Chief: Gov. Palin's home church damaged by arson

[underpants]

Source: AP

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Gov. Sarah Palin's home church was badly damaged by arson, leading the governor to apologize if the fire was connected to "undeserved negative attention" from her failed campaign as the Republican vice presidential nominee.

Damage to the Wasilla Bible Church was estimated at $1 million, authorities said Saturday. No one was injured in the fire, which was set Friday night while a handful of people, including two children, were inside, according to Central Mat-Su Fire Chief James Steele.

He said the blaze was being investigated as an arson but didn't know of any recent threats to the church. Authorities didn't know whether Palin's connection to the church was relevant to the fire, Steele said.

"It's hard to say at this point. Everything is just speculation," he said. "We have no information on intent or motive."

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jkS07LwkrjrSELwHjKjG99xfrIywD95262Q80

[underpants]

1. "Oh, I never thought I'd have to do this again"

[DS1]

2. Setting herself up as a religious victom, blame liberals

Can't say I'm surprised.

Of course if they do catch some liberal nut, I'll take this back.

[underpants]

6. How hard is it to "hide" in a town of 7,000?

Someone is going to have to keep this REAL QUIET to not get caught

unless of course it was a highly coordinated* suffisticated liberal operation ;-) that used elements purchased far outside of Wasilla, transported them in, and were able to flee town swiftly without being noticed (like strangers in Wasilla are probably always noticed).

*this would definitely leave G. Gordon out of suspicion

[Dr.Phool]

13. Hide under her daughter's bed?

Nobody looks there.

[Gato Moteado]

3. was it MIHOP or LIHOP?

i'm leaning toward MIHOP.

:)

[tularetom]

4. Give the loony tune another chance to play the victim

Why the fuck would anybody do such a dumb thing?

[420inTN]

5. It's not uncommon here in the South for a church to get torched.

Personally, I never understand the reasoning behind it.

[emilyg]

23. Sick hatred.

[Politicalboi]

24. And get Ted

To renovate the church. See she can bring work to Alaska.

[Dr.Phool]

7. The Wasilla Turkey Liberation Organization claimed responsibility.

In a statement, they said, "Pork, the other white meat".

[underpants]

8. No no no

it is the Wasilla Liberation Turkey Organization

[Dr.Phool]

11. In the meantime, a spokesperson for the Moose Liberation Front said.

"Eat more chicken".

[makinguphumans]

9. I am glad no one was burned/hurt as there were people inside...........

...........The fire was set at the entrance of the church and moved inward as a small group of women were working on crafts, Steele said. The group was alerted to the blaze by a fire alarm.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

10. The damage was $1 Million?

Ye cats and little fishes, how big was the church? Why not have a smaller church and use the money to feed the poor?

[Dr.Phool]

14. !

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :spray: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[rainbow4321]

18. Sure doesn't look like a million dollar or more place---wonder who the contractors will be??

Let me guess...million dollars worth of repairs needed...Todd's "buddies" rush to the job. Wonder who will get "awarded" the repair contracts????



Pic of some of the church damage (from the Anchorage newspaper):




http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/matsu/story/621988.html
The building is equipped with a fire sprinkler system, Kroon said, but the fire was burning in the walls and took hours to put out.

Most of the damage was confined to the back corner of the building where four offices and a classroom are located, he said. There is also water damage and the entire building smells like smoke, he said.

[jetphixer]

12. WITCHES?

I'm betting the guy from where ever missed one of the witches wen he was EXORCISM the one from sister Sara. See the old double double toil an trouble Eye of KNUTE (Gingrich)..... Nev er should have messed with the wee folks of the forest.... OH sorry That was Shakespeare I can see AVON from here.. Stratford ne 1 ????

[pjt7]

15. In a small town like that, they should

be able to find the guilty.

Closing my eyes, I bet it's a couple of kids from the highschool.

[Dr.Phool]

16. Trying to frame the Brother-in-law?

[Joanne98]

17. Attention whore!

[rainbow4321]

19. The fire "was burning IN the walls"

Question: if it was arson, set by someone not connected to the church, how did the fire go undetected IN the walls?? Do they mean inside the walls where wires and such normally are placed? Does this sound more like an electrical problem or something? Egg on Palin's face for throwing herself in the middle if this turns out to be not arson and more of a construction mishap.


http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/matsu/story/621988.html

The building is equipped with a fire sprinkler system, Kroon said, but the fire was burning in the walls and took hours to put out.

Most of the damage was confined to the back corner of the building where four offices and a classroom are located, he said. There is also water damage and the entire building smells like smoke, he said.

Steele, the fire chief, said nothing has been found thus far to suggest any political motivation for the fire.

"Right now there's no indication that we have that there's any connection there. We just don't have any leads at all as far as the intent or motive in this," Steele said.

[Mad_Dem_X]

20. Exactly - "in the walls" doesn't sound like arson

Somebody is just trying to make it political. :eyes:

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

21. The initial article said the fire was set at an entrance.

It's not unusual for fires to get inside walls if they burn past the incipient phase.

David

[hedgehog]

47. The photo suggests that there is a metal skin over the building.

The metal wouldn't burn, but it would keep water from fire hoses from reaching a fire.

[emilyg]

22. I take no pleasure in this. Glad nobody hurt.

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

38. I concur nt

[Historic NY]

25. Spontaneous human combustion cause it.....somebody burned in hell.

[CitizenPatriot]

26. God opening a door for the Palini?

I am glad no one was hurt. Whoever did this was sick. We as liberals certainly understand as we've had our churches targeted by the crazy fringe elements who were whipped into a frenzy by Palin during her hate fests.

This is more red meat for her base who think she is some martyr --- they have seriously got to be irony impaired, don't they?

[Politicalboi]

27. I think the Russian's

Did it. They can see Wasilla from their door step. Nobody was watching and they jump the line and set the fire and jumped back. Let the Cold War begin.

[pitchforksandtorches]

28. Start with an investigation of

the successful subcontractors, specifications, and actual materials used.
Commence with checking out "Sparky the Electrician" aka the lowest bidder.

[proust78]

29. Also, a backwards "B" was carved in the church

Witnesses say the arsonist was a big, angry black guy.

[underpants]

44. LOL

DUzy nominee

[Milspec]

30. What, Palins son home on leave already?

Glad no one was hurt.

[Chipper Chat]

31. The Clenis did it.

:silly:

[jwirr]

32. MSM took their eyes off her to blab about Blago and she had to do

something to get them back.

[rainbow4321]

41. Great, now we are going to have her showing up at every incident

in Wasilla. Grassfires, graffiti, burglaries..cuz everything that happens there is going to be "unwanted negative attention". So this is 1 of 69 million Wasilla based crimes to come, right, Sarah?? :eyes:

[Kittycat]

33. Meth Lab Explosion Nearby?

[Yavapai]

34. Have been rubbing a jalapeno in my eye but I just can't seem to bring forth a tear!

Will try a habanero, and report back later...

[MadMaddie]

39. Ha..ha...ha...

If the habanero doesn't work, maybe tabasco...

Welcome to DU!!:rofl:

on a serious note, glad no one was hurt.

[cartach]

35. Has to be,

just has to be, a warning from God that if Wasillaians continue their sinful ways they will burn forever in the fires of hell. Or alternatively as another poster already mentioned, Palin's son might be home on leave.

[underpants]

43. Welcome to DU

that church preaches that demons are everywhere and in everything-the only pay to purge them is through fire

Not sure of their position on irony or karma

:hi:

[struggle4progress]

56. That does seem to be WBC's attitude: other people's suffering is a divine warning but:

they themselves are exempt

... Mrs Palin attended a service recently where a guest speaker, David Brickner, suggested that terrorism in Israel was God’s judgment against the Jews for failing to accept Christ as the Messiah ...
From The Times
September 10, 2008
Sarah Palin, the pastor and the prophecy: judgment day is not far away
Alexi Mostrous in Wasilla, Alaska
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article4720440.ece

... Palin now attends the Wasilla Bible Church. She was there on August 17, just days before entering the national spotlight. David Brickner, the founder of Jews for Jesus, was a speaker. He told congregants that terrorist attacks on Israel were God's "judgment" of Jews who haven't embraced Christianity. Brickner said, "Judgment is very real and we see it played out on the pages of the newspapers and on the television. When a Palestinian from East Jerusalem took a bulldozer and went plowing through a score of cars, killing numbers of people. Judgment -- you can't miss it" ...
updated 3:48 a.m. EDT, Tue September 9, 2008
Pastor: GOP may be downplaying Palin's religious beliefs
By Randi Kaye
AC360° Correspondent
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/08/palin.pastor/index.html

... Palin’s pastor, Larry Kroon, was recorded endorsing Brickner’s message, with Palin in attendance ...
How the News Media Covered Religion in the 2008 General Election
“Pastor Problems”
November 20, 2008
http://www.journalism.org/node/13792

... Later, senior pastor Ed Kalnin — with Palin at his side — spoke about tapping into Alaska's natural resource wealth to fulfill the state's destiny of serving as a shelter for Christians at the end of the world. "I believe that Alaska is one of the 'refuge states' — come on, you guys — in the Last Days," Kalnin said, raising his arm to underscore his point. "And hundreds of thousands of people are going to come to this state to seek refuge ... " ...
Embraced by evangelicals, Palin has become circumspect on religion
By George Bryson and Richard Mauer
McClatchy Newspapers
09-13-2008
http://www.annistonstar.com/religion/2008/as-churchnews-0913-0-8i12s0835.htm

[Hannah Bell]

36. was it insured? in these times...i'd think insurance fraud before other possibilities...

but now reading the comments & the different storylines it sounds like either tiny fire at the door or electrical fire - but why can't they get the story straight?

[concerned canadian]

37. wow..palin plants an evil seed straight away in suggesting that it's

the work of the Liberals and/or those homosexuals, who the church tried to show the error of the ways

of thinking about the same sex. It wouldn't be surprising if it was the red-neck boyfriend, in cahoots with

Todd's contractor buddies, with Sarah so far in the background (at home, cookin' moose stew, again)that the crime

could never be tied to her. As said up-thread, now that she's been out of the media spotlight, replaced by Blago,

this church burning incident. Co-incidence?

[Turbineguy]

40. Can you say "Insurance Scam"?

I knew you could.

[TheCowsCameHome]

42. $1 million damage? Was her RNC paid-for wardrobe stored in there?

It looks like an old warehouse.

[enough already]

45. You reap what you sow.

Karma is a bitch, Palin.

[hedgehog]

46. What are the odds that somehow the motivation for this involves

a divorce or broken relationship? Someone torched the church because it is impotant to his ex and/or he blames the church for his ex leaving.

[rainbow4321]

49. Palin's father: "doesn’t believe Friday’s fire was politically motivated."

Funny how Palin is out there saying this was related to HER and her own father is saying no, it is not. His comment didn't make the Anchorage newspaper or the national news, it is buried in Wasilla's local paper.

http://www.frontiersman.com/articles/2008/12/14/local_news/doc494476b3bd775661836554.txt

While Wasilla Bible Church is where Palin and her family worships, the governor’s father, Chuck Heath, doesn’t believe Friday’s fire was politically motivated.

“My gut feeling is, I would be very surprised if there were any connection (to Palin’s candidacy),” he said, adding he is curious about what would motivate someone to set fire to a church. “I’m interested in that, too, but I doubt it was connected.”

Heath said he talked with Governor Palin about the fire and said “she’s very upset about it, too. You just wonder why? Why was it set, the motive, the intent? We all want to know that.”
---------

Having images of Palin scanning the Wasilla newspaper's police blotter, seeing what other frenzy she can cause.

[yasmina27]

48. Sorry, I don't see anything funny about this

although it's definitely ripe for many jokes.

This is wrong, whether politically motivated or not. Thankfully, no one was injured, including the 2 childrem who were in the church at the time.

A few years ago, we had a rash of church-burnings around here, including the church my aunt attended. A sad situation. Although I'm about as non-religious as you can get, I found it appalling.

[Zavulon]

50. I would have thought the Church of Satan would have handled fire better than that.

[Thor_MN]

51. I guess Collin Powell was right, she divided the GOP

and at least part of the hate filled, domestic terrorists (aka, the base) were not on her side.

[goforit]

52. Here comes another witch-hunt for the piromaniac! LOL!!!

[jmowreader]

53. Sarah, start looking at old-fashioned conservatives

I'm certain there are more than a few Republicans in Alaska who are pissed off enough at how corrupt their governor is, they'd stoop to attacking the church she attends. They can't go after her house because that would be really bad, but the church is a different story: because they can hold services in the hockey rink Palin put Wasilla in hock to build, it's a severe psychological blow but it's not like anyone will be sleeping in a snowbank if the church is condemned.

[Judi Lynn]

54. Sure hope their snakes weren't harmed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk.nyud.net:8090/blogs/ni/snake.handling.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org.nyud.net:8090/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Snakehandling.png/300px-Snakehandling.png

[Nevernose]

55. I say either insurance fraud or bad contractor

But that's just gut talking. Beef stew often does that to me.