Muddling Toward Maturity Blog

SARAH PALIN - ARE WE CREATING A CULTURE THAT CAN LIVE AND THRIVE NURTURING IN FREEDOM?

Sarah Palin, much mocked and maligned, speaks simple truths that should be common knowledge.  She wrote today:  "As Freedom Destroys Itself: Laws can't protect a society that has lost its way."

QUICK TAKES

Headline stories from Jim Loft's "Gateway Pundit." Click through for details.

        **  Arab Spring… Egyptian Lower House of Parliament Approves Text Declaring Israel the Number One Enemy

        **   Thanks Barack… 80% of Americans Say They Are Not Better Off Today Than 4 Years Ago

        **  It’s Official… Despite Obama’s Many, Many Promises, Obamacare Funds Abortion After All

        **  Game On!… Sarah Palin Takes Obama to Woodshed Over His Shameless Attack Ad – Challenges Him to Debate

Sarah has a way of putting things.  From her Facebook account:

The far Left continues to believe American voters are not smart enough to grasp the diversionary tactics it employs to distract us from the issues our President just doesn’t want to talk about – issues that affect us all every day and must be addressed.

Exhibit A in these diversionary tactics is an absurd new attack ad President Obama has released taking my comments out of context. I’m not running for any office, but I’m more than happy to accept the dubious honor of being Barack Obama’s “enemy of the week” if that includes the opportunity to debate him on the issues Americans are actually concerned about. (Remember when I said you don’t need a title to make a difference?)

The following paragraph is particularly excellent:

Just off the top of my head, a few of these concerning issues include: a debt crisis that has us hurtling towards a Greek-style collapse, entitlement programs going bankrupt, a credit downgrade for the first time in our history, a government takeover of the health care industry that makes care more expensive and puts a rationing panel of faceless bureaucrats between you and your doctor (aka a “death panel”), $4 and $5 gas at the pump exacerbated by an anti-drilling agenda that rejects good paying energy sector jobs and makes us more dependent on dangerous foreign regimes, a war in Afghanistan that seems unfocused and unending, a global presidential apology tour that’s made us look feeble and ridiculous, a housing market in the tank, the longest streak of high unemployment since World War II, private-sector job creators and industry strangled by burdensome regulations and an out-of-control Obama EPA, an attack on the Constitutional protection of religious liberty, an attack on private industry in right-to-work states, crony capitalism run amok in an administration in bed with their favored cronies to the detriment of genuine free market capitalism, green energy pay-to-play kickbacks to Obama campaign donors, and a Justice Department still stonewalling on a bungled operation that armed violent Mexican drug lords and led to the deaths of hundreds of innocent people.

SARAH PALIN - "CANNIBALS IN GOP ESTABLISHMENT EMPLOY TACTICS OF THE LEFT"

I am impressed with Sarah Palin's take on what's been going on in the Florida GOP primary.  You owe it to yourself to read her comments in full. 

And may I say in passing, that others also recognize the despicably sinister, untrue, totally unfair attacks being levelled at Newt by the GOP establishment who want to sew up Romney's nomination as the GOP presidential candidate.  I say this as a Rick Santorum supporter.  (See Jeffrey Lord, "Elliot Abrams caught misleading on Newt.")

Click "continue reading" below for Sarah Palin's comments.

SARAH PALIN WILL NOT RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2012

Today she sent the following letter to her supporters

October 5, 2011

Wasilla, Alaska

After much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for President of the United States. As always, my family comes first and obviously Todd and I put great consideration into family life before making this decision. When we serve, we devote ourselves to God, family and country. My decision maintains this order.

My decision is based upon a review of what common sense Conservatives and Independents have accomplished, especially over the last year. I believe that at this time I can be more effective in a decisive role to help elect other true public servants to office – from the nation’s governors to Congressional seats and the Presidency. We need to continue to actively and aggressively help those who will stop the “fundamental transformation” of our nation and instead seek the restoration of our greatness, our goodness and our constitutional republic based on the rule of law.

