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Sarah Palin was right about Energy Independence.

I'm Going to Try to Do This Dispassionately....

There are a few topics running around right now that do nothing less than boil my Viking-blood. But I will try, try to remain calm.

Oh, who am I fooling?

The first has to do with this matter of "banned" bloggers from the Wasilla book-signing event. Have I mentioned lately that I hate the media?

This article in Gawker (I know, I know, it's Gawker) is soul-stirring to say the least. By the article, you would think that Gryphen and Zaki were merely critical of Governor Palin. That they merely disagreed with her on a few issues. What an injustice and an overreaction that they were banned!

There is no mention that Dennis Zaki has been trashing Palin relentlessly in the most ridiculous and flat-out false way for the past year, including his assertion that Governor Palin plagiarized Newt Gingrich after she cited Newt twice in a speech.

The worst part though is that Zaki put links on the front page of his website to gutter-trash places like Gryphen's Immoral Minority. Gryphen has spewed the most outlandish assertions, including (but certainly not limited to) the idea that Trig is not Sarah Palin's son, that Track only joined the army to stay out of jail, that Levi is the salt of the earth and everything that has happened to him is solely Sarah Palin's fault, and Gryphen was the guy who "broke" the story that Todd and Sarah were "Splitsville," a story he pledged was not a rumor, but fact.

That Splitsville story made the headlines on Zaki's website. From there it could spread into the mass media, and it would have if the Palins hadn't adamantly denied the story right away.

But you will hear none of that from the media. The fact that Gryphen is 100% certain that Trig did not come from Sarah Palin's loins (and who knows where Tripp came from) will never enter the conversation.

It would be like President Obama meeting Glenn Beck, if Glenn Beck also spent 75% of his time saying that Barack and Michelle were on the brink of divorce, that Michelle secretly hated her children, and that one (if not both!) of the girls were not actually Barack's.

I certainly wouldn't begrudge the President having a problem with shaking Glenn Beck's hand, even as Glenn Beck currently stands.

It's just disgusting. The more I live in this world, the more I loathe it. It's like that one guy in Psalms who said, "Why do the wicked prosper?"

I guess in this case the question is, "Why do the wicked always seem to get away with it and the good guys can't catch a break?"

Anyway....next topic.

I really am going to try and not be agitated on this one. The one and (hopefully) the only, Levi Johnston.

As you know, Bristol is suing Levi for full legal custody of Tripp, but she also wants Levi to have access to her son via a visitation schedule. She argues that Levi has been largely absent from Tripp's life, that he hadn't paid a dime in child support until this last October, and that Levi is in no position to share custody of Tripp at this time.

She also wants it in writing that Levi's mother can only watch Tripp with supervision. Levi essentially agreed that his mother wouldn't be with Tripp alone, but I doubt he'll go for anything in writing.

I'm going to be honest, Bristol's got an uphill battle ahead of her. It's not easy to convince a judge to grant sole legal custody, and Alaska law is tricky on this. If I were you, I would pray hard.

My personal belief (and this is as far away from my personal feelings as I can get) is that Levi needs to get his GED and get a real job with a real source of income before he should be granted joint custody. I would be in favor of giving Bristol custody for now with the stipulation that the case must be revisited in maybe three years. If at that time Levi can produce evidence that a high school equivalency has been aquired and that he has a job and a stable life, then go ahead and grant joint custody.

I could go into a rant about how I think Levi's a Douchebag, but that's not relevant. I honestly, honestly don't think he's ready yet. Give him another couple years, and then he might be.

My heart bleeds for what Bristol must have had to sit through this last year, having to remain a class act while her ex-boyfriend goes out and trashes the family, the very family that is looking after his son. She doesn't have the forum to say what she thinks about the situation like he does. It kills me to think of Levi essentially being rewarded for his scumbaggery, but sometimes that's the way life is. We'll just have to wait and see.

I really, really do pray with all of my soul that Levi wakes up one day and realizes what he has done and the pain he has caused.

Palin Has More Common Sense Than.....

Article in the Courier Press:
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In response to national and local liberals who continually bash former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, I, as a conservative along with millions of conservatives across the country, would like to set the record straight.

Palin has more common sense solutions regarding the problems facing our country than the entire administration of President Barack Obama.

An example: Palin understands that the health care system needs to be fixed, but also understands as do most people that the Nancy Pelosi-Harry Reid 2,000-pages of smoke and mirrors is not the answer.

Common sense says you don't destroy the system to fix it.

Palin is all for green energy solutions, but understands that until those solutions are found in the next 10, 20 or 30 years, we need to use the abundant oil, gas and coal reserves that we have in the ground and oceans surrounding the United States.

The liberal solution includes Environmental Protection Agency mandates or cap and tax programs. That is, until the economy comes to a standstill.

Another knock on Palin is she lacks foreign policy experience. Barack Obama's 151 days in the Senate does not qualify as foreign policy expertise.

Palin loves and is proud of our country and would not go around the world apologizing and denigrating the United States to make herself look good to people in countries that don't like the United States anyway.

Palin's common sense approach to problem solving is just what this country needs.

We can see what direction the liberal politicians are taking our country: Government takeover of the banking, automotive and health care industries.

They would give full constitutional rights to the confessed mastermind of the 9-11 attacks while putting New York City in danger of another terrorist attack.

Palin may not be Harvard educated, but I prefer her common sense and proven solutions to problems over those proposed by the Obama Administration.

Late-Nite Vids

I got a few more Bob and Mark vids. I don't know why the audio sounds a little hollow. I'll try to get that fixed. The first is a follow-up to the previous open letter to Sarah. The other two are Sarah's complete interview with the BAM Show while she was in Idaho during the book tour. A video of this was already posted online, but this one is 20 minutes, whereas that one was 11 minutes. Also a vid from Greta's show talking about the most admired women in America:

Rush Limbaugh Rushed to the Hospital

Rush Limbaugh has been rushed to a hospital in Hawaii after experiencing severe chest pains:

Paramedics responded to the call at 2:41 p.m. at the Kahala Hotel and Resort.

Limbaugh suffered from chest pains, sources said. Paramedics treated him and took him to Queen's Medical Center in serious condition.

He was seen golfing at Waialae Country Club earlier this week. The country club is next to the Kahala Hotel and Resort.

The radio show host had been in the islands during the holidays. Coincidentally, his visit comes at a time when two of the nation's most powerful Democrats, President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, are also staying in Hawaii.

An Open Letter to Sarah Palin on the Bob and Mark Show (videos)

I'm not sure if I necessarily agree with the idea that "Buy American" will fix all of our problems, but I thought this was cool, nonetheless:





I'll have more cool vids for you tonight. Stay tuned:)

Levi's Ridin' Them Coattails

Come on, Flein, Get It Together

After reading through the court documents of the Bristol/Levi case more thoroughly, I have come to this conclusion: Van Flein better step it up a notch.

While Butler's tactics are clearly of the scumbag variety and his ends are clearly wrong, he's also staying clearly legal. Van Flein's been fighting based on right and wrong (with a few legalities thrown into the mix); Butler has no "right" to fight from so he's fighting from pure law. Van Flein better fight the enemy where the enemy lives.

