The teen pregnancy bombshell is pure fluff, but this is the real deal. The connections between Sarah Palin and the Alaska Independence Party - a group calling for Alaska’s secession from the United States - continue to grow more intriguing by the hour.

The McCain campaign still denies that Palin was a member of AIP - they say there are voter registration cards that indicate she was a Republican her entire voting life.

That doesn’t fly considering AIP is also simply a membership organization, too. You don’t have to be registered as AIP to belong to the group and e4spouse its core tenets, which is what Palin did in the 1990’s.

Looking at the AIP web site is crucial to understand the seriousness of the situation for McCain and Palin. This is a group who is mainstream in Alaska but whose views are purely confrontational and very explosive outside of the 49th state. They push sort of a reverse Rev. Wright image of America; one where conservative whites should be able to do whatever the darn well please, like seceding from the United States.

And Joe Vogler, the late founder of the AIP, had a long history of bombastic statements relating to Alaskan independence  an what he thinks of the U.S. and its government. The most shocking one is splashed proudly across the top of the “introduction” page for the party.

“I’m an Alaskan, not an American. I’ve got no use for America or her damned institutions.”

  - Joe Vogler