2003 bust at a house outside Wasilla, officers discovered five children living inside, all younger than 8 years old.

The calls about meth to children’s services in Wasilla accounts for as many as 40 percent of the agency’s total monthly child protection calls.

Just a few days ago the police busted three meth labs here in Vermont, in just one day.

Coyote in Alaska? Wolf may be. We have Coyote here, Catamounts, may be (to the nonvermonter that’s mountain lion.)

\\//_

FORTY TWO meth labs in the Wasilla area? This is for real?

What in Hell is going on with the left and Palin?

She didn’t get in, has exposed herself to the point that she can’t possibly get in - your hatred borders upon pathological. And if it isn’t pathological, it’s at best, ratty meanness.

@hizzonner You’re right. It’s too easy. She’s bait. What is the Right trying to divert us from seeing by flaunting Sarah Palin at us?

Sarah Palin is bringing it on herself, hizzonner – deliberately, I think.

Most politicians who get trounced retreat with as much dignity as they can, and lay low until they can try again, if they have the stomach for it. But SP has been as visible and out-there as she can be, as political cheerleader, pundit, and self-appointed birth mother of new words for the English language. She has no more qualifications for high political office than does my cat. But in all fairness, she is physically attractive, always good for an arresting sound bite, and generally has an interesting personality. (Also just like my cat, come to think of it.)

All told, you can hardly pick on her critics for delighting in skewering her: she invites it, she thrives on it, and she’s capitalizing on it handsomely.

Thanks Sheik, I didn’t really get the joke until I read your post….

Great point, NebulousRikulau.. it’s always sleight of hand with politics, isn’t it? Both parties do it alla de time and we hardly notice any more.

As for Ms. Palin……. I want a prez who’s smarter than my garbage man, don’t all of you? Sure, she’s pretty-ish, but if she gets annoyed will she quit being prez too?

What a gal!

Unlike most of the posters on this message board, my wife and I have actually visited Wasilla, AK. The place is no great shakes. Oh, it’s not quite the hell-hole some have made it out to be, but I could appreciate how a few could call it the Redneck capitol of Alaska. Actually, Wasilla impressed me as not being too different from just about any other moderately-sized rural community you might find in any other state – with all the problems that go with that. Wasilla looks like it’s a great place to be from.

Sarah should refudiate herself.

Don’t misunderestimate the power of a good diversion.

It’s called a stalking horse, Scatty. Someone like Dan Qualye or Spiro Agnew goes out ahead and runs every possible extremist line at the people and then the real candidate comes along and picks up on the stuff that stuck to the media wall. I suspect two things: 1) Palin doesn’t have the political awareness to know she’s being used that way: 2) the users may get more than the bargained for as they got from her in the last election. Their mare may actually get enough power to get the running platform again. the libs are certainly trying to give her enough publicity so they can have her extremism to run against. The problem: they keep screwing up as badly ads Bush did and are likely to actually get “Obama-ed” by her if they don’t get THEIR act together. Heaven help us all if the elite actually get her in by mistake.

The usual reasons you see so many meth busts anywhere but mostly in rural America: Cooking the stuff is so vile you need a house or the “Bad” motor home and space to do it without getting caught. (If you want to buy a new house, try spraying a mist of ammonia on one of the walls, just in a corner. The mist will react with the meth residues and you’ll know not to get the place); Meth is the real capitalist drug. You can cook it yourself and sell it on the street for a massive profit. BUT the big organized cartels don’t like little guys coming into their space and will pressure their local cops to bust the independents so they don’t get hurt; It’s smelly and gruesome enough that lots of even distant neighbors complain and so the local cops have easy busts for more time than weed busts so it’s more worth their time to do it; Alaska has lots of little airstrips and even small private ones seldom used to land a private plane with the “fixin’s” and fly out the product without passing any security check. Our little airport within easy flying range of Canada and several major cities, can land a Lear with no one to look at the cargo. (Our local elementary was recently renamed for a very rich man who died who happened to get very rich through drug trade. We believe in irony here.) I can only imagine what kind of places they have with so much open space in Alaska.