Some of the things in his arguments to keep the case closed to the media were just plain sloppy. First off, it appears that one of the documents that was supposed to be turned in to the court was turned in late.

At another point, Van Flein used a tweet from a fake twitter account (at least I'm pretty sure it's fake, unless Tom knows something I don't know) that was supposedly Levi's as part of his evidence.

Sloppy, Flein. Get it together, NOW.

I know you're a good lawyer, but Rex has been gearing up for this for a year, and he's going to use every dirty tactic in the book while always keeping his big toe just within the line of the law.

You're going to need to do the same. Unfortunately, scumbaggery doesn't matter; the fact that Levi's a douchebag doesn't matter; only the law matters.

And sometimes the law sucks.

Levi/Bristol Custody Battle Vids

Saluting Sarah Palin

Great letter to the editor found here:
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Sarah Palin dedicates her book ''Going Rogue'' ''to all patriots who share my love of the United States of America. And particularly to our women and men in uniform, past and present. God bless the fight for freedom.''

Freedom yes, but lately Washington seems to be extinguishing that freedom under the yoke of big government. Our nation became great, not only by way of a strong work ethic, but by letting the private sector flourish. Abe Lincoln reminded Americans that you can't life up the poor by pushing down the very people who create jobs for them. And as Reagan said, ''Put the peoples' money back in their own hands.''

Rush Limbaugh, who deplores the ''chickification' of America, is still one of Palin's greatest fans. Why? She ''fills a void.'' No one [since] Reagan has passionately spoken out for common sence conservatism and acted on these beliefs.

During her tenure as governor, she broke up the corrupt ''good-old-boys club'' of her own party; split the profits of the big oil giants, putting more money back into the hands of the Alaskan people; got rid of federal ''pork,'' eliminating ''extravagances'' such as the governor's jet, chef and even car; got plans for Alaska's huge natural gas pipeline off the ground; forced Exxon to begin drilling on the leased land that they had ''sat on'' for 30 years; and proved that it's possible to be pro-environment and pro-development. On a personal level, she sent a son off to Iraq.

For those who haven't read her book, the title can be misleading. A rogue is a rascal, even a dishonest person. During her run for vice president, the ''campaign professionals'' pretty much dictated everything she could and couldn't say. If she's occasionally speak her mind, these ''professionals'' would say, ''Oh-oh. She's going rogue again.'' It's pretty hard to muzzle Sarah! ...

The question, ''Why did she resign as governor? '' often arises. She looked forward to returning to her beloved state to a job she loved, it was not to be. Countless media people, engaging in the ''bloodsport of character assignation,'' swarmed around the mansion in Juneau. Frivolous and serious lawsuits kept coming, until the state went under financially.

Finally, Sarah decided personal bankruptcy and ruined reputation she could take, but not seeing Alaskans suffer ...

Another ''media gem'' was that she and McCain were at odds with each other. Not so. She has the greatest respect for him, though sometimes she was at odds with reporters and campaign directors!

Although Sarah is no ''Bible-thumping evangelist,'' she operates on a day to day faith in God and answered prayer which underlie her wisdom, strength, humor and courage. Why is she so brutally attacked? It is a known fact that liberals control most of the mainstream media. They are afraid of her because she points out the dangers of their big-government policies.

Tom Morgan pointed out another good reason: Many Washington types are well-off and try to connect with regular folks by setting up photo ops in sports arenas, hometown dinners, etc. No need for Sarah to do this - she is ''regular folks!''

At this time, it doesn't seem to be important to her whether or not she's drafted for the presidency. The bottom line is, she wants to serve her state and country in whatever capacities [she can].

Mary Lou Giles

Allen West for Congress (and possibly VP:)

One of my choices for Palin's VP, Allen West talks about Afghanistan strategy this last fall. He's running for Congress in Florida. Support him at Allenwestforcongress.com:



If not VP, how about her Secretary of Defense?

Threats to Willow Palin - Statement by Meg Stapleton

Meg Stapleton just issued the following statement to the Juneau Empire:

One of the events discussed in former Gov. Sarah Palin's book, "Going Rogue, " was a disturbing occurrence that affected the family: a vile threat made against Palin's daughter, Willow, while she was attending school in Juneau.

The threat was made in a MySpace post.

The family reported the threat to the governor's security detail and they investigated the matter, including interviewing the individual who made the threat at that person's home.

Though no charges were brought, the Palin family remained very concerned. The matter involved minors and was likely not subject to public review. A reporter for the Juneau Empire was directed to talk with the governor's security detail. It is not clear whether he did so. Contrary to the implication of the report, the threat was real, the threat was serious and the threat was responded to.

Meghan Stapleton

This statement was issued because of criticism that Sarah lied about the threats. After the following Juneau Empire story, several anti-Palin blogs started popping off that Palin made the whole thing up. From the Juneau Empire:

Former Gov. Sarah Palin, who has had a rocky relationship with the state's capital city, says in her book there were some ugly threats made against her daughters while they were attending Juneau schools.

Those threats reportedly caused daughter Willow Palin to be removed from the Juneau School District.....

The alleged threats made against Palin's daughters are raising questions among officials who would likely have been made aware of them at the time, had they been made or had Palin taken them seriously....

In "Going Rogue" Palin wrote:

"In that first year, I was alerted to threats against Willow by students at her Juneau school, one particularly disturbing. Someone posted a note on an Internet site threatening to gang-rape her at school. I never felt safe for her after that. Later, the same thing happened to Bristol."

Willow Palin attended Dzantik'i Heeni Middle School, while Bristol Palin attended Juneau-Douglas High School.

Palin provided no details about where the Internet site was, how seriously she took the threats, how she knew it was posted by students, or what steps she'd taken to ensure her family's safety.

Former Juneau School District Superintendent Peggy Cowan was superintendent during the period in question and said she never heard of such concerns.

"That was never reported to my office," she said. "I am completely confident that I never heard that....."

Juneau Police Chief Greg Browning similarly said his department has no record of ever being alerted to such threats.

The Alaska State Troopers provide a security detail for Palin, but trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters said the first they heard about the allegation was from Palin's book.

"AST has no record of a report like that being made to our agency," Peters said. "Additionally, we have no way of determining if a report of that nature was made to another agency."

Palin attorney Thomas Van Flein in Anchorage said he wasn't representing Palin during the period in question, but he had heard about a threat later from her husband, Todd Palin.

"I remember Todd told me he took Willow out of school because of it," Van Flein said....

Alaska Dispatch writer Craig Medred was among those questioning the allegation, but called making such threats against anyone's children "unconscionable."

"If it really happened, it should have resulted in a criminal investigation," Medred wrote.

Note: Could this be the same Craig Medred that the Bob and Mark Show called out for printing a completely misleading story on the Palins earlier this year?

SP Video Sunday (and Happy Birthday Tripp!)

Although it's nearly Monday, I figured I'd post a couple of things for any late night/early morning Palin fans.

