A Few Thoughts and a Turkey Trot

Pictures and videos of Sarah Palin at the Turkey Trot below, but first, totally off any kind of topic, I just wanted to say on the record that Carrie Prejean is an idiot.

I was in her corner over her statements at the competition, but after that she went on to make a complete fool of herself. I think she damages the conservative image, and I wouldn't touch her book with a ten foot pole.

Conservatism is one thing; what I really hate is when people like this tout their Christianity. Look, don't talk the talk unless you even remotely walk the walk. If your life doesn't reflect it, just keep your mouth shut.

Moving on....

I also wanted to say something really quickly about why I delve into things like Levi Johnston.

For the most part I've stopped talking about Levi since the Playgirl thing. I don't need to discredit him - he does it very nicely all by himself. I only brought up that last episode as an illustration of what I think's been going on behind the scenes this whole time.

Why do I bring up things like Shannyn Moore and John Bitney? I mean, they're small potatoes.

Well, I don't bring them up very often, but I like to keep an eye on what could potentially become a bigger story. Let's just say I try to keep one finger on the pulse of the underground just to know what it's up to.

All of these people are connected; Tank has connections to Gryphen, Gryphen has connections to Geoffrey Dunn, Geoffrey Dunn writes for the HuffPost and is writing a book on Palin, the HuffPost has connections to the left and the DNC, etc....

If it were anyone besides Palin I wouldn't give the underground the time of day, but I keep an eye on it because of the tendency for this stupid stuff to bubble up and be given credence when it comes to Sarah Palin. Let's just say I like to know what the enemy's up to. I knew that Levi wasn't going to sue for custody yet because of opposition research. I pop my head down into the cesspools so that you don't have to. The garbage tends to start down there. I sift through the stupid stuff and every once in a while I find a nugget that might explain a few things. When I do, I post it.

I realize also that as Sarah Palin becomes more and more of a national presence these things might never be remotely relevant again. If so, that's great! But I would rather be safe than sorry. I'm not letting my guard down for a second with these people. Again, I do it so you won't have to worry about it and to be ready if these things ever do become issues in the future. There may also be an issue of morbid curiosity.

Okay, now on to the Turkey Trot. The Turkey Trot was a dance back at the turn of the century, but today, it's a 5k trot, and the Gov was in on it.

Article and video here. Article here. Picture gallery of the Turkey Trot here. Picture gallery of Palin arriving in Pasco here.

And some more vids:









And just a random vid:

Happy Thanksgiving! Vids and More...

Happy Thanksgiving! My Thanksgiving gift to you -

Click here for Sarah's vid of pardoning the turkey last year - this is the non-homicidal version.

Tammy Bruce on 11-25-09 on The Wilding of Sarah Palin, and a lot of other cool stuff:







And, of course, Sarah's Happy Thanksgiving Facebook post:

Over three hundred years ago, a group of settlers fleeing religious persecution decided to set a new course for human history in a new frontier. Those early pioneers chose a rocky shoreline to establish their way of life. Centuries later, America continues to set the example of what can come from a free and hardworking people. We truly remain the shining city upon a hill that the colonial leader John Winthrop implored us to be.

What started as a small colony in the territory that would eventually become the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has progressed into the greatest and most prosperous nation in history. Americans remain the freest people on earth because of our cherished Constitution and the system of government it establishes.

We have so much to be thankful for. We should recognize especially the sacrifices made on our behalf by those in uniform. Thousands of Americans will be spending Thanksgiving overseas in combat zones in order to protect our liberty and way of life. We should give thanks to those who willingly put their lives on the line for the rest of us. Where would we be without them?

We are also thankful for what God has granted us. We are truly blessed in America with rich natural resources, plentiful energy sources, fertile land, beautiful cities, and the talented and industrious people we call “our fellow Americans.” We pray that God will continue to bless us.

In his farewell address to the nation, President Reagan reminded us that “all great change in America begins at the dinner table.” Thanksgiving is an opportunity to discuss where we are as a nation at this moment in our history and where we should be heading in order to remain prosperous and free. Take time to discuss these things with each other, and take time to teach the young people in your family about our nation’s history so that they may never forget all that we have to be proud of and thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

- Sarah Palin

And who can go a Thanksgiving without hearing Rush Limbaugh's version of the story?

Revolution is Brewing.......

Just as I was getting a little dragged down by all the negativity out there....

Sarah Palin will be keynoting the very first Tea Party Convention in Nashville, TN. Words cannot express how excited I am about this! All I can say is, "Throw the tea in the harbor, boys!"
From Newser:

Conservative heavyweights Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin will speak at the first-ever Tea Party Convention in February. Bachmann will give a breakfast speech, while Palin is scheduled for the keynote address at the Nashville event. Tickets to the weekend convention are $549, and that doesn't include accommodations at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, the MinnPost reports.

Anybody want to give me six hundred dollars? Nah, didn't think so. Just thought I'd ask:) I suppose it had to be that pricey, otherwise they'd have a few million people showing up.

I should note that as of this moment this speaking engagement has not been confirmed by Sarah herself that I know of. So try not to get your hopes up too high. Oh, it's too late.

The Palin Tag Team

I have to admit, I was a little taken aback by Palin's description of John Bitney (her first legislative director) in her book. The rest of the takedowns I expected; that one I didn't see coming.

I was skimming through the Palin news today, and there seem to be a few people who "have had it up to here and just aren't gonna take it anymore!" The political equivalent of "Mooooom, Palin's pickin' on me!"

What's that line about being able to dish it out but not being able to take it?

From the ADN:

Former Gov. Sarah Palin's book, "Going Rogue," blames her first legislative director for moves early in her term that helped poison her relationship with state lawmakers. But the ex-aide, John Bitney, calls Palin's account a fabrication and said he wishes his former boss would leave him alone.