@Dkram: You can’t expect Roland to know a coyote call from a wolf call; he doesn’t know his donkey from his elbow.

@Hizzoner: RE Palin: to misquote the old country song “how can we miss her if she won’t go away?”

refudiate… tee hee hee

@freeholder1:

Enlightening look at the drug houses that may be next door – disquieting. Thanks…I think.

BTW, it’s SCAATY, not Scatty – as in “Still Crazy After All These Years”. :)

Don’t smoke marijuana children. It will turn your brain into mush.

They try it and it doesn’t.

Don’t smoke meth children. It will turn your brain into mush.

They try it and they die.

Sarah has been effectively campaigning for office every since she declared that the right, honorable, and brave thing to do to avoid taking the easy way out was to … wait for it … quit the office of governor before her term was up!

This country has always enjoyed a good joke and we have one in Ms. Palin. Unfortunately, not everyone always gets the joke. As for Wasila, AK, what better place for someine like Sara to come from than a redneck stronghold where you can see them dirty Russians from the back porch. She and McCain (I’m from AZ) are yesterday’s joke that will not go away. They have had their “15 minutes” and can’t stand the thought of giving up the spotlight so they will do ANYTHING to stay in it. Bad for them, WORSE FOR US.

It would be more realistic if Garry would draw the background as strip malls. Wasilla is the strip mall capital of Alaska! And of course, it doesn’t get dark enough to see the stars until late next month. But good commentary!

Meth is everywhere. I know that Oklahoma is literally full of Meth labs and the “government” nor law enforcement can handle it.

But the discussion here seems to beg the question. What exactly ARE the requirements for being a “politician”. Based on what we see very day, it’s a degree from an elitist university and the ability to lie, cheat, steal and feed your ego, while ignoring the basic Constitutional concepts.

You people should be ashamed.

Liberals watch out. You keep crying about Sarah while the real GOP power sits back and waits. After the Left has shot all their good ammo at Barbie, Mr. Moderate Right is going to take the helm. The ever growing Undecided are going to like this guy who is not as far out as Sarah claims to be or Obama has proven to be.

Be nice to those who ran those 42 Meth labs. Remember, they were deprived because of their gender, race, or sexual orientation.Think of these poor products of our horrible society when your son’s teeth fall out at 28, your neighbor shoots his wife because she isn’t making enough prostituting herself, and a kid blows his brains out cause the Army won’t take him.Think treatment for pushers, not punishment.

Everyone should just stop playin the blame game on Wasilla’s mavericky biotechnology sector.

Commenters on this strip who take SP seriously are falling for the cartoonist’s bait. Employing his persona of RH, Trudeau makes fun of the neolibs’ chronic need to appear more knowledgeable about politics than the common voter.

Since most voters are no longer interested in SP, the neolibs’ continuing obsession with her does indeed seem to bear out freeholder’s suggestion that they’re praying for a straw (wo)man opponent to Obama.

Neolibs love to fantasize about a feared or a wished-for election outcome. Their reluctance to await the voice of the people shows, I think, a basic distrust of the voters who—-despite all the paranoia about corporate advertising and election demagoguery—-make the final decision as to who will govern the republic.

I don’t “hate” any of those political types but they sure do test my ability to want to give them a chance…. Left, right, all of it’s a creation to keep us at each other’s throats while the rich cats steal everything not nailed down. Frankly, I don’t care which yahoo runs this country - allow us to have a decent life and you’ll get my vote, regardless of political tag…

Just remember that the owners of this government want us to shout at each other and keep shouting and to keep us apart. After all, wouldn’t it be a hoot if lefties and righties actually saw each other as humans? Amazing, but possible. Step back folks, and take a long look at things. If you see one party as trying to destroy this country, (whatever THAT means) excuse my snickering but it’s BOTH parties, people, both parties…. and it is continual.