I would like to start with a quote that's been running through my mind. I see the world go crazy, especially the elite media, over Sarah Palin. They don't know what to make of her. They can't figure her out. Andrea Mitchell said recently that it's scary. I think God is sitting up in heaven getting a kick out of all of this. I Corinthians 1:26-28:

"Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are.

I know that theologically these verses have a different application, but they've been running through my mind recently nonetheless.

Next, the article in People magazine on Palin's Wild Ride can be found here. Excerpts:

The purse, called a Possibilities Bag, was made by some friends back home. "It's otter. They hunt it, they eat it, they make a bag." Why the name? "A man gives it to his wife," Palin says with a playful lift of her eyebrows, "and then he has possibilities."

"There are a lot of shackles when you are in an elected position. So if I believe it's best for my family and country that I assist minus those shackles, then I will go down that path." She sounds perfectly content when she adds, "I do my work from a kitchen table now."

"He [Trig] is just so cool," says Palin, breaking into a grin. "He knows he has us wrapped around his little finger." The family has all learned sign language and Trig signs for "milk." Palin admits that she aches to hear "Mama," but right now she is teaching Trig to sign, "I love you." He and their grandson Tripp—Bristol's 11-month-old son with ex-boyfriend Levi—are "growing up more like brothers," she says.

With or without political office, she has a very full life, and that, she says, may be the best revenge. "There's a toast that Todd and I love: 'May we always be happy, and may our enemies know it!'"

Oh, and today is Tripp's first birthday! Happy birthday, Tripp!



You're getting big fast!

Now for a couple of vids. First, in the spirit of winter, Todd winning his first Iron Dog in 1995:


And now here's an interview Sarah gave to a Canadian show called The Hour last January:


And finally, a couple more People magazine shots:

Wasilla Book-Signing Vid

Another video from Palin's book signing in her hometown. Her father and brother speak in it:



And here's a slideshow of pics from the Wasilla Christmas dinner:


Find more photos like this on Team Sarah

A Book Review and a Palin Primer

This dude got Going Rogue for Christmas:
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That is right, out of the numerous exceptional presents I received this Christmas, one was Sarah Palin's just released best seller, Going Rogue. Over the course of eight long hours, four hundred pages, and numerous licks to the fingertips, I just completed one of the best books I have ever read, and with a warm heart, offer this review of an superb book.

Sarah Palin is not a political elitist, she was not destined to be successful in politics because of personal wealth or political kingmakers, but she was successful due to a personal drive to succeed, and Providence. Sarah Palin is what Americans have been longing for, a politician who is not a politician, but just a regular American who cares about the citizens, in a sense, a modern version of George Washington or Davy Crockett.

While reading the passages of Sarah Palin's teenage years in Alaska, it reminds me of living in Upstate New York, and even a few personal traits. Such as a love for politics at a young age, being a good athlete while not the best, and a deep admiration for C.S. Lewis. I was not reading the words of a person destined to succeed, but of the words of the average small town American who believed she could succeed.....

Before reading this book, I never understood the importance of Alaska's oil reserves as Sarah Palin does, or even her admiration with Facebook as a indication of Capitalistic greatness and blessings we thrive in as Americans....

In conclusion, this one of the greatest books I have ever read....Purchase this wonderful book, you will not regret it. It made one hell of a Christmas present for this Palin fan, it could also serve as one hell of a wakeup call for Independents who are unsure of Sarah Palin, and have not conducted personal research beyond the scope of media reporting, which is biased and rooting against one of the greatest political gifts we have encountered in three decades.
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And there's a great article here on Palin that seems to rip from Whetsell's earlier column on her. Excerpts:
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Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has been the subject of such vile attacks from the left that many forget that they once had praise, not vitriol, before she became John McCain’s running mate. After Palin won her election in Alaska in 2006 she was the darling of the Democrats because she bested sitting Governor Frank Murkowski. She not only beat Murkowski, she sent packing many of his pals in the Republican “corrupt bastards club.” Smiles on the faces of Democrats were seen all around. Some of Murkowski’s buddies even made their way to the penitentiary, thanks to Palin....

Palin immediately set about implementing a new system of splitting the oil profits, in a program called “ACES.” Exxon, the world’s largest corporation, protested—but their good old boys weren’t there anymore. They assumed they could walk all over Palin, so they threatened to take their rigs and tankers and leave. She called their bluff, saying, in effect, “Don't let the door hit you in the stern on your way out.” Exxon stayed, and the other oil companies fell meekly in line....

Alaska has no state sales tax and no state income tax. Nevertheless, under Palin, state revenues doubled in 2008. There is no other governor in the United States who can make those claims. Not surprisingly, Palin was the most popular governor in the United States, with approval ratings as high as 93 percent.....

Palin’s “gosh,” “golly,” and “you betcha” language might make her sound to some like a naïve country bumpkin, but Palin had the insight and the initiative to start development on the TransCanada Pipeline. The natural gas pipeline will be the largest private construction project in the history of North America. No other governor has ever attempted such a plan—while also baking brownies and raising children.

Palin was the nation’s most popular governor because she was not afraid to tackle the big jobs… or the “big boys.” As a maverick she was applauded by politicians and media members on both the left and the right. But the moment she joined John McCain on the Republican ticket she became the enemy....

Palin dared to bring excitement to the Republican Party, dared to question Obama’s socialist philosophies and lifetime of associations with undesirables. That could not be tolerated by the left, and the attack machine was put in overdrive.

It was not enough for Obama to beat McCain in 2008. Palin remained in the wings, threatening to some day return to state the obvious when no one else dared say it, possibly to bring down the Obama house of cards. So the attacks continued even after Palin returned to Alaska, via constant frivolous lawsuits meant to harass her and drive her into bankruptcy. Palin called their bluff and resigned. As a private citizen she has taken away the procedural platform they used for the lawsuits. Palin now has the upper hand.

Although some criticized her for it, Palin’s resignation was in fact a brilliant move. Any attacks on her now will be instantly identifiable as what they are—personal attacks. If the liberals spend the next three years attacking her personally, Palin will come out the winner. She will receive support for being attacked relentlessly for no apparent reason. But Palin is certainly not defenseless. Those circling around her should know that when you continually jab and pester a barracuda, at some point… without warning… it will spin around and tear your face off.

Christmas Blessings

Bill589, a commentor here who disappeared for awhile, reemerged December 20th and left me this message:

Hi Uffda. I’ve been away because I’m sick. Actually I’ve been sick for 15 years or so, and sort of had an ‘awakening’ over the last year. The prognosis isn’t good, but I’ll probably be alive for a while - just comatose on and off.

I’m not complaining: I’ve been a local celebrity twice in my life. First for being an expert motocross racer (589 is my racing number), and then for playing lead guitar in a locally popular rock band. Most people don’t get to be a celebrity even once.

I’m mostly grateful for a wife, who married me right before I got sick, and stayed with me even though. And I still have hope of being cured. And I still have (a little) hope that my two children will know freedom, and if they work hard, they will be able to keep what they earn, etc. - all that ‘American’ stuff I always took for granted.