"I'm just pilloried right and left and turned into the big bad wolf here for stuff I didn't do," said Bitney, who is now an aide to Valdez Republican Rep. John Harris. "It's like I'm this fictional character that she's decided to make me out to be this sort of incompetent slob."

Palin's lawyer, Tom Van Flein, responded in an e-mail that Bitney and others have been talking about "their perceptions of, and distortions about" Palin for more than a year, since after she was chosen as Sen. John McCain's vice presidential running mate.

" 'Going Rogue' is Sarah Palin's book to set the record straight. It is her right to speak about the events that occurred in her administration and neither Mr. Bitney nor anyone else has the right to stifle that speech," Van Flein said. "The statements in 'Going Rogue' speak for themselves, and it is Sarah Palin's turn to get the truth out there after a year of misrepresentations, half-truths and dissembling by her critics."

Bitney is now swinging back hard at Palin, agreeing to appear over the weekend on a television show hosted by one of the former governor's most vocal critics in Alaska, blogger Shannyn Moore. Bitney was on a panel of others slammed in "Going Rogue" that included Palin nemesis Andrew Halcro and Anne Kilkenney, who wrote a long e-mail critical of Palin's leadership in Wasilla that was forwarded around the country during the presidential campaign last year.

Moore asked Bitney if Palin is sane. Bitney's response: "Is a sociopath sane?"

The ADN article goes on to say that Palin's larger point was that Bitney blundered things with the legislature. Is that true? Don't ask me, how should I know? That's the problem with these his-word-against-hers scenarios.

I will say this in defense of both parties - people often see things differently. I know this from my own work environment. I've had issues with colleagues where their version of the story is completely different than mine. Every one sees things from their own perspective. And I did think that John was trying to be fair in his interviews about Sarah so far. I guess that's why the book threw me for a loop on that one. But I wasn't there, I don't know what happened, I'm not going to pretend like I do. Moving on....

And then we have Trooper Wooten. Wooten, the big, bad Trooper who got crushed in a child-proof van door. Oh, you have heard that story, right?

Geoffrey Dunn - Huffington Post blogger who specializes in half-truths, also has a Palin book coming out next year, and has been photographed palling around with the likes of Gryphen, Trig-Truther extradordinaire - has an article on the HuffPost detailing Trooper Mike Wooten's new outrage at Palin:

According to Wooten, Palin and her father, Chuck Heath Sr., have "interfered with my life--and my children's lives--for at least the last five years. And it is still going on. I'm done with it."

Hmmmmmm, his outrage sounds remarkably similar to Levi's.

I would give these people more credibility if they didn't show up with the likes of Shannyn Moore and Rex Butler, or if they weren't going to sue over being caught in a childproof door.

But again, whatever. I go back to Van Flein:

" 'Going Rogue' is Sarah Palin's book to set the record straight. It is her right to speak about the events that occurred in her administration and neither Mr. Bitney nor anyone else has the right to stifle that speech," Van Flein said. "The statements in 'Going Rogue' speak for themselves, and it is Sarah Palin's turn to get the truth out there after a year of misrepresentations, half-truths and dissembling by her critics."

If it ever does end up in court, no worries, the only place Dunn's half-truths hold any water is in the world of the Huffington Post. In a court of law they'd be torn to shreds.

These, ladies and gentlemen, are the heroes of the Left. The likes of Trooper Wooten, Andree McLeod, and Levi Johnston. No wonder they hate Sarah Palin.

I'm just going to throw in an interesting video. It's an interview with a former Alaskan politician about Sarah Palin:

Poor Dumb Kid

ET has video of Sherry Johnston's recent court hearing. The video is here. It won't let me embed. Gag-worthy as Levi is, I want you to watch it, especially the last part where Levi's lawyer is talking to him.

Now, obviously, Rex is playing it up for the cameras, but this is the kind of thing that Levi's handlers have been bottle-feeding him for the past year. Notice how Rex couches his statements in a way that's subtly anti-Palin.

Again, he's also playing to the cameras, but this kind of thing is why Levi came out on CBS and said he realizes Now that the Palins never really liked him. He's been surrounded by these people who have convinced him that he somehow matters, he can become a celebrity, and he doesn't have to take responsibility for his actions. They have cast him into a typical victim mentality. Levi's life fell apart; I'll give him that. Rex and Tank gave him a way to blame all of his problems on Sarah Palin.

I think Palin needs to continue to be gracious to Levi.

I think Levi and Bristol should have gone to court a long time ago and straightened out custody. No big deal. People do it all the time. Rex has just been waiting until he thinks it could do the most harm to Sarah, not to mention that Levi's going to have a hard time getting booked on anything if he doesn't have Sarah to complain about.

On a personal note, anger at Levi has turned into apathy. I feel sorry for the dumb kid. He listened to people that don't really care about him or his son. Rex is on record having a beef with Sarah Palin. They're the real villains in this. I kept hoping that Levi would come to his senses. When he didn't, I wrote him off. "Oh, well, he chose his side. Good riddance."

(sigh) I guess every good story needs at least one Judas.

The Rundown

The Gov is pretty busy these days. I'm going dizzy trying to remotely keep up. Here's a few highlights:

First up, Sarah hit the Villages today. Her interview with Gretchen Carlson is on tomorrow morning, bright and early. Articles here and here. Pictures here. Videos here and here. Excerpts from the articles:
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"I addressed her as 'President Palin,' " said Debbie McMillan of Orlando. "She said, 'I like that very much — I could live with that.' "

They waved cameras, wore "Palin 2012" T-shirts and "Women for Palin" buttons, and patiently waited when they became a surprise backdrop for Palin's 20-minute sit-down interview with FOX & Friends host Gretchen Carlson, expected to air this morning on the Fox News Channel. As her mother spoke, Piper trailed behind her toddling brother, the one whose hair she famously smoothed down with a little spit at the Republican National Convention.