I suppose I’ll find the answer here in the comments.

Way to stir the pot, Trudeau… ;-)

I remember in the 60’s how a nurse boasted to me that she lied about marijuana when she told children about it, said it “turned your brain to mush”. It did, a little, but not much, and didn’t seem to be permanent. So the lesson that the children learned was not to believe what they were told.

I don’t remember meth being talked about then, not even cocaine. What followed after marijuana was - heroin. So when they told kids how dangerous that was - well, you got the case of the boy who cried wolf too often.

Lying rebounds back on the liar.

Frankr: Do you know the next line of the song?

“How can I grieve if she won’t leave” there’s more.

Sarah Palin as Commander in Chief of the

US Armed Forces.. That scare ya?

“In 2003, authorities uncovered nine meth labs in the area. Last year, the number increased to 42, ”

What would Douglas Adams say?

Bambi roasted over a stack of books…mmmm….they can use “Primary Colors” for kindling, so Half Price Books can get rid of its inventory. (They were inundated with ‘em when I sold ‘em my copy - true story.)

I wonder how many readers outside the Beltway actually got the meth lab reference?

RichardSRussell said, about 1 hour ago Anybody ever wonder why there seems to be a never-ending MARKET for meth?

Sorry, sir, but you’re not permitted to ask that question. It could start people thinking, and next thing you know they might begin to wonder if we’re really the best-est, most-blessed, most wonderful, happiest nation on the planet (even though we consume more drugs and imprison more people per capita than anybody else). They might start to wonder why we have a multi-billion-dollar industry devoted to making people feel bad about themselves for the purpose of selling them some over-priced product (might be a car, might be pimp clothing, might be booze, might be tobacco, might be an expensive drug… or might be cheap domestic meth)… People might begin to realize that happiness doesn’t come from consumption, and if that ever happens the whole dang system falls apart, doesn’t it?

So, sir, if you persist in asking such questions you will have to be silenced…

Cost/benefit analysis. Weed takes a season to grow & is bulky to transport. For the same money you can cook meth quickly, smuggle it more easily, & it’s more addictive to insure repeat business. SoCal sheriffs bust as many as 80 labs a month, but it’s a big desert & there’s big money. As for gateway drugs; I’ve never met a meth-head that didn’t smoke cigarettes. Many don’t do weed. Many pot-heads don’t use either of the other two. I know people who’ve quit meth, coke, heroin, weed & drinking. All agreed, it’s easiest to quit weed & hardest to quit cigarettes.

Anybody remember Levi Johnston’s mom being arrested on meth charges? Shouldn’t be a reflection on anyone, just seems interesting. It was reported but there wasn’t a big spotlight on it as I recall. Meanwhile, she was Levi’s mom after all, a big girl, not a minor.

Sounds like some intelligent people read Doonesbury…

I am not a big fan of the conspiracy brigade, but I do have a feeling that SP was / is “set-up” for fall-guy status - diversionary tactics indeed.

Have towel. Will travel.

Lots of coyotes in that part of Alaska. I lived there for 36 years and saw many of them.

Now I get it. Acme Meth Lab kit…Wyl E. Coyote…Whoom! It’s all clear to me now!!!

Good one, Heeyuk

If you catch them making or transporting meth, hang or shoot them on the spot. Summary execution.

Heeyuk, both your comments were clever.

I wonder if the coyote got into the meth batch…the howl did come from that direction…

Don’t forget the Mexican coyotes that are getting people into the labs up here, too

You never know whether or not some are up on the news judging by the comments which are frequently made here. Just wanted to make sure people remembered the Levi Johnston mom’s arrest connection. Folks on the right often want to be portrayed as perfect and have people forget any human foibles of any kind that they may have. It is probably why they are always first to wave the American flag. There are plenty of liberals who are also patriotic, after all.

Like Sarah said, “It’s the real America”.

Meth labs, what could be more American than entrepreneurship?