Anyway, I’m involved in a local tea party group, and am ready to promote anyone Sarah endorses around here for 2010. And then Sarah in 2012. Keep up the good fight. I will.

Well, I dropped his comment off in a C4P thread and caused a minor stir because a couple people thought I was talking about myself until I clarified:)

Well, he just dropped by again, this time with some great news:

Merry Christmas

Uffda, my wife was going to respond to you, in my stead, because I’ve been having a hard time waking up, but things have just changed:

It’s a miracle. It’s as if somebody is praying for me or something. I was showing my wife how I can’t read or write comments on the C4P site. The ‘js-kit’ site still shows errors, the C4P site still says errors, but I clicked on ‘comments’ anyway . . . and they were there! It worked! It doesn’t make sense, but God works in mysterious ways, and I’m not going to argue with him.

I am so grateful for you and others’ kind words and prayers. You’ve made me very happy and help me have hope. And maybe this C4P thing is a sign that I’m being cured. God bless you, and keep up the good fight.

That is so awesome! Merry Christmas!

I posted this update on a couple C4P threads. Hope the comment sections continue to work for you, if not, seriously, it's no problem for me to get you links to the comment feeds. Just let me know. I am yours for the commanding:)

God bless you.

P.S. I don't know what kind of bike you used to ride. Sorry if I posted a pic of one you don't like:)

All I Want For Christmas

Merry Christmas, Sarah - from Hillbuzz

This article is a couple days old, but I thought it was appropriate. It's an open letter to Sarah found at Hillbuzz. Excerpts:
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Grace, our Coffee Club’s Vice President, suggested I write you today to let you know that in addition to the usual Hillary Clinton Christmas ornaments we’ve been making, and the standard red-white-and-blue ones that are just generally pro-American, we’ve also taken to making Sarah Palin ornaments for people’s trees. There’re nothing too fancy, because I am the only one with any artistic talent of any merit in all of Mineral City, but we’ve got a lot of glitter and decoupaging glue and bulbs in all sizes....

Since you ran for Vice President last year, a really funny thing has happened here in Mineral City. The Ladies Guild, which is Republican women, who previously never got along with us (mainly because they hated Hillary Clinton and I was convinced many of them were vampires), started doing different activities with us as we helped try to get you elected. We’ve all found that the lot of us have more in common with each other than the crazy people who are now currently running the government from the far left.

Every day, someone from the Ladies Guild will say, “I can’t believe I’m having coffee with the Mineral City Coffee Club here in Hillaryland like this”, and I think, “I can’t believe these women are walking around in broad daylight without bursting into flames.” I even serve those cinnamon rolls with the little icing crosses on top and they eat them with no troubles at all (instead of having their mouths catch fire, which is what I would have thought would have happened just two years ago).

So, these appear to be very strange times indeed. People who never agreed on anything are agreeing with one another, because we’re looking passed our differences and accusations of vampirism to the fact that we all love this country and don’t want to see it go backwards or descend into socialism. We do not believe the current occupants of the White House are good people and we do not feel they love this country. The current president had a very clear agenda upon coming to Washington, and it was not the “Hope”, “Change”, and unicorns he promised the gullible in his campaign. We believe, and everyone in Mineral City agrees with us, that the Democrats in power now want to tank our economy, take over whatever remains at the end of the day, and deprive all of us of our freedoms....

You’re doing a fantastic job raising such wonderful kids. You work so hard to fight corruption in government and put the bad guys in their place. Our Coffee Club Secretary, Helen, is an EXPERT on the Internets and always lets us all know when you’ve made another of your Facebook posts. Oh, she prints those out and we all gather around together, really close, and Helen will read them aloud and we get so fired up. We practically want to get up and go door to door and read them to everyone in town — they are that good. I could probably write some that were better, if I tried, but that’s not a knock against you, it’s just the reality that I’m older than you and have been doing this longer and am an excellent writer, perhaps the best in all of Mineral City.

You’re pretty good too, though, and we all loved your book (except Ann Millar, of course, who insisted on reading Dreams William Ayers Told My Father Whoever He Was, or whatever that book by the current president is called, instead of participating in the Going Rogue book club we held when your book came out).

This year, my holiday wish is that you become even more of a force on the national scene next year....

If you run for President in 2012, you can count on The Mineral City Coffee Club and the Ladies Guild joining forces to campaign for you. I’ll turn my kitchen into a little campaign office, humming with activity. My son Robby loves you, and all his friends up in Chicago will work hard for you too up there. We’ll all head into Iowa on the ground for you, and will go to as many states as we can in person to canvass. We’ll phone bank like crazy for you, too, you betcha!

Just two years ago, at Christmas, we were on the ground for Hillary Clinton in Iowa, so we saw every nasty thing the current president and his surrogates did on his behalf. I wanted to write in and let you know not only what support you have, but what you will be up against. These people hate America, will stop at nothing to circumvent every rule and law we have, and will do anything imaginable to win.

The only person any of us think can stop him is you, Governor Palin.

You are our only hope.

As we make our little ornaments for our trees, and paste your face to the bulbs, adding little “Palin 2012s” to them in glitter and decorating them with moose stickers our Treasurer Annabelle found at JoAnn’s Fabrics, we mist up a little thinking about how much we want to see you in the Oval Office, and little Trig playing in his snowsuit on the White House lawn with big sister Piper starting in 2013.

We have no idea what you wish for, or what you are planning, but that’s our wish for you…and our wish for our country.

I have to let you go now, as these Christmas stockings are not going to stuff themselves, and that big CRASH! I just heard from the pantry means Earl’s gotten into Heaven knows how many cookies, so I better get back to it while I still have any cookies left at all.

But, Merry Christmas to you, Governor. Merry Christmas to all the Palins, and the Heaths, and everyone in Alaska. You will be well-represented in all the homes of Mineral City on our Christmas trees this year…and just so you know, we’re making plenty of ornaments to set aside for all the people of Iowa, should you make your run and we find ourselves going door to door in the Hawkeye State round about Christmas 2011, just like we did for Hillary.

Thank you for your service to this country, in the past, present, and FUTURE!

Patricia Melton

President-for-Life of The Mineral City Coffee Club

Campaign Stylist and Tad Palin

In case you missed it, Sarah Palin's stylist for the convention was on Joy Behar (I know, but it's actually a fairly good interview). And she debunks at least one of Levi's claims:


And I ran across a story of a woman who met Palin at the Mall of America signing here. It's sweet and tear-jerky:

I shook Sarah's hand as I got to her and asked if she would sign my shirt. She did! She signed my book and I handed her a precious feet pin and told her it was in memory of Tad (her baby lost to miscarriage). She got teary eyed and said, "That is just so precious! Thank you! God bless you! Todd, isn't that precious?" He nodded.

I told her that I loved her and she said she loved me too. I shook Todd's hand and told him it was so nice to meet him....I was interviewed by Star Tribune and someone else videotaped me yapping about Sarah Palin. Many folks took pictures of my signed shirt. I guess she is not supposed to do that. I submit that she can pretty much do whatever she wants. Her book. Her gig. Her people.