Cheri Meadows, 65, a resident of the Villages for 17 years, had her own word for Palin: "courageous."

When she appeared inside, the crowd cheered loudly and chanted "President Palin."

"I thanked her father for raising a good, level-headed woman, and he said, 'Thank her mother, not me,' " said Justin Crowe, 26, who drove from Fort Lauderdale and waited nearly 24 hours to see her.

Eric Dry, 23, arrived at 3:30 a.m. praised her "pro-life, limited-government, low-taxes" stance. "There are only a select few people who will speak out for what we believe," Dry said.

"I told her she's amazing and to keep fighting because she's a voice for all of us," Capozza said.

As Palin spoke, Trig puttered around off-stage bare-footed, charming Sumter County sheriff's deputies and his 8-year-old sister, Piper.

As she sat down to sign books, her team provided the bookstore staff with a CD to play that started with the Brooks & Dunn tune "Only in America."

"She's the conservative we've all been waiting for," said Jackie Larkin, 47, of Ocala who spent the night outside the store.

Joan Butterfield, 74, who retired to The Villages from Vermont, wept as she recounted her brief encounter with Palin who held the older woman's hand before signing her book. "I told her she was like a breath of fresh air and if I had another daughter I'd want her to be just like her," Butterfield said. "She genuinely thanked me."

Sheila Schulte, 54, a resident of The Villages who was wearing a button on a red, white and blue scarf that read "Sarah Palin for President 2012," leaned over and thanked Palin for serving as a great inspiration.

Palin responded, "You're welcome and I like your pin."

Lisa Rivera, 46, of Leesburg, clad in her U.S. Air Force fatigues, arrived after the wristbands were distributed, but was given a place in line by Bill Brantley, 63, and his wife, Aurora, 60, who had driven from Miami to see Palin.

"We need to support our troops any way we can," Aurora Brantley said.

Rivera, who serves with a unit in Orlando, was grateful for the opportunity to meet Palin.

"I love Sarah. I love her spirit, her tenacity," Rivera said. "I've been in the Air Force for 18 years and I'm a born-again Christian. I love that she speaks openly about her faith."

Palin, criticized for leaving a stop in Indiana without signing the books of about 100 fans, did not depart for Orlando until no one was left in line.

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A couple of really cool eyewitness accounts of Palin's Fort Bragg visit the other day here and here.

Palin put out a Facebook note on the war tax idea:

Congress Never Ceases to Amaze

Really? A tax on national defense? I hear liberal Congressional proposals and I, like most Americans, wonder if they’re serious. We’re going to put a price tag on security?

With Congress and President Obama spending money on everything at breakneck speed, it’s interesting that they are only now getting nervous about spending – but only when it comes to providing the necessary funds to complete our mission in Afghanistan.

They don’t need a new “war tax” to fund a strategy for victory in the war zone. They simply need to prioritize our money appropriately. I find it telling that the Pelosi-Reid Congress is only cost-conscious when it comes to our national defense. Scary. Nonsensical. Unacceptable.

- Sarah Palin

In other news, looks like Obama's pretty much going to do what his commanders told him to do three months ago, to a lesser extent. Three months for that? Well, to be fair I'm going to wait and hear what he has to say. But heaven help us if we ever get attacked. Three months after the dust settles we might react.

Moving on....

A really cool Hot Air post by a Hillary voter turned Palin voter. It's called, An Unlikely Palinista:

In January of 2008, many months before Sarah Palin would explode onto the national scene, I was pondering the chances of my dream choice for the next president, Hilary Clinton. Clinton had been in my heart since 2000 and I boldly told anyone who would listen that she would triumphantly return to the White House in eight years. Unlike many of my black friends, I was not excited by the prospect of Barack Obama and did not feel the need to “support one of our own.”’

As a self-described liberal and feminist, Clinton had my full support throughout the primary season. I accepted the mistakes of her staff and her own missteps along the way as par for the course. The bitter primary fight was unexpected given Obama’s inexperience. I still hoped the Hillary would be victorious. Even after some obvious union shenanigans in caucus states, I never expected Obama to win the nomination. When he did, I put aside my disappointment and got behind him. I tried to feel pride in his accomplishments and overlook his obvious ACORN ties.

As a former ACORN/Project Vote employee, I recalled taking a call from the campaign in 2007 and speaking with one of the staffers. I was excited at the time, but only because I had just attended a staff retreat where Zach Polett, head of ACORN Political Operations, had bragged about supervising Obama and stated that “ACORN produces leaders.” After working with the Obama donor list in late 2007, I knew that Hilary Clinton faced a formidable opponent with a well-run political money machine.

Despite these experiences and misgivings, I went for Obama and when John McCain announced Sarah Palin as his running mate, I was angry. With all the liberal self-righteousness that I could muster, I attacked her experience, her knowledge of foreign affairs and all things Palin. It was a purely irrational response born out of the bitterness of not being able to have Hilary Clinton as my candidate. I ignored Palin’s innate charm, grace and beauty. I found myself secretly laughing with her and admiring her spunk but would never admit it.

In 2009 as I began to transition from liberal to conservative, I wondered whether I would get behind Palin and if I did, would that make me a hypocrite. A series of unlikely events answered that question for me. As the fight against ACORN became ugly and people began to spread lies and take sides, I finally understood Palin. She is a lightening rod for anyone who does not stand for truth and wants to maintain a status quo or move toward socialism.