From the bottom of my heart I thank those who have supported me and defended my record throughout the years, and encouraged me to run for President. Know that by working together we can bring this country back – and as I’ve always said, one doesn’t need a title to help do it. 

I will continue driving the discussion for freedom and free markets, including in the race for President where our candidates must embrace immediate action toward energy independence through domestic resource developments of conventional energy sources, along with renewables. We must reduce tax burdens and onerous regulations that kill American industry, and our candidates must always push to minimize government to strengthen the economy and allow the private sector to create jobs. 

Those will be our priorities so Americans can be confident that a smaller, smarter government that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people can better serve this most exceptional nation. 

In the coming weeks I will help coordinate strategies to assist in replacing the President, re-taking the Senate, and maintaining the House.

Thank you again for all your support. Let’s unite to restore this country! 

God bless America.

– Sarah Palin

Palin Announces She Will Not Run in 2012 October 5, 2011 6:14 P.M. By Katrina Trinko     Sarah Palin has just announced on Mark Levin’s radio show that she will not run for president in 2012.  UPDATE: ABC News has obtained the letter Palin sent supporters today: October 5, 2011 Wasilla, Alaska After much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for President of the United States. As always, my family comes first and obviously Todd and I put great consideration into family life before making this decision. When we serve, we devote ourselves to God, family and country. My decision maintains this order. My decision is based upon a review of what common sense Conservatives and Independents have accomplished, especially over the last year. I believe that at this time I can be more effective in a decisive role to help elect other true public servants to office – from the nation’s governors to Congressional seats and the Presidency. We need to continue to actively and aggressively help those who will stop the “fundamental transformation” of our nation and instead seek the restoration of our greatness, our goodness and our constitutional republic based on the rule of law. From the bottom of my heart I thank those who have supported me and defended my record throughout the years, and encouraged me to run for President. Know that by working together we can bring this country back – and as I’ve always said, one doesn’t need a title to help do it.  I will continue driving the discussion for freedom and free markets, including in the race for President where our candidates must embrace immediate action toward energy independence through domestic resource developments of conventional energy sources, along with renewables. We must reduce tax burdens and onerous regulations that kill American industry, and our candidates must always push to minimize government to strengthen the economy and allow the private sector to create jobs.  Those will be our priorities so Americans can be confident that a smaller, smarter government that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people can better serve this most exceptional nation.  In the coming weeks I will help coordinate strategies to assist in replacing the President, re-taking the Senate, and maintaining the House. Thank you again for all your support. Let’s unite to restore this country!  God bless America. – Sarah Palin Comments   23   |   E-mail Author   |   Archive

JOHN FUND: THE JOURNALISTIC STALKING OF SARAH PALIN

Fund writes: 

[...] As Britain's Daily Telegraph noted, "the trove of more than 13,000 emails detailing almost every aspect of Sarah Palin's governorship of Alaska . . . paints a picture of her as an idealistic, conscientious, humorous and humane woman slightly bemused by the world of politics." But the buildup to their release was treated like the prelude to the release of the Pentagon Papers. . .

Contrast this with the level of interest that reporters have shown in Barack Obama's lack of a paper trail during the 2008 campaign and afterwards. No, I'm not talking about the issue of his birth certificate. I am thinking of his college records and papers; his application to the Illinois bar to become a lawyer; his complete list of clients while he was in private practice; and his records from his service in the Illinois State Senate. Almost none of this has been released in whole or in part by Mr. Obama, and requests have been airily dismissed.

And then there are Mr. Obama's longtime associations with very left-wing political figures and foundations. With the exception of journalist Stanley Kurtz, author of a richly documented new book called "Radical-in-Chief: Barack Obama and the Untold Story of American Socialism," almost no one has been interested in those ties. . .

More... 

