Palin's Church Badly Damaged in Fire

Could this be a political attack?

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- Gov. Sarah Palin's home church has been badly damaged in a suspicious fire.

Larry Kroon, pastor of the Wasilla Bible Church, estimates damages at more than $1 million to the church.

Kroon declined to say if the blaze was politically based or directed at Palin, the failed Republican vice presidential candidate.

Kroon says the fire broke out Friday night while a small group of women were working on crafts. They were alerted to the blaze by a fire alarm.

Kroon says he was called and by the time he got to the church, smoke was pouring out of the building. Sprinklers kept the fire from spreading beyond offices and classrooms.

Authorities are not immediately commenting, but Kroon says he's been told the fire is being investigated as a crime.

Some of the folks on the left are so deranged that burning a church would make perfect sense to them.

However, having been in the church insurance business for a number of years I can tell you there are lots of reasons that somebody might torch a church. The most likely reason is a disgruntled former member. Another common cause is insurance fraud in which the pastor or other church leader does the job in order to get the funds or a new facility (unlikely in this case). And occasionally you'll get a local nutcase who just has a problem with churches or God and takes it out on the nearest target.

All that considered, however, I'd still go with political arson.