When I found out the title of her book was Going Rogue, that stuck in my head, because that was the gist of the situation. Palin defies expectations, speaks from the heart and shoots from the hip. As former McCain staffers began to attack her, I identified with her. I realized that by bucking the system and going against Obama, I had upset liberals and some Republicans who wanted to use exposing ACORN for their own benefit. I upset other whistleblowers who wanted to protect Obama and selectively expose ACORN. I ruffled feathers at Fox with my determination to link this scandal back to the White House.

I began to admire Palin’s strength in the face of attacks and her relentless quest to just be Sarah and expose hypocrisy and truth. I became an unlikely “Palinista” and found myself devouring all articles written about her and following her on Facebook.

I was struck by how some treated her and intrigued by those who admired her. Sarah Palin really is a lesson in an American life: she never claimed to be perfect but through sheer grit, determination and an undeniable likability, she showed this self-described feminist what being a woman in this new America is all about.

- Anita MonCrief

Pretty cool, huh?

More really cool articles up ahead, like this one on Palin's Mayoral record. I'm not going to blockquote it because it's too long, but I can't bear to cut a lot of it either:

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You can’t help but notice that just about everyone who is part of the political establishment detests Sarah Palin. And you can’t help but notice that Palin couldn’t care less.

Early in the second chapter of Going Rogue, a chapter titled “Kitchen-Table Politics,” you learn everything you need to know to understand why. This is the way Palin has been wired for a very long time. During her two terms on the Wasilla City Council, followed by two terms as the city’s mayor, she consistently demonstrated a refreshing immunity to the insider mentality that tends to afflict people who serve in government at any level.

Recruited to run for the Council in 1992 by local power broker Nick Carney, Palin was seen as an attractive face who would support the usual way of doing business in Wasilla. She wasn’t.

In one of the first tests of her independence, Palin opposed a proposal touted by Carney, her political patron, to force residents to pay for neighborhood trash pickup rather than hauling their garbage to the dump themselves, as most did, and as Palin says she still does.

Why was this so important to Carney? Because he owned the local garbage truck company. If you’ve never had much exposure to local politics – and this is largely true anywhere you go – it’s a pretty big deal for a young, inexperienced politician (especially a woman) to so blatantly go against the person who recruited you into politics and supported you in your first campaign. You come under tremendous pressure to fall into line. Most cave, right then and there, long before they ever sniff politics at a higher level.

Palin didn’t.

During her terms on the council, she consistently opposed heavy-handed community planning initiatives and burdensome taxes. But she was not anti-government....[quotes a passage of the book]

She continued this emphasis after being elected mayor in 1998, supporting the building of roads and sewers, which helped to attract stores like Wal-Mart and Fred Meyer to Wasilla for the first time. She also spurred the paving of the city’s airport runway. You read that right: Wasilla’s airport had a gravel runway before Palin worked to get it paved.....

Among Palin-haters, one of the most popular canards is that she is an airhead, and clearly not capable of dealing with the intricacies of government. As this chapter demonstrates, nothing could be further from the truth.

Palin not only has a keen grasp of the details of governing and budgeting, she also understands the political difficulties inherent in making government responsive. Many of her antagonists at the national level scoffed at the notion that her experience in Wasilla was of any value. Quite the contrary, local government is where a public official’s decisions have the most direct impact on the electorate. It’s where you really have to understand the ins and outs of what you’re doing.

No voting for bills without reading them first.

As I’ve said many times before, and will say again now, I have no idea if Palin ever wants to run for president, and it is not my intention here to either tout her for president or argue for (or against) her qualifications.

But it has become widely accepted conventional wisdom that Palin is nothing more than a populist sloganeer who has no serious grasp of governing substance. Even a fair number of conservative commentators have bought into this notion, and are warning against the support of Palin as the mere embrace of empty style over substance.

Bullshit.

When it comes to the nuts and bolts of governing, Palin is one of the most substantive politicians to arrive on the scene in quite some time. And when it comes to having the intestinal fortitude necessary keep the interests of the people at the top of the agenda, I can’t think of a single person anywhere in politics who is Palin’s equal.

If you disagree with Palin’s philosophy of governing because you are a political liberal, that’s fine. But if you’re an honest person, stop trying to pretend she’s some sort of good-looking moron.
The more you read about Palin’s experience in governing, the more you understand why the national political establishments of both parties hope to smother her political career in its crib.

She knows how to govern – better than most of them do, in fact. She just won’t do it the way they do it, and that scares the crap out of them.

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Now that was a good read. And that kind of conclusion is exactly what this book was meant to lead readers to.

Three more articles. The first one is on a topic I've been thinking about as it relates to Sarah and her kids:

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Why We Love Sarah

It hit like a hammer. Number 1 on Amazon before it was even released. 300,000 copies sold on the first day. 1.6 million in the initial planned run in printing, another million or so hastily added to make a 2.6 million total run....

There were a lot of naysayers of course. It wouldn't sell, no one would care. If it did sell, it would still never make money. Even if it did make money, it would only be bought by rubes, hicks, and others who couldn't read above a 6th grade level. Ha! If she even wrote it herself! Meanwhile, there were prewritten negative reviews by the hundreds just waiting to be filed (easily by deadline). One review proudly admitting that it had been written without reading the work in question. Doubtless not the only such review written, but that one at least notable for its candor....

The scrambling amongst the wizards of smart was amazing. Frank Rich was apoplectic. Dowd was "dowdy" as usual. Frum could only point to her sex appeal dismissively (and mercy doesn't he sound more and more like an obsessed stalker?). But looking at those crowds on TV, I was struck by how half seemed thrilled for Sarah Palin personally, and the other half seemed wryly just to enjoy the fact that the naysayers were eating a heaping helping of crow again. Thats when it hit me. I finally and fully understand Sarah's appeal. More than that, I truly understand the zealous protective instinct so many seem to have about her.

