Picture of the Day: June 27, 2009

Governor Palin meets with Lithuanian Minister of Defense

Quote of the Day: June 26, 2009

"Senator John Kerry makes this joke..I don't know if you saw this...but he makes this joke saying 'Well, shoot, of all the governors in the nation to disappear, too bad it couldn't have been that Governor from Alaska.'

"Well, when he said it he looked quite frustrated, and he looked so sad, and I just wanted to reach out to the TV and say "John Kerry, why the long face?"

- Sarah Palin hits back!

The Gov Goes Abroad - UPDATED: More Tweets

(Sarah Palin in 2007)

The Governor is in Kosovo and possibly other places. We'll know the full scoop after the trip is over.

Video of a speech she made to troops here.

Here's her trip in her own words via Twitter:

June 23 - "Got Fed ok for Adjutant Gen Campbell, Command Sgt Major Choate and me to travel to our Ak Army Natl Guard troops on Wed. Glad to go to them."

June 24 - "Travel now to bring appreciation from their Alaska family & Natl Guard leadership to heroes in US European Command's area of responsibility."

June 25 - "So humbling to see our troops over here making great sacrifices (their family sacrifices, too) for the cause for freedom. Please honor them."

June 25 - "So glad to be here in Kosovo visiting AK's courageous Nat'l Guardsmen & women. More details on trip @ http://bit.ly/16wxcC

June 26 - "Now in Faik Konica school, our troops helping local students learn English along w/Pristina interpreters. Enthused kids thankful for U.S."

June 26 - "Spoke to Task Force Falcon this morn + 100's of troops from throughout US, & allies; audience of true heroes who sacrifice much for freedom."

June 26 - "Walked Kosovo streets w/ KFOR troops, folks chatted about their interest in U.S. & they knew a lot about Alaska! Taught them Yupik greetings."

June26 - "I'll send pics to Aces & KWHL (they'll appreciate it) of Alaska Aviators here in Kosovo eating breakfst under our blue AK Aces hockey jersey."

June 26 - "Met w Lithuanian Minister of Defense, Rasa Jukneviciene. She's a conservative in Parliament here for Change of Command & peacekeeping exercz."

June 26 - "Why U.S. peace missions for freedom? "America is still the abiding alternative to tyranny. That is our purpose in the world." Ronald Reagan."

June 26 - "More Reagan "Freedom's never more than 1 generation away from extinction We didn't pass it to children in bloodstream it must be fought for."

June 27 - "BBQ w troops in aviation hanger; huge AK flag cake in their honor; ran w PT/Security along Camp Bondsteel rds into sunset; Q&A w leadership."

June 27 - "Condolences to family of Ft Rich soldier who died in Afghanistan on Thurs. 1st Lt Brian Bradshaw, hero, died in Operation Enduring Freedom."

June 27 - "More info on 1st Lt Brian Bradshaw, a fallen American hero. http://bit.ly/lSj7b"

June 27 - "Guard promotion ceremony capped great day; far away overseas it's our Bethel/Fbnks/Valley/Anch/Kodiak/Kotz + more troops represnting us well."

June 27 - "LtGen Campbell & I now n Germany=visit wounded warriors seek to do more to help these deserving patriots than mere visit they sacrifice much."

June 27 - "Frankfurt: AK Guard leadrs Campbell & Choate w/staff & soldiers @ Landstuhl Med Cntr; Canadian, US & other allied troops treated together..."

June 27 - "To grasp the caring, sweet spirit of medical team @ Landstuhl will change your life. They serve, along w troops, something greater than self."

June 27 - "Sacrificial soldiers who fought for freedom put it all in perspective: time/resources wasted on pettiness is futile- ask what really matters."

And that's it for now. I'll add the rest after they've come in.

The Speech Obama Should've Given

Remember during the 2008 campaign when there was a dust-up over Palin and Clinton and an anti-Iran rally?

Palin was supposed to give a speech protesting Ahmadinejad's appearance at the UN. The dust-up occurred when Clinton's handlers made a fuss about it, mad that Hillary would possibly be upstaged.

As a result, Hillary pulled out and Palin was disinvited.

It's a pity. The speech was a home run.

It's what Obama should have said when this mess started in Iran.

I actually read it the other day and I thought....Wow.

I'll drop dead in a faint if I ever hear words like these coming from Obama's mouth:

I am honored to be with you and with leaders from across this great country - leaders from different faiths and political parties united in a single voice of outrage.

Tomorrow, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will come to New York - to the heart of what he calls the Great Satan - and speak freely in this, a country whose demise he has called for.

Ahmadinejad may choose his words carefully, but underneath all of the rhetoric is an agenda that threatens all who seek a safer and freer world. We gather here today to highlight the Iranian dictator's intentions and to call for action to thwart him. He must be stopped.

The world must awake to the threat this man poses to all of us. Ahmadinejad denies that the Holocaust ever took place. He dreams of being an agent in a "Final Solution" - the elimination of the Jewish people.

He has called Israel a "stinking corpse" that is "on its way to annihilation." Such talk cannot be dismissed as the ravings of a madman -not when Iran just this summer tested long-range Shahab-3 missiles capable of striking Tel Aviv, not when the Iranian nuclear program is nearing completion, and not when Iran sponsors terrorists that threaten and kill innocent people around the world.

The Iranian government wants nuclear weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency reports that Iran is running at least 3,800 centrifuges and that its uranium enrichment capacity is rapidly improving. According to news reports, U.S. intelligence agencies believe the Iranians may have enough nuclear material to produce a bomb within a year.

The world has condemned these activities. The United Nations Security Council has demanded that Iran suspend its illegal nuclear enrichment activities. It has levied three rounds of sanctions. How has Ahmadinejad responded? With the declaration that the "Iranian nation would not retreat one iota" from its nuclear program.

So, what should we do about this growing threat? First, we must succeed in Iraq. If we fail there, it will jeopardize the democracy the Iraqis have worked so hard to build, and empower the extremists in neighboring Iran. Iran has armed and trained terrorists who have killed our soldiers in Iraq, and it is Iran that would benefit from an American defeat in Iraq.

If we retreat without leaving a stable Iraq, Iran's nuclear ambitions will be bolstered. If Iran acquires nuclear weapons ? they could share them tomorrow with the terrorists they finance, arm, and train today. Iranian nuclear weapons would set off a dangerous regional nuclear arms race that would make all of us less safe.

But Iran is not only a regional threat; it threatens the entire world. It is the no. 1 state sponsor of terrorism. It sponsors the world's most vicious terrorist groups, Hamas and Hezbollah.

Together, Iran and its terrorists are responsible for the deaths of Americans in Lebanon in the 1980s, in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s, and in Iraq today. They have murdered Iraqis, Lebanese, Palestinians, and other Muslims who have resisted Iran's desire to dominate the region. They have persecuted countless people simply because they are Jewish.

Iran is responsible for attacks not only on Israelis, but on Jews living as far away as Argentina. Anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial are part of Iran's official ideology and murder is part of its official policy.

Not even Iranian citizens are safe from their government's threat to those who want to live, work, and worship in peace. Politically-motivated abductions, torture, death by stoning, flogging, and amputations are just some of its state-sanctioned punishments.

It is said that the measure of a country is the treatment of its most vulnerable citizens. By that standard, the Iranian government is both oppressive and barbaric. Under Ahmadinejad's rule, Iranian women are some of the most vulnerable citizens.

If an Iranian woman shows too much hair in public, she risks being beaten or killed. If she walks down a public street in clothing that violates the state dress code, she could be arrested.

But in the face of this harsh regime, the Iranian women have shown courage. Despite threats to their lives and their families, Iranian women have sought better treatment through the "One Million Signatures Campaign Demanding Changes to Discriminatory Laws."

The authorities have reacted with predictable barbarism. Last year, women's rights activist Delaram Ali was sentenced to 20 lashes and 10 months in prison for committing the crime of "propaganda against the system."

After international protests, the judiciary reduced her sentence to "only" 10 lashes and 36 months in prison and then temporarily suspended her sentence. She still faces the threat of imprisonment.

Earlier this year, Senator Clinton said that "Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is in the forefront of that" effort.

Senator Clinton argued that part of our response must include stronger sanctions, including the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization. John McCain and I could not agree more.

Senator Clinton understands the nature of this threat and what we must do to confront it. This is an issue that should unite all Americans. Iran should not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. Period. And in a single voice, we must be loud enough for the whole world to hear: Stop Iran!

Only by working together, across national, religious, and political differences, can we alter this regime's dangerous behavior. Iran has many vulnerabilities, including a regime weakened by sanctions and a population eager to embrace opportunities with the West. We must increase economic pressure to change Iran's behavior.

Tomorrow, Ahmadinejad will come to New York. On our soil, he will exercise the right of freedom of speech - a right he denies his own people. He will share his hateful agenda with the world. Our task is to focus the world on what can be done to stop him.

We must rally the world to press for truly tough sanctions at the U.N. or with our allies if Iran's allies continue to block action in the U.N. We must start with restrictions on Iran's refined petroleum imports.

We must reduce our dependency on foreign oil to weaken Iran's economic influence. We must target the regime's assets abroad; bank accounts, investments, and trading partners.

President Ahmadinejad should be held accountable for inciting genocide, a crime under international law.

We must sanction Iran's Central Bank and the Revolutionary Guard Corps -which no one should doubt is a terrorist organization. Together, we can stop Iran's nuclear program.

Senator McCain has made a solemn commitment that I strongly endorse: Never again will we risk another Holocaust. And this is not a wish, a request, or a plea to Israel's enemies. This is a promise that the United States and Israel will honor, against any enemy who cares to test us. It is John McCain's promise and it is my promise.

Thank you.

This recent Iran fiasco had me asking, "Oh, Reagan, where art thou?"

(sigh) Oh, whew! There you are!

Picture of the Day: June 23, 2009

Sarah and Todd board USS Stennis in Alaska

Quote of the Day: June 23, 2009

"Women worldwide watching Iran protests led by women demanding fair election & equality; their voices loud, strong; they will usher in change."

Sarah Palin "Tweet"

Oh-Bama, Where Art Thou?

There comes a time to take a stand.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm an isolationist by nature.

I would like nothing better than for us to just go about our American lives and to let other countries go about theirs.

But the red blood in me also courses to the beat of freedom, and I sympathize greatly with the people on the streets of Iran who are fighting for some freedom of their own.

So, although my knee-jerk reaction is to just let them sort it out themselves, the American in me longs to help a fellow freedom-fighter obtain the blessings I have known.

Apparently that hasn't really kicked in for Obama yet.

He did (finally) utter a couple of sentences offering some weak support to freedom-lovers and some puppy-dog pleas for Iran to play nice....

And, that's about it.

Talk about passing up a golden opportunity.

Now, I can understand why the President would be cautious to not rub Iran the wrong way. It's a powder-keg over there; handle with extreme care.

But it apparently hasn't occurred to our fearless leader that the Iranian government is going to hate us whether we rub them the wrong way or not. So we might as well just pick a side and get it over with.

If we take a stand now, we have a much better chance of actually being able to follow through than if we wait until the rebellion is crushed.

Now, I'm not saying that we have to get involved militarily.

And the absolute worst thing we could do would be to send a signal that we would back up the rioters militarily and then not follow through (Bay of Pigs.....).

Speaking of the Bay of Pigs, I can't help but think of how different things might be in Cuba today if Kennedy hadn't gone chicken at the last minute...

Does anybody else sense WWIII coming on?

We've got at least two fronts lined up: Iran and North Korea. Not sure who number three to complete the new Axis of Evil will be, but I'm sure we'll find out.

Something's brewing, that's for sure.

On the eve of the singing tea kettle, the last thing we need is a Neville Chamberlain to run around trying to hold Hitler to some kind of agreement and yelling, "Peace in our time!"

That way lies real war.

Obama, please, grow a spine.

The fact is, there is absolute truth. There is right and wrong, and what the Iranian government stands for is wrong. Would you please just say it?

There's no time for fear right now.

There comes a time when we just have to stand by what is right and let the chips fall where they may.

I seem to recall when a fledging string of colonies set out on only a wing and a prayer to win their own freedom, not knowing what the outcome would be:

"They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house?

"Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?

"Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us.

"Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us....

"There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable -- and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come!"

- Patrick Henry

Picture of the Day: June 21, 2009

Track Palin waits for picture-taking after his Mom's Inauguration.

Please remember him and all of our military personnel

in your prayers today.