Behind the Viral Email on Sarah Palin

September 3, 8:06 AMPolitical Issues ExaminerJudah Freed

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Alaska Governor Sarah Palin
(Source: Washington Independent)

Housewife and mother Anne Kilkenny was not prepared for instant national attention when her September comment about Sarah Palin went viral. She's been overwhelmed by the response.

Kilkenny's viral email experience began as an online comment to an article about Palin by Laura McGann at the Washington Independent website.

"I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska," wrote Kilkenny. "I have known Sarah since 1992. Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her father was my child's favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a first-name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the residents of the city."

These sound like solid credentials to me, yet what's behind the viral letter?

"So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the last 2 days that I decided to write something up." Kilkenny began. "Basically, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have only 2 things in common: their gender and their good looks."

Kilkenny then added, "You have my permission to forward this to your friends/email contacts with my name and email address attached, but please do not post it on any websites, as there are too many kooks out there."

So, a few readers in Washington State did copy and forward Kilkenny's comment, who emailed it to their friends, who emailed it to their friends, who emailed it their friends, and so on.

I received a copy Kilkenny's comment on Tuesday, September 2, and I immediately responded with a request for permission to quote her. She replied later that day with thanks for me even asking. "This is getting overwhelming. Somebody posted my letter without my permission. Now it's everywhere. Emails are coming at an ever increasing rate."

She gave me permission to quote her, but she also said that she preferred not to be quoted. To clear up my confusion, I replied with details on the four levels of journalistic confidentiality (on the record, off the record, background, and deep background).

I also said, "You have shared information not available elsewhere. That's why your words are being distributed so widely."

She responded this morning with an apology for the delay. "I haven't been able to keep up with all the email," she wrote. "I'm getting used to having strangers declare they know why I said this or that, and what I think, or what kind of person I am. And I'm finding out that there are WAY more good people out there than kooks. Out of hundreds of responses I've received, only a couple have been negative, none terribly nasty, and, most importantly, none threatening. THANK GOD!"

Giving me permission to quote her on the record, she added. "I don't want my words to be the used in a piece which is just against Palin; if you're not writing a balanced piece, please don't quote me on the record. Please try to not quote me out of context. I don't need to read my name in the press. The important thing is that the information get out."

Given her sensitivities, and with respect for her rights, since so many others have published her letter on the Web without permission, I've decided not to quote any more from her letter than its introduction.

Instead, I'm going to give you below the link to Laura McGann's initial article and invite you to scroll down the long page to read Anne Kilkenny's comment in it's original context.  The other comments there are worth reading, too.  

If you want to get past the hype on both sides of the debate about Palin's suitability to be president if something ever happens to aging John McCain, if you want insights that you cannot find elsewhere from someone who knows Sarah Palin first-hand,  if you want more than the opinions of national pundits like me, I urge you to click the link below and get the facts for yourself.



http://www.washingtonindependent.com/3671/the-reform-candidate