Remember that obnoxious overly-competitive parent at the games that said your son couldn't make the big play? Remember your happiness for your son when he did? Tell me, wasn't there also just a touch of satisfaction that the obnoxious helicopter parent was proved wrong? You know there was. Remember the tears of your little girl when the "cool kids" didn't like her? Remember the beautiful girl that your daughter became and how you smiled when she came home excited about her awesome prom? Mixed with your joy and happiness was just a touch of "Well look at her NOW!" wasn't there? Oh yes, there was, don't deny it.....

Think back, you remember saying something overly protective about family a time or two I am sure. "That is MY sister, and you wont say anything about her!" or even a "He may be a jerk, but he is OUR jerk." sort of remark. It is a gestalt of "us" and "ours". It is primal, tribal and deeply personal. It is ancestral pride. No one picks on YOUR family. In fact, the more they try to pick on someone in your family the more you defend your brother/sister/cousin and so on. And while you are truly happy when someone in the family does well, there is also a touch of "Ha! That'll show them!".....

But someone outside of your immediate circle has to touch you in an extraordinary way in order to be viewed as family. It explains the devotion some have to a songwriter, author, or artist. We are impacted by their songs or stories on such a deep emotional level that we begin to bond our self-identity and close-circle feelings to them, generally all unknowing.

This is exactly what has happened with Sarah Palin. Somewhere along the way, Sarah connected on such a deep level that she has become family. She is ours. Her success makes us joyful for her sake and also allows just a touch of smug satisfaction at her success. Hows that crow tasting Brooks? Want another bite Kathleen Parker? Oh! Can someone get a second plate for Peggy Noonan while they are up? Hey, did you guys see the show today? Wow! Sarah just kicked kiester on Oprah! Yeah, I'm serious! isn't that great? She is doing us proud isn't she? Did I send her PAC a donation? Of course...

...family always takes care of each other.

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Now, how does this relate to her kids? Well, I got into a debate with someone the other day over whether or not Sarah was using her kids. To me, it's the most natural thing in the world to see the kids. I want to see Trig. I want to see Piper. I want to know what's going on in their lives. Not to an excessive extent, of course, but it's almost personal.

I can see it from the perspective of someone who doesn't view Sarah like we do. I could look at the book tour stops where she always emerges, Trig on hip, and could almost come to the conclusion that she's using her kids. But that's the perspective of someone who doesn't think of Sarah as family. To us, it's natural. We would just as soon have Sarah and the kids over for dinner as we would volunteer for her campaign.

Okay, on to the other articles. Next one, Sarah Palin: Redefining Feminism:

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I believe that the seething and obsession with all things Palin is bigger and deeper than even abortion.

What is really at the heart of the unrelenting vitriol and paranoia came to light rather innocuously in the celebrity style, soft-focus Oprah interview. In fact, the offending comment was so casually and organically delivered, that as far as I can tell, the chattering class, normally so quick to pounce on the slightest hint of mommy-war fodder, especially from someone as reviled by the left as Sarah Palin, did not picked up on the comment.

Near the end of the interview, in a gracious moment of praise and admiration for her host, Sarah recalled the days when she watched the Oprah Show more regularly, “back when I was a stay-at-home mom in the 90s”. That’s right, back when I was a stay-at-home-mom. When have we ever heard those words come out of the mouth of a female politician, much less one who is a possible contender for the highest office in the land?....

Sarah’s biography is the very public proof of what many women have already confirmed in their own lives: that success and female empowerment are not necessarily incompatible with early marriage, unplanned pregnancies, stay-at-home motherhood, or a large family.

Certainly one thing the feminist establishment never anticipated was Todd Palin. The new evolved husband was not supposed to be a blue-collar, snowmobiling commercial fisherman. He was supposed to be an ivy educated, New York Times-reading liberal.

Their great hope was Bill Clinton, but he let them down. However, his stellar abortion rights creds granted him a pass after Monica and the feminists set the stage for him to redeem himself during Hillary’s long-awaited presidential campaign. But poor Bill couldn’t help upstaging Hillary and his narcissistic rantings cost her dearly in a razor thin primary. The “First Dude” of the most macho state in our union, on the other hand, coolly stands in the background supporting his successful wife without a trace of resentment or envy....

Sarah embraces motherhood and authentic femininity with an unapologetic style that gives them their rightful power. It is something feminists have long rejected and continue to resist at their own peril. It is the source of their growing irrelevance and disconnect with a generation of women who are far too savvy and liberated to blindly accept feminist mantras and blueprints for ‘success’.

I’m a 38 year-old Hispanic stay at-home mother of five expecting her sixth in April. I live in rural Wisconsin and I’m married to a Midwestern lumberjack competitor and District Attorney who is a true helpmate – he’s as comfortable changing diapers as he is in the courtroom or wielding an axe. I have a graduate education that I don’t consider “wasted” on my kids and family. I write and find creative ways to pursue my personal interests thanks to technology, a great husband and supportive parents who help me with the kids whenever I ask. I shop at Wal-Mart and go to Mass every week. I’m pro-life, love Reagan, attended tea parties this summer and vote Republican.

If Sarah is redefining feminism, and female empowerment, then fourth wave feminism sure looks a lot more like my life and lot less like Gloria Steinem’s and Naomi Wolfe’s. And that, in a nutshell, is why they’re so afraid of Sarah Palin.

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Boy, good articles today, huh?