GOVERNOR PALIN AT THE REAGAN RANCH

 

Photo credit: (c) Jensen Sutta

Beautiful horse!  Big Government has more photos and terrific coverage of Palin's visit to the Reagan Ranch. (HT: Gateway Pundit)

STANLEY FISH GIVES HIGH MARKS TO SARAH PALIN'S CONCEPT OF "AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM"

One wouldn't ordinarily expect an opinion piece by Stanley fish published in the New York Times to be particularly favorable to Sarah Palin, but Fish's article, "Exceptionalism, Faith and Freedom: Palin's America," proves enjoyable reading.  Outstanding to me in this review of Palin's America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag, are the many references to "American exceptionalism" which Fish agrees are historically grounded. He applauds Palin's "humility" in letting the quotes and references take center stage in her book.   A good read . . .

SARAH PALIN'S RESPONSE TO THE TUCSON KILLINGS

I find her media presence in this video quite compelling.  Her delivery gives life to her text.  A Palid aid said she is getting unprecedented death threats.  

   

Update 1/13/11 - I agreem with Jonah Goldberg's assessment:

Lost in all of the squabbling about the use of the term “blood libel” is an under-appreciated fact. Palin’s statement yesterday was actually the most robust, unapologetic defense of vigorous democratic debate and the American system we’ve heard from any politician since Saturday, and that goes for President Obama’s speech as well. I don’t fault Obama by saying this. Obama was speaking at a memorial service (or at least that was his plan).

Palin did exactly what her detractors claimed she both must do and couldn’t do: give a grown up, mature statement.

BRISTOL FIXING MOM'S HAIR IN HAITI

Pretty ordinary, right?  Of course.  Unless you're part of the Palin-hating media who want to make her look bad.   Associated Press:

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, center, has her hair done during a visit to a cholera treatment center set up by the NGO Samaritan's Purse in Cabaret, Haiti, Saturday Dec. 11, 2010.

No, she's not a prima donna who brought her hair dresser to Haiti to primp her for a photo op.  The person "doing her hair" was her daughter, Bristol.  Once again the media is caught trying to take down Palin.  And it ends with egg on its face.

QUICK TAKES

    --  Ouch!… Sarah Palin Hammers Nutty Hollywood Producer  (Palin is good at hitting back hard and making her attacker look like an idiot)

   -- George Will - "Why Mike Pence Catches Conservatives' Eyes"  (Will's article proves a good addition to my previous post, "Mike Pence for President?")

   -- Clifford May - "Cyber Wake-up Call"

Chinese military analyst Wang Huacheng has described America’s reliance on information technology and the Internet as the country’s “soft ribs and strategic weakness.” Chinese forces are known to have penetrated Sandia National Laboratories and several U.S. military sites. Air Force major general William Lord said the Chinese downloaded “ten terabytes of data, the same amount contained in the Library of Congress.”

[..] Enemy cybercombatants are developing cyberweapons that could shut down our electrical grid (causing blackouts of indefinite duration) or destroy the electronic records and processes on which our financial systems depend. 

               Me:  So what does this mean?  My money and your money lie in a bank as merely a data entry. Do we lose all trace of it in a cyber attack?  What about the stock market?  Do all investments go "poof"?  Is there any place one can put one's money where it cannot be wiped out in a cyber attack?

    - Students attack Prince Charles' car after fee hike.  (If he and Camilla look shocked and scared, they have every reason to be)

 

PRINCE CHARLES’ CAR ATTACKED By Violent London Youths (PHOTO & Video)… Christmas Tree in Trafalgar Square Torched

Posted by Jim Hoft on Thursday, December 9, 2010, 2:04 PM

VIOLENT YOUTHS protesting in London attacked that car that Prince Charles and Camille were riding in tonight.

The Rolls Royce they were riding in had its window smashed and it was covered in paint. (Telegraph)

Here’s video of the car:

The violent mob also attacked the treasury, the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square has been set alight, shops ransacked in Oxford Street and police are preparing to deploy CS gas to break the crowds up.

Demonstrators protest in central London in this November 30, 2010. (REUTERS/Luke MacGregor)

Prince Charles and Camille were attacked in their car during the violent protests.
Chron.com reported:

Angry protesters in London have attacked a car containing Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

An Associated Press photographer saw demonstrators kick the car in Regent Street, in the heart of London’s shopping district. The car then drove off.

The prince’s office had no immediate comment.

Protesters angry at a huge tuition fee hike are fighting with police and smashing windows in London.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

British lawmakers on Thursday approved a controversial plan to triple university tuition fees by a narrow margin after some government legislators rebelled amid violent protests outside Parliament.

The plan to raise the cap on tuition fees to 9,000 pounds ($14,000) was approved, 323-302 in the House of Commons, a close vote given the government’s 84-seat majority.

The tuition vote posed a crucial test for governing Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, and for the government’s austerity plans to reduce Britain’s budget deficit.

Outside Parliament, police with riot shields and batons tussled with angry student protesters, keeping them away from the building.

20 comments

 

ADVERTISEMENT

Ouch!… Palin Hammers Nutty Hollywood Producer: “I Didn’t Know Anyone Ate Dogs, Tanned the Hides & Made Boots Out of Them”

SARAH PALIN'S "LEARNING CHANNEL" (TLC) DEBUT BROKE ALL RECORDS

The The Hollywood Reporter via Jim Loft,

Sarah Palin’s documentary / travelogue / reality / biopic shattered TLC ratings records Sunday night.

The debut of Sarah Palin’s Alaska delivered a whopping 5 million viewers.

The first episode of the eight-part series was the most-watched program launch in TLC’s history.

 

SARAH PALIN AT THE "RESTORING HONOR RALLY" IN WASHINGTON, DC

 

 

SARAH PALIN - POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY MORE IMPORTANT THAN FEMALE SOLIDARITY

Politico - "Sister Sledgehammer: Palin takes aim at Dem Women"  (HT: Drudge) 

Me: Good for her!  Safe prediction:  Old-guard liberal feminists' hatred of Sarah Palin ("hatred" is not too strong a word), will only increase.

SARAH PALIN'S NEWS-FILLED WEEKEND

Pamela Geller has blogged Sarah Palin's weekend appearances, including video of her speech at the National Tea Party Convention, National Review's highlights of her speech, and a transcript of Chris Wallace's major interview with her on Fox News Sunday. 

Me:  She's gotta do something about her hair!  Yikes.  Not very flattering.

SARAH PALIN - "WOMEN'S RIGHTS GROUPS: YOUR DOUBLE STANDARD IS SHOWING"

Once again Sarah Palin enters the public fray to offer a common sense perspective. 

SARAH PALIN'S "DEATH PANELS" EMBRACED IN NEW HEALTH CARE BILL

The nation continues its death bed decomposition under the Democratic revolutionaries now manhandling law-making in Washington, D.C.  It's hard to overstate how menacing and dangerous this government is becoming.  From Obama giving Interpol immunity from Americn law, to the irresponsible release of 12 dangerous Gitmo detainees, to holding the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York City, to the bribery of Senators to get votes for Obamacare, it's a squalid, smelly Washington scene unprecedented in American history.  McCarthy is right:

Quite intentionally, the Obama administration is making so many radical moves on so many different fronts simultaneously that it's difficult to stay on top of them all, much less give them the attention they deserve.

Into this porridge of poison, Sarah Palin weighs in on Facebook, "Midnight Votes, Backroom Deals, and Death Panels:

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

AL GORE IS A LIAR

- Update - Sarah Palin on her Facebook repeats her contention that President Obama should stay at home and not go to Copenhagen.  Excerpt:  (HT: HotAir)

In his inaugural address, President