I thought that was so sweet. I know a lady who's got three kids and has also had three miscarriages. She always says that she's got six kids and that she's looking forward to meeting the three that have gone on ahead of her someday.

From "Going Rogue":

The doctor said coldly, "There's nothing alive in there."

Her bluntness shocked me. I felt sick and hollow, and burst into tears.

"You have a couple of choices about getting rid of it," she said.

"It." That's what she called our baby, whom we'd been calling Tad for three months.

She went on to explain that I could go home and let "it" pass naturally. Or I could have a D&C.

I wasn't listening. I was praying. Why, God? Why?

I was stunned and I felt so very empty.

It was my first taste of close personal tragedy, the kind that rocks a relatively untested faith....Mom came over to watch Track. A friend stopped by. But I just lay on my bed feeling like the world had stopped spinning....

A miscarriage is often dismissed as something a woman needs to shake off quickly, but it's impossible to explain the devastation and loss unless you've experienced it....

My heart ached for this baby more than for anything else. The miscarriage carved a new depth in my heart. I became a little less Pollyanna-ish, a little less naive about being invincible and in control. And I became a lot more attuned to other people's pain.

She later mentioned briefly that she had another miscarriage between Willow and Piper.

I guess you could call this a tribute.

Beautiful poem and heart-rending stories below it here.





Okay, now I'm all teary-eyed.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

U.S. Senator Kit Bond:

Death Panels, Tammy Bruce, and another Hawaii Pic

Here's the last pic of Palin in Hawaii that I could find, for now anyway. I see that the Globe gossip rag has a story on how the trip saved the Palin's marraige. LOL! Just tabloid trash. Like how the Obama's are constantly on the verge of divorce, and then not, etc....

The Cypress Times has an awesome article on Palin's "Midnight" op-ed here.

Have you all seen the vids of Tammy Bruce at the Tucson Tea Party? I'd heard her 4th of July podcast, of course. That podcast is why I'm a Tam, but I never saw the vids until I ran across them last night. They're really good. She talks about Sarah half the time. The end of the first vid goes crazy about twenty seconds before the end, but it's awesome anyway. They're all good:

Bloggers and the Art of Victimhood

By now you've probably heard that Palin had a book signing in her hometown of Wasilla recently, and that two guys were told they couldn't be there. The event was paid for, private, and the organizers had the right to keep out or let in whomever they chose.

The two guys shown the door were Jesse Griffin and Dennis Zaki. Zaki ran a website called Alaska Report until recently, and Griffin is a blogger. Not just a blogger, but the blogger who has spewed the most vile things about Sarah Palin, including (but not limited to) perpetuating the movement that Trig is not Palin's son, that Todd and Sarah hate each other, and that Levi is the greatest thing to ever walk the face of the earth.

Where does Zaki come in? Well, Zaki was "Gryphen"'s enabler. He linked Griffin's blog on his website and ran his headlines, including the infamous one that Todd and Sarah were on the brink of divorce (which Griffin emphatically proclaimed was not a rumor, but fact.) The divorce debacle lead the Palins to think about legal action, since Griffin didn't even attempt to cover his butt by saying it was a rumor, but in the end they decided it wasn't worth the trouble.

The Palin's attorney sent a letter to Zaki and to Griffin telling them that the story was blatantly false and to correct it immediately. Both refused.

The letter was sent confidentially. Nobody in the Palin camp publicly tried to "out" Griffin, but in an attempt to make the Palins look like the bad guys (when all they were doing was defending themselves against a blatant lie which would make its way into the mainstream media through Zaki's website), Zaki posted the letter sent to Griffin online.

He blacked out Griffin's name and address, but to make the Palins look like bullies, he left in the part that gave away Griffin's occupation. Zaki admitted that he had gotten several of these letters from the Palin's attorney, but nothing had ever happened. Apparently, they were formalities, but to make the Palins look bad, he posted this one. In so doing, he outed Griffin's identity.

Then, of course, the left-wing blogs whined and cried about how the Palins had exposed Griffin, when nothing could be further from the truth.

Zaki has since moved on to other pursuits as a freelance videographer. Gryphen continues his Trig Trutherism and other Palin bile on a daily basis.

Linked to Gryphen are other blogs like Palingates, the blog whose ridiculous story on "Busgate" (the idea that Palin *GASP!* took a plane between some book tour stops instead of her bus) found its way to CBS without any help from the Palins whatsoever.

This episode debunks the idea that the Palins bring it on themselves by responding to these ridiculous accusations. "Busgate" is proof positive that the media will run with these rumors eventually whether the Palins say anything about it or not. Palingates is now attempting to prove that Track is not Todd Palin's son, but is the product of an affair between Sarah and Curtis Menard. That Tad (Palin's first miscarriage) was Curtis' child as well, and that perhaps it was not a "miscarriage" after all. I suppose next they'll be saying that Sarah sabotaged Curtis' plane, or that she was behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

So, when Gryphen announced that he was going to see Sarah at the Wasilla book signing on his blog, I was concerned about Sarah's security. Now, I don't think he actually would have done anything, but the tomato-throwing incident I think gave the Palins some pause. They're being more careful now.

Not to mention the simple human factor of it all. Palin is not a politician. She owes nothing to anyone. She is a private citizen. If she doesn't want to shake your hand, guess what?

Take the political element out of this. Put yourself in Sarah's shoes. Here are people that on a daily basis stoop so low as to question your very motherhood. Forget the political aspect, as a mother, it would be everything in my power not to unleash unholy fury on these punks.

A disclaimer - Griffen and the like have every right to pop off about whatever tickles their fancy, and the Palins have never tried to shut down their blogs or anything of the sort. All of their reactions have been defensive in nature, responding to the lies and insinuations.

Gryphen isn't the problem. Palingates isn't the problem. These people can sit around in their little deranged pits and say whatever on earth they want. The problem is that the mainstream media desperately wants their accusations to be true. And in so doing, the mainstream media becomes irrelevant.

Mark my words, this will be the media's downfall. They will lose their legitimacy, and in so doing, lose their influence. And if Sarah wins the Presidency in spite of the media, she won't need the media to maintain her Presidency. Unlike Obama who is a media prop, Sarah will be truly independent. They won't be able to touch her.

Notice the media's coverage of this. They won't mention the details I've outlined here. They'll link Griffin's blog instead. Like Sarah said in her book, it's not so much what the media says, it's what they don't say. "The sin of ommission is glaring."

I can't help but think the reason these people are so ticked off is because there's nothing they can do about it. As a private citizen, Sarah is beyond their reach. They were destroying her with the system before, using her own integrity against her. They can't do that now. She has taken herself out of their gameplan, and they've never been more angry or more desperate.

One more point - Sarah Palin has standards. Unlike Obama who will kiss the shoes of our enemies and have pictures of Mao on the White House Christmas tree, Sarah refuses to shake Oliver Stone's hand and calls John Kerry an elitist loon. She draws a line at the refuse pit, and I like that. Reaganesque, that is.