One more, and then you can stop reading for awhile, promise:)

The American Thinker - The Wilding of Sarah Palin:

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....What finally woke me up were the utterances of "bitch," "witch," and "monster" toward Hillary Clinton and her supporters early last year. I was shocked into reality: the trash-talk wasn't coming from conservatives, but from male and female liberals.

I finally beheld what my eyes had refused to see: that leftists are Mr. and Ms. Misogyny. Neither the males nor the females care a whit about women.

Women are continually sacrificed on the altar of political correctness. If under radical Islam women are enshrouded and stoned and beheaded, so be it.

My other epiphanies: those ponytailed guys were marching for abortion rights not because they cherished women's reproductive freedom, but to keep women available for free and easy sex.

And the eagerness for women to make good money? If women work hard, leftist men don't have to.

Then along came Sarah, and the attacks became particularly heinous. And I realized something even more chilling about the Left. Leftists not only sacrifice and disrespect women, but it's far worse: many are perpetuators.

The Left's behavior towards Palin is not politics as usual. By their laser-focus on her body and her sexuality, leftists are defiling her.

They are wilding her. And they do this with the full knowledge and complicity of the White House.

The Left has declared war on Palin because she threatens their existence. Liberals need women dependent and scared so that women, like blacks, will vote Democrat.

A strong, self-sufficient woman, Palin eschews liberal protection. Drop her off in the Alaskan bush and she'll survive just fine, thank you very much. Palin doesn't need or want anything from liberals -- not hate crimes legislation that coddles her, and not abortion, which she abhors.

Palin is a woman of deep and abiding faith. She takes no marching orders from messiah-like wannabes like Obama.

And so the Left must try to destroy her. And they are doing this in the most malicious of ways: by symbolically raping her.

Just like a perpetuator, they dehumanize her by objectifying her body. They undress her with their eyes.

They turn her into a piece of ass.

Liberals do this by calling her a c__t, ogling her legs, demeaning her with names like "slutty flight attendant" and "Trailer Park Barbie," and exposing her flesh on the cover of Newsweek. And from Atlantic Magazine's Andrew Sullivan: "Sarah Palin's vagina is the font of all evil in the galaxy."

Nothing is off-limits, not actress Sandra Bernhard's wish that Palin be gang-raped or the sexualization of Palin's daughters.

As every woman knows, leering looks, lurid words, and veiled threats are intended to evoke terror. Sexual violence is a form of terrorism.

The American Left has a long history of defiling people to control and break them. The hard core '60s leftists were masters of guerrilla warfare, like the Symbionese Liberation Army repeatedly raping Patty Hearst. Huey P. Newton sent a male Black Panther to the hospital, bloodied and damaged from a punishment of sodomy.

The extreme Left still consider themselves warriors, righteous soldiers for their Marxist cause. With Palin, they use sexual violence as part of their military arsenal.

Palin is not the only intended victim. As Against Our Will described, the brutality is also aimed at men. By forcing men to witness Palin's violation, the Left tries to emasculate conservative men and render them powerless.

The wilding of any woman is reprehensible. But defiling a mother of five with a babe in her arms, and a grandmother to boot, is particularly obscene. It is, of course, Palin's unapologetic motherhood that fuels the leftist fire.

Because as a mother and a fertile woman, Palin is as close to the sacred as a person gets. She is not just politically pro-life. Her whole being emanates life, which is a stark contrast to the darkness of the Left, the life-despoilers.

These "progressives" are so alienated from the sacred that they perceive nothing as sacred. And they will destroy anyone whose goodness shines a mirror on their pathology. The spiritually barren must annihilate the vital and the fertile.

It has been almost two years since I woke up and broke up with liberalism. During these many months, I've discovered that everything I believed was wrong.

But the biggest shock of all has been realizing that the Democratic Party is hardly an oasis for women. Now that it has been infiltrated by the hard Left, it's a dangerous place for women, children, and other living things.

In the wilding of Sarah Palin, the Left shows its true colors. Rather than shield the vulnerable, leftists will mow down any man, woman, or child who gets in their way. Instead of a movement of hope and change, it is a cauldron of hate.

From Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it."

In these dark times, with spiritually bankrupt people at the helm, thank God we have bright lights like Sarah Palin to illuminate the darkness.

------

Wow. That's about all you can say.

Congratulations, you have read a very long blog post. Your reward? Videos! Yay

Parts one and two of Palin's KTUU interview are up on You Tube now:

Recognize the lady helping Sarah? Of course you do.

Palin Visits Roanoke

Awesome write-up of Palin's visit to Roanoke here. Video of Sally Heath and Trig on left side. Excerpts:

Siobhan Haines of Hardy, who described herself as a "conservative liberal" with views from both ends of the political spectrum, emerged with a signed book and described Palin's appeal to her: "She's a rogue."

Tito "The Builder" Munoz, whom Palin referred to in some of her campaign speeches last year, traveled to the event from Northern Virginia and was rewarded with a personalized signature in his book.

"I'm in the book! I'm right here, page 305," Munoz said as he pointed to a passage in "Going Rogue."

Annie Lin of Salem was another who received a rare personalized signature. Lin, originally from Taiwan, spoke to Palin in broken English and handed her a note that said her son, Jerry Wu, had Down syndrome -- much like Palin's young son Trig. He couldn't stand in line overnight and be here, Lin said. Palin obliged and included Jerry's name on the cover page.

Palin's parents, Chuck and Sally Heath, signed books for a small group of fans in front of the "Going Rogue" bus parked to the side of the crowd for about 30 minutes."This is fantastic," Sally said, as she held three spare diapers for baby Trig and was ushered inside to tend to him.When asked if he hopes his daughter runs for president in the next election, Chuck responded: "I don't know, that's all up to her. It surprised me when she ran for governor. We'll support her."

[on Palin's surprise visit]:

Everyone yelled and screamed, 'Sarah's here!'" said Brenda Sharpe, 57, of Salem.Tom O'Reilly, 71, of Oxford, Md., said Palin's tour bus arrived and she stepped out of it holding her baby, Trig. Piper, her youngest daughter, was with her, too. Palin thanked the crowd for coming and staying the night and then left after about five minutes, he said.

Said Sharpe of Salem, standing just behind the O'Reilly in line: "[Palin] said, 'We're going to a warm hotel room, and we feel so bad you're going to be out in the cold all night. But we thank you for being here; you all are doing the hard work.' I don't think anybody was asleep when she came. Everybody was on their feet."

"This is not for a book," he said of camping out. "We're going to have our books signed by the next president of the United States."

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More breakdown of Roanoke here.

KTUU Interview Pt. 1

Part 1 of the KTUU interview is up. It won't let me embed, but you'll find it here. Trig's all squirrely!

Next Commander in Chief?

Sarah pretty much knocked it out of the park on Greta:





On a completely shallow note, I love it when she wears t-shirts. It's more her style than anything else. And, of course, I have to include the adorable pics of Trig:

The Rundown

Alaska news station KTUU has an introductory vid up previewing an upcoming interview of Sarah. It aired today, so it should be online soon. The preview is here.

Tracey of "Finding Myself In Alaska" summed up my feelings about people who have a problem with Palin's kids tagging along:

These comments accuse her of using the kids as props, traveling with the kids, and even a comment about Trig not having shoes on in one video clip, asking "what kind of mother are you?" of Sarah. Remember Princess Diana? I thought today of an article written years ago after Prince William, her oldest, was born.

It said that Princess Diana would spend time playing music in Prince William's nursery, even standing over him with a camera, clicking away so that he could get used to the sound of the cameras that would flash his image and follow him everywhere he went. This is their reality, the reality of someone in the spotlight.

Trig, who has Down Syndrome, seems to have adjusted very well to all the attention which might not have been the case had his family not gotten him used to the attention. Supporters are interested in seeing the children, because it is part of who Sarah is - she is a working mother - and many of us admire her for that. Her children are part of who she is, and it would be foolish and impossible to hide them away. I am certain that if she did hide them away, we would again be hearing from detractors, this time accusing her of not spending time with her children and keeping them shuddered.

I live in Wasilla (Sarah's home town) and have spent time with the family and I have to say this - this is one of the most well adjusted families I have seen. The kids are involved in sports, after school activities, and are very social. I've seen them running after school to go sledding, walking pets, and playing with family and friends. When asked how a trip went, often you get a quick "OK" and then a change of topic. They move on.

Many, many children of those in politics and celebrity have traveled with their parents. Imagine the opportunities these kids have already had. They have met people and seen parts of the country most of us will never get a chance to see. These children are not hidden away. They are out there for us to see, but are supported, loved, and reminded of how blessed they are to have the opportunities they have. I have never seen any of them take it for granted.

And as far as Trig and his shoes - obviously this comment was not written by the mother of a young child. To that commentor I say this: When you invent a way to keep socks on little feet, let the rest of us know, ok?

Michael Steele had some positive comments about Sarah here.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Sarah visited Fort Bragg today, and she had this to say on Facebook:

US Troops Must be Second to None

Can’t wait to meet our troops – and all those who love the U.S. Armed Forces – today at Ft. Bragg. Read my book’s dedication page. The book is for these Patriots who fight for freedom. They deserve our support and our government’s unwavering commitment to equipping them for victory.The book tour is beyond all expectations.

This feels like the time when a team comes together, gearing up before a major competition to show unity and supply strength and encouragement to each team member equally, regardless of the team member’s role or title.

On this tour I hear the grave concerns Americans have for our children’s future. I also feel the hope so many of you want to cling to – hope for those on Capitol Hill to see the light, hope for politicians to be humble enough to acknowledge that growing
the federal government isn’t the answer to our economic challenges, hope that it won’t take another terrorist strike to wake us up to continued threats by those who hate America and our allies.

At every stop on this tour I see Americans coming together to say, “Enough. We love our country too much to just sit down and shut up while politicians take us for a ride. We shall be heard.” We see a united team.

Now, I want to give you more hope: We are Americans. Anything is possible in America. Anyone can make a positive difference. You don’t need a title or a political position or a pedigree. We can take our country back from those who think growing national debt will grow prosperity for us, the little guys. We can take it back from those who think shrinking military power will make the homeland safer for us, the little guys.

We can take it back because we’re fired up, and we’re all about telling our government to listen to us, trust us, get back on our side… or politicians: you’re fired.

Plunging our country deeper and deeper in debt; borrowing billions from foreign countries; relying on foreign nations to supply us with energy; talking about sanctions against dangerous regimes but not following through; hesitating to surge aggressively to stop terrorist strongholds from growing; allowing government to take over health care, banks, the auto industry, and who knows what else they’ve got up their sleeves... it’s all too much and we’ve had enough.

Ronald Reagan knew it took a united team to right the wrongs of Washington. He told his team in essence, “Gentlemen and Ladies, I hate inflation; I hate taxes; I hate
terrorists. Do something about it.” America, you’re doing something about it!

Thank you for standing up and speaking out. Thank you for holding on to hope, for loving America so passionately and supporting our troops who fight for freedom. Keep the faith!

- Sarah Palin

PS: Please continue to follow the tour’s progress by following me on Twitter at SarahPalinUSA. Enjoy the photos below!

A bunch of pics on her Facebook page.

By the way, Sarah's Twitter feed is at the bottom right hand corner of this page under the quotes and pics. I'm not going to bother posting all of her tweets individually.

Video of Sarah at Fort Bragg here. Her Dad weighs in at the end.

More vids:

The Ultimate Jew on Sarah Palin:



Some random book-signing vids:







And Palin's third O'Reilly installment:



And lastly, check out this article on why Palin drives the Left batty. It's good.

Tammy Bruce on Sarah Palin and Obama Vids

Tammy Bruce on Sarah Palin and Obama's foreign policy approach. Good stuff. Hilarious take on the AP:

A Good Article

(sigh) After flipping through dozens of headlines about how hateful Palin is in "Going Rogue" and every other lie out there, I decided to post an article that is positive. Just for a change of pace:

Hard to be lukewarm about Alaska’s former governor

She talks funny, she’s dumb, and she was governor of Alaska … big deal.” That’s what a lot of people say about Sarah Palin. For those of us in conservative circles, we’re used to our candidates being ridiculed.

Remember Dan Quayle, Ronald Reagan and the previous president, George W. Bush? They all have one thing in common: They were depicted as having the IQ of a rock. Incredibly, the current VP has avoided that label.

If all you’ve read is headlines, you’d think the former VP candidate was dumb, too. The media has gone out of their way to depict her that way. Don’t believe me, just look at the cover of the most recent Newsweek magazine. “She’s just a pretty bimbo,” even though she was the youngest and first woman to govern Alaska, and do it successfully.

Not wanting to burden the state or her family, she resigned after countless false ethics complaints were incessantly lodged against her. Conservatives have latched onto her though. Her message is their message. It’s a message of limited, more efficient government. It’s a pro-life message that she not only speaks of but lives every day. It’s a message that the government should be working for you, not you working for it.

She’s on to something, too. Consider the 23rd District election in New York. Sarah Palin was one of the first to endorse conservative Doug Hoffman despite the Republican Party’s choice of liberal Dede Scozzafava.

Under pressure from conservatives, Scozzafava dropped out. Hoffman lost, but despite little name recognition or party backing, he almost won.

Recently, the elections here in Rochester resulted in many voting on the conservative line, not Republican. Conservatives also were polled to be the single largest ideological group in an October Gallup Poll, with a 40 percent majority. Those who considered themselves liberal polled at 20 percent.

A Pew Research Poll showed that conservative independents have risen to 33 percent from 26 percent in 2005. Voters who defined themselves as conservative democrats also are up 8 percent. There is a noticeable trend here.

Voters are sending a message that they want fewer taxes, less government interference and more accountability and Sarah Palin is ratcheting up the enthusiasm, unencumbered by office or handlers.

Whether you believe the McCain/Palin ticket should have won or not, one thing is clear: Her message is resonating all across the country. That may well usher in a new wave of “change we can believe in” in 2010.

- Petrena Hayes

Going Rogue Reviews

First off, I just want to say how royally ticked off I am about all of the media's "book reports" of Palin's "Going Rogue." I have to wonder how many of them actually read the book. The differences between their assessment of the book and what the book actually says and how it's written couldn't be more glaring.

If I hadn't read it, I would have thought that she hated the world, that she mangled every other word, that she talked about Katie Couric every other paragraph, and that she was using Steve Schmidt's picture for target practice in her backyard. The disconnect between the reviews and the actual book is nothing short of hilarious. I don't know who writes for these publications, but they must be the most snobbish, can't-see-past-the-end-of-their-own-nose, narrow-minded, humorless people on the planet.

The book is hilarious. It is light-hearted and warm. It does not come across as score-settling, but rather as just the way things happened from Palin's perspective. And even those parts are peppered with humor. She even makes excuses for some of the campaign mishaps. Not to mention the fact that she goes into a lot of detail about her own personal life and her career before she delves into the campaign.

And the idea that there's no policy in the book....

The last part of the book outlines her basic premise of what she thinks about the current direction of our country, and where the country should be going instead. But her philosophy and her policies are scattered throughout the book. They are interwoven into her experiences. It is obvious. The only way you wouldn't see them is if you were blind or stupid. None is so blind as he who will not see.

I read the book before I read any reviews. I didn't want anybody else to influence my perspective of the book. Whether the book was good or horrible, I wanted to make that determination for myself. Well I made my determination. It is well-written, humorous, and heart-warming. It is optimistic and honest; sincere and unapologetic. It's just an all-around good book. I would recommend it even if you hate Sarah Palin's guts. Even if you don't believe a word in it or think that she could never be President...whatever. That stuff doesn't matter. It's still a good read.

And I have to say, I knew the media skewers things, but I never knew how much until I read the reviews of this book. The reviews are so far removed from the real thing it's laughable. And it cracks me up how these so-called super smart people can't figure it out. It's plain English, people. It's not that hard. The media, as far as I'm concerned, can go to h-e-double hockey sticks.

Palin in Asheville

More pics here.

Video of speech here.

Sarah Palin arrives in Asheville NC to have Dinner with Billy Graham & Family from richard bernier on Vimeo.

SP Video Sunday

Little Trigby at a book signing. Awwwwww...

Now, normally I try to post an old interview of Sarah Palin, but this one she did with Dennis Miller she absolutely knocked out of the park. This is the kind of thing that I know she is capable of. She doesn't always deliver it, but when she does, it's a thing of beauty:





And Machosauce pretty much sums it up:

Palin on Book TV

Just so ya know, Book TV (CSPAN-2) is doing a thing on Sarah Palin's book, "Going Rogue," tomorrow (Sunday) at 5:45 PM ET. It will re-air Monday morning at 7:00 AM ET. It will be followed by Matthew Continetti's, "The Persecution of Sarah Palin."

Tammy Bruce on Going Rogue Release

From 11-17:







And a quick vid into Tammy herself: