World News Korner

And now a blast from the past.

If you are long time visitors here at IM you are probably well aware that yours truly is often escorted from Palin book signings.

The above video is from the first time it happened, back in 2009 for Palin's "Going Rogue" book tour, and it came as a complete surprise.

Here is what I wrote then:

My first hint that something may be wrong down in Who-ville was when I was asked for my ID, not once, but twice. Then as Dennis and I were about to sign in, and the lady behind the desk took our picture with a little digital camera! WTF? I have never had anybody do that before at any other event that I attended as a media representative. I wondered why there was such tight security, unaware that my question was only seconds from being answered.

Almost as soon as I had my picture taken I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I turned around and came face to face with a local police officer who quickly apologized and then informed me that I was on the "banned list".

"I am on the WHAT list?" I asked.

"The banned list sir, I am going to have to escort you off of the property. This is a private event."

Both Dennis Zaki and I were escorted out that day. And it resulted in quite a backlash against Sarah Palin, her publisher Harper Collins, and the staff in charge of the Curtis C. Menard Memorial Sports Center, where the signing was held.

However I guess I never realized exactly how big of an impact it had on the poor guy who was in charge of the sports center.

The other day Dennis sent me this article from early 2010, that I somehow missed:

It wasn't the largest event ever held at the Wasilla Sports Complex, or the most lucrative.

But city recreation and cultural services manager James Hastings said the Dec. 22 book signing that publishing company HarperCollins sponsored for former Gov. Sarah Palin at the facility has been the most controversial by far.

"The event was easy. The whole thing over being told these folks (on a not-welcome list) can't be here, that was nightmarish," Hastings said.

Reporters wanted to see the contract between HarperCollins and the city. There was none, Hastings said. The publisher arranged the rental verbally and paid the city electronically. Instructions were handled by e-mail and in a walk-through with Todd Palin before the event. The only written document was instructions he handed out to his staff and three volunteers: A list of names provided by Todd Palin of four people not welcome at the event.

On the banned list were Dennis Zaki, a photographer who formerly ran the Web site Alaska Report, blogger Jesse Griffin, Anchorage radio host Shannyn Moore and Andree McLeod, an Anchorage activist who filed state ethics complaints against Gov. Palin.

While neither Moore nor McLeod attended, both Zaki and Griffin were there. After they signed in at the media table that morning, they were told they were banned from attending and escorted out of the building, even though HarperCollins paid $475 to rent only the turf court and mezzanine sections of the sports center.

Suddenly, with news of a "banned" list, the signing became big news.

Hastings said that as a result of the hubbub, he plans to end the "handshake and a gentleman's agreement" approach the city has had for one-time rentals.

"In the next 30 days we're going to have a rental agreement so you write down what you want," Hastings said.

I knew it got a lot of attention, and for awhile Dennis and I even flirted with the idea of suing Harper Collins, but eventually I figured things went back to the usual for the sports center.

Apparently I was mistaken, and our little fracas, for which I continue to proclaim my innocence, resulted in a policy change that continues to this day.

You know the other thing this did was start a trend which Tina Dupuy noticed in 2011, and which inspired her to compile her now famous Sarah Palin's Enemies List.

Of course Dennis and I are on there along with Joe McGinniss and Levi Johnston.

In fact this list became such a status symbol that people were campaigning for the right to be added.

However not to split hairs or anything, but there is "I wrote something critical and now she doesn't like me" enemies, and "The crazy lady hates me so much she keeps throwing me out of book signings" enemies.

Oh, but if you don't think she likes me now, you just wait.

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