Now Palingates and Celtic Diva are screaming about a lady who went to the book signing in a "Sarah Palin - LIAR!" shirt and was looked down on by the folks attending there. What did they expect? Palin fans to give her a big ole' hug? Tit for tat, Palingates. You insult us, we'll insult you.

It's the same attitude they use with Levi. They act like the Palins should give him a big bear hug every time they see him. People with integrity don't take kindly to treacherous and lowlife behavior, and they're not going to say it's okay. Nobody ripped the shirt off of that lady, and nobody's going to hurt Levi. That's called "tolerance." We might scream and holler, but that's our freedom of speech.

And here's what I don't understand about the whole protesting thing: yes, you have a right to protest, but you should also have a shred of common decency. I don't agree with Obama's policies, at all. But I would never go disrupt one of his rallies. That's his rally; that's his turf. If his supporters want to go there and fawn over him, whatever. I'm not going to get in their faces about it.

Liberals don't operate that way though. They are provacative. If you don't agree with Palin, why on earth go to a book signing? Yes, you have the right to, but that doesn't mean it's good sense. It's just ignorant to disrupt other people's good time.

The strategy is one of liberal agitation and victimhood. They provoke in order to get a response which they then scream is persecution or someone's attempt to take away their free speech.

It's like the terrorists lobbing rockets into Israel and then crying because Israel hits back. And the media is sympathetic to the terrorists, which is why the terrorists use that strategy. It's good for propaganda purposes.

I swear, it's like the annoying kid in your school that had every right to hover his finger an inch away from your face because "he wasn't touching you," but it took everything in your power not to punch him right in the face.

Just because you have the right, doesn't mean you should. And if you do, don't be surprised by retaliation.

Watch this vid. A group of protestors during the campaign try to block Palin's bus. They run out into the streets, and when the police try to counter them, they scream "Police brutality! The whole world's watching!"

Anybody else think Palin needs to shut up and do her homework?

Just because the mainstream media isn't talking about it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Countless articles screaming that Sarah Palin has no substance don't make her Facebook posts that reach over a million people disappear. Here's the latest from the LOTUS:
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Last weekend while you were preparing for the holidays with your family, Harry Reid’s Senate was making shady backroom deals to ram through the Democrat health care take-over. The Senate ended debate on this bill without even reading it. That and midnight weekend votes seem to be standard operating procedures in D.C.

No one is certain of what’s in the bill, but Senator Jim DeMint spotted one shocking revelation regarding the section in the bill describing the Independent Medicare Advisory Board (now called the Independent Payment Advisory Board), which is a panel of bureaucrats charged with cutting health care costs on the backs of patients – also known as rationing. Apparently Reid and friends have changed the rules of the Senate so that the section of the bill dealing with this board can’t be repealed or amended without a 2/3 supermajority vote. Senator DeMint said:

“This is a rule change. It’s a pretty big deal. We will be passing a new law and at the same time creating a senate rule that makes it out of order to amend or even repeal the law. I’m not even sure that it’s constitutional, but if it is, it most certainly is a senate rule. I don’t see why the majority party wouldn’t put this in every bill. If you like your law, you most certainly would want it to have force for future senates. I mean, we want to bind future congresses. This goes to the fundamental purpose of senate rules: to prevent a tyrannical majority from trampling the rights of the minority or of future congresses.”

In other words, Democrats are protecting this rationing “death panel” from future change with a procedural hurdle. You have to ask why they’re so concerned about protecting this particular provision. Could it be because bureaucratic rationing is one important way Democrats want to “bend the cost curve” and keep health care spending down?

The Congressional Budget Office seems to think that such rationing has something to do with cost. In a letter to Harry Reid last week, CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf noted (with a number of caveats) that the bill’s calculations call for a reduction in Medicare’s spending rate by about 2 percent in the next two decades, but then he writes the kicker:

“It is unclear whether such a reduction in the growth rate could be achieved, and if so, whether it would be accomplished through greater efficiencies in the delivery of health care or would reduce access to care or diminish the quality of care.”

Though Nancy Pelosi and friends have tried to call “death panels” the “lie of the year,” this type of rationing – what the CBO calls “reduc[ed] access to care” and “diminish[ed] quality of care” – is precisely what I meant when I used that metaphor.

This health care bill is one of the most far-reaching and expensive expansions of the role of government into our lives. We’re talking about putting one-seventh of our economy under the government’s thumb. We’re also talking about something as intimate to our personal well-being as medical care.

This bill is so unpopular that people on the right and the left hate it. So why go through with it? The Senate is planning to vote on this on Christmas Eve. Why the rush? Though we will begin paying for this bill immediately, we will see no benefits for years. (That’s the trick that allowed the CBO to state that the bill won’t grow the deficit for the next ten years.)

The administration’s promises of transparency and bipartisanship have been broken one by one. This entire process has been defined by midnight votes on weekends, closed-door meetings with industry lobbyists, and payoffs to politicians willing to sell their principles for sweetheart deals. Is it any wonder that Americans are so disillusioned with their leaders in Washington?

This is about politics, not health care. Americans don’t want this bill. Americans don’t like this bill. Washington has stopped listening to us. But we’re paying attention, and 2010 is coming.

- Sarah Palin

Book-Signing in Wasilla

More pics here and here.

About a 1,000 people showed up. Article in the ADN:
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Sarah Palin was treated like homecoming queen when she brought her national book tour to Wasilla on Tuesday....Many people talked about "Sarah" like she's a member of the family.

"It's her hometown and remember, everybody is her friend, everybody is her parents' friend and we're all friends of the family," said Lyn Carden, executive director of the Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce.

Many of the people waiting in lines on the sports center's indoor turf floor said they live in the Valley. Several said they knew Palin or her family personally.

Elsie O'Bryan, a former Houston city councilor, served in local politics with her.

Angelina Klapperich -- 15, and a beauty pageant contestant -- attends Colony High School with one of Palin's daughters.

It's a wonder retired teacher Nancy Taylor had to wait in line at all, given her connections. Palin babysat Taylor's kids as a teenager. Taylor taught in the Mat-Su School District with Palin's father, Chuck Heath. . And it was Taylor's niece who beat out Palin for the Miss Alaska crown in 1984.

At the time, Palin jokingly said something like, " 'Shucks ... almost,' " Taylor remembered. "I was so impressed with her attitude. She could have been so negative."

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Oh, and Griffin got his butt kicked out! I love it! He seems to be taking it in stride, along with his usual cheap shots.

So, yeah. If you click on Palin vids or articles about the Wasilla book-signing and see junk about Palin banning people from the event and suing her for banning people, they most likely are Underworlders. The truth of the matter is that it was a private event - they could keep out anybody on earth they wanted to. From the ADN article:

Not every attendee was welcome. Dennis Zaki, an Anchorage photographer and videographer who until recently ran the Web site Alaska Report, checked in at the media table and was told by Wasilla Recreation and Cultural Services Manager James Hastings that he wasn't welcome. Also turned away was blogger Jesse Griffin.

"He said because this is a paid event, they can ban anybody they want," Zaki said. "We didn't fight it, we just walked out and laughed all the way home."

Zaki said he was told that he and Alaska blogger/commentator Shannyn Moore were on the list, with photos to identify them. Moore said she didn't go.

Hastings said Zaki was right -- the signing was a private event paid for by Palin's publisher, Harper Collins, and that Zaki, Griffin, Moore and at least one other person whom Hastings did not name, were not invited.

Good. I didn't want that scum Griffin or Zaki anywhere near Sarah.

Here's video of Palin's entrance:

New Tammy Bruce Vids - UPDATED

UPDATE - I reuploaded the Pawlenty vid, because I was having problems with it. So if you couldn't see it before, it should work for you now:)

The latest is on Pawlenty and Palin. T-Paw just can't catch a break with Tammy:) -



Now here's Tammy on an independent Palin run and Rick Santorum:





Oh, and here's a pretty cool blog post on Reagan/Palin picture comparisons.

Iron Dog Pics

Found these pics of 2007 and 2008 Iron Dog. I posted them as slideshows because there's so many. Go to Team Sarah to get big pics:


Find more photos like this on Team Sarah



Find more photos like this on Team Sarah


And here's a good article that was in the New York Times in January of 2009. Video included on page.

The Palin/Davis website says they're signed up for 2010!

The "Death Panel" Lie

I was reading one media outlet's version of events - "There is no language in the bill setting up death panels..."

I swear, it's like beating your head against a brick wall. That's like if they came out after Churchill's Iron Curtain comments and said, "That's just ridiculous. There is no thousand mile curtain made of iron blocking off the Soviets from the rest of the world. What a liar!"

Grrrrrrrrrrrr.....I mean she put it quotation marks, for Pete's sake....(mumble, grumble).

How do you even respond to such ignorance? Can these people not think beyond the end of their noses? I can't even address it anymore. To borrow a Glenn Beck phrase, blood shoots out of my eyes. So I'll let Levin and Rush do the talking for me. These clips are flashbacks from when this issue was still hot:








And while we're on the subject of lies, how about the idea that this health care bill will reduce the deficit? How about any number of times that the actual President of the United States has lied right through his teleprompter-teeth?





The public option as such isn't in the current version of the bill anymore, but the system they've got set up to replace it is arguably worse. Oh, well. Let's ignore that and bash Sarah Palin, shall we?

How about a few gaffes to leave us all on a happy, fun note:

The Rundown - Hollywood, Death Panels, Canada, and RINO's

Got some good pieces for you today. Topics include Palin media bias, the death panel controversy, and a very insightful article on the Canadian fundraiser conniption fit and the Canadian health system in general (and where our health system is headed). Let's start out with this article in Big Hollywood:
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The entertainment media’s treatment of Sarah Palin and her family has been abhorrent....

Since the end of the 2008 campaign, some of the most glaring examples of the entertainment media’s obsession with anti-Palin coverage have centered on Levi Johnston, the father of Bristol Palin’s baby. Levi, a guy who would be better suited to appear on Tool Academy than he would on any legitimate hard or entertainment news program, has been reaping the benefits from his connection to Palin. In addition to his highly-publicized Playgirl shoot, Levi has been circulating entertainment shows in an attempt to pass off his melba-esque persona as something less than bland.....

This begs the question: Since when is Sarah Palin “Hollywood?” One could argue that it all started with Kathy Griffin’s antics. In what commenced as yet another plea for attention, Griffin brought Levi to The 2009 Teen Choice Awards. Clearly, this was little more than a publicity stunt for Griffin, who would likely sell her left kidney if it yielded a decent photo-op. However, in the grander scheme, this was a clear statement to young people: Go ahead and laugh at Sarah Palin. Hollywood’s doing it, so you should too!....

“Dressed in a pinstripe suit and pink striped tie, the Alaskan teen and father of Sarah Palin’s grandson Tripp arrived hand-in-hand with Griffin, planted a kiss on her cheek for the cameras and did some solo posing as well.”

Gag me.

Anyway, let’s move back to 2009 champion of idiocy: The Insider. This fall, the show decided to reunite Levi and Griffin. During what host Lara Spencer probably mistook as a very riveting and thought-provoking interview, she asked Levi fair-minded questions in the vein of, “Is Sarah Palin really Trig’s mother?” and “Why do you think Sarah Palin is afraid of you?” Following the liberally-driven wingnuttery that ensued during the 2008 presidential campaign, the question about Trig’s birth is breathtakingly cruel and sense-retardant. Spencer’s questioning screamed ratings desperation and showed just how far entertainment media will go to make Palin look idiotic while turning a profit.....

These would be the same journalists who did such an excellent job researching the man who currently leads the free world. Insane.....Who can ignore Behar’s detached-from-reality commentary about people who favor Sarah Palin:

“Well her people are evil and nasty. They are not nice people. They send me nasty mail and everybody else who talks about it. Anything negative about Sarah Palin, they get hit with this stuff. You know.”

Ironic that Behar wouldn’t consider her own nastiness as a potential catalyst for negative feedback.

Behar has openly called Palin stupid, among other nasally-delivered complements. And the list goes on and on. The entertainment media (which, by my calculation, includes the now theoretically deficient Andrew Sullivan) are intent on making Palin out to be: stupid, evil, incompetent, a mere “Barbie” and insolent, in no particular order.

Get over it, Hollywood. Sarah Palin doesn’t share your values. She’s pro-life, pro-capitalism and pro-rationality. Rather than wasting all of your time lambasting her, promoting Levi and attempting to debunk her very existence, why not divert even a portion of your energy towards examining the man you’ve placed America’s very existence in the hands of. We’ve all got personal dirt. Since you’ll never let up, why not shovel a little less of Palin’s and a little more of Obama’s?
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Read the full article here.


Now, on to this, "Lie of the Year" business. Article here:

Here’s the thing: Palin wasn’t lying.

Sure, “death panel” is a little over the top rhetorically speaking, but consider the recent controversy over a government panel declaring that mammograms for women under 50, not to mention at-home self breast exams, were worthless despite longstanding guidelines from the American Cancer Society, among others.

That panel’s recommendations, despite Obama administration instructions to ignore it, has resulted in funding for mammograms being cut in no fewer than 20 states.

Now, consider that the health care bill (both the House and Senate versions) contains legislation that creates health care exchanges that will be run by the government. All Americans buying health insurance once those exchanges are put in place would be only be able to choose from among plans offered on those exchanges. And the government defines what those plans will and will not cover.

So if, under this health care “reform” being pushed by Democrats, some government decides that a certain procedure or a certain drug isn’t good you may not be able to get coverage for that procedure or that drug.

[My insert - there's a difference between rationing and lack of coverage. Palin's death panels statement was given in the context of rationing.

Lack of coverage does not mean unavailability of treatment, it simply means you're going to have to find some way to pay for the treatment. The problem isn't lack of coverage so much as the system being overwhelmed by these new measures which could lead to a health care shortage, hence rationing.

Rationing means you're not getting it, whether you can afford it or not. Neither situation is ideal, but I'd rather have the former. At least you have a chance. So I disagree with this guy's premise that lack of coverage equals death panel in the context of Palin's original statement.]

Now, for some people, access to that coverage may be a life or death thing. Thus, the government decisions about that coverage are life and death. Thus, death panel.

Now, the liberals would rather you not think like that. They’d rather you just sit back, stop thinking and trust that the decisions the government is making for you are the best ones. But, in reality, death panels are more truth than fiction in these health care “reform” efforts.

Here's my vid on the "death panel" lie thing. There is much to say about this debate - I thought Palin's mistake was responding with just a specific portion of the bill after she was questioned on her statement. The death panel argument was much larger than end-of-life counseling:



Now, on to a great article in the Canada Free Press on this whole Palin hospital fundraiser thing. It's long, so I won't blockquote it. Excerpts:
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A fundraising gala, set for April 15 in Hamilton Ontario, was initially to be held to benefit two local hospitals; the Juravinski Cancer Centre and St. Peter’s Hospital were to be the recipients of the funds raised. The organizers thought that they had struck gold when they booked former Alaska governor Sarah Palin as the main speaker.

They should have known. Shortly after Palin’s presence but made public, Hamilton Health Services began to receive nasty telephone calls and emails. Some people who contacted the organization described themselves as donors and indicated that they would never ever donate again if Palin was to speak. While most of the disgruntled gave the fact that Palin had criticized Canada’s healthcare system as the reason, some people suggested that Palin should not be present in an area where many of the elected officials are members of the socialist NDP.

The angry response that Palin’s coming to Hamilton to raise money for local hospitals says more about Canadians than it does about Sarah Palin. Many Canadians view our system of healthcare as what defines Canada as a country. Practicalities such as funding and maximizing healthcare delivery are not as important as ideology. Canada is defined by many on the left, not by what the country is but what it isn’t. And many Canadians think that Canada’s defining feature is that it is not the United States. And at least for now, socialized medicine is one of the major differences between the two countries.....

Government run healthcare is considered a religion like Catholicism, Islam and global warming. Liberals, of course are not interested in debate or hearing what the other side has to say. This is the main objection to Sarah Palin’s presence at the gala; were she a lesser known Canadian who championed at least more private involvement in the healthcare system she would have been shunned for that. Those who consider themselves good liberal Canadians are not interested in anything that Sarah Palin has to say on the matter of healthcare. Too many Canadians are close minded when it comes to funding healthcare and are perfectly content to define sacrificing their lives for their country as dying on a waiting list. In the end, the money that the two hospitals undoubtedly need is not as important as ideology and political correctness.

The irony of all this is that our “Canadian-style” healthcare system is not be all that different from where American healthcare is headed.

While the far left in the United States is outraged that the public option has been dropped from the Senate bill, not having a public option will probably hasten what Obama and the far left really want – a single payer system.

What remains in the proposed legislation is that insurers will not be able to refuse coverage to those people with pre-existing medical conditions or who otherwise are poor risks. A public option would have at least allowed the government to insure those who could not get insurance anywhere else. With no public option private insurers will be forced to cover bad risks, which will in turn hasten the end of private insurance in the United States. Then American healthcare will be just like Canada’s. How will Canadians define their country then?

The April 15 gala is going ahead and Sarah Palin is still set to speak. But instead of the two Hamilton area hospitals being the beneficiaries of the funds raised, the money will go to The Charity of Hope, a children’s charity.

So far none of the children who will benefit from the funds raised by The Charity of Hope have complained about Sarah Palin.
-----------------------


In other news, there's a good letter to the editor here:

In response to the letter written by Walt Hill concerning Sarah Palin; he is correct on one point and one point only. He states that "until the big money guys can control and manipulate her, they are not going to support her in 2012." To me, this means that she is a politician who cannot be "bought." Personally, I feel that is a rare and valuable quality.

I find that the best way to determine how a politician will govern is to look at their past history (something no one did with Obama). When she resigned from Alaska, it was with a heavy heart.

However, she didn't want the state of Alaska to continue shelling out hard earned tax payer dollars to defend her against unending frivolous law suits. I feel this is a person who could have the country's best interests at heart.

Whether Sarah Palin chooses to run is her decision. If she does, I will support her.

Here's a great first-hand account of someone who felt drawn to Palin's Montana book-signing:
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Palin Draws Crowds

Not being a fan or groupie of anyone or anything, I was surprised how compelled I felt to see Sarah Palin at her Billings book signing this week. It must be the newshound in me that had me RSVP to that event.

I braved the cold weather, and even worse, the crowd, to get her picture and an up close and personal look at this now-national personality. I didn’t, however, stand outside and wait in line to get an autograph. I see the collector value in that, but didn’t have hours to spend waiting for the signature.

Easily admitted to the store because I didn’t need that autographed copy, I soon found one of her many staff. Knowing she wasn’t taking questions or interviews, I flashed press credentials and a business card, asking for a photo op.

The “aide,” as he called himself, quickly lifted the burgundy curtain and admitted my camera into the book signing area. Sitting behind a square table was an animated and delightful Sarah Palin. She shook hands with everyone, looked each person in the eye and spoke to them in her now recognizable brogue, signing her signature without watching what she was doing. Sitting beside her, husband Todd shook everyone’s hand also and talked to every kid — as did she.

Todd Palin later milled through the receptive crowd, talking with them and with his father-in-law and mother-in-law. The “first dude,” smartly dressed in a tough-enough-to-wear-pink button down, isn’t as big as he appears on TV.

He’s about the size of a professional bronc rider — and like them, moves quietly and freely— greeting many of Sarah’s supporters. Many with camera phones and digitals were also enamored with Sarah’s family members and took their pictures.

One wondered if the Palins and Heaths enjoyed Montana’s Alaska-like weather.

What happened on this public side of the curtain was even more interesting than the other side and not at all how it was portrayed on the local TV stations.

For the most part, there was no crying or rapping. This was a quintessential Montana crowd with cowboy hats and Carhartts amid the ties and business suits. Cowboy boots mixed with Mucklucks and fashion boots were the dress code of the day.

Patient but chilled, this crowd wound their way through book shelves and politely waited their turn to shake hands with the former Alaska governor, who took on Big Oil and her own Republican party to correct the wrongs of the fat cats who take advantage of their positions.

Many in the crowd believe this woman can do the same with this nation.

Going rogue, maybe.

Impressing conservatives, definitely.
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Now for just a couple vids. First off, Merry Christmas:



Michelle Malkin would have named Palin Person of the Year:



And here's some colorful commentary on the whole viser thing. Language warning:



It doesn't surprise me that Palin is going to support McCain for reelection. Everyone has their blindspots, and McCain is one of hers. Doesn't mean I'm not going to do all I can to make sure he doesn't get reelected.

Here's the thing with RINO's: they're fine as long as a conservative is in charge. If a conservative is the centerpole around which the big tent can gather, than it's all good. But if a moderate (like Bush) is in the White House, RINO's are our death knell. So if Palin or some other true Reaganite gets in there, I don't really care if McCain is there, but we have no guarantee that's going to happen. So I will not support McCain no matter what Palin has to say about it.

Hey, conservatives are cats. We've got minds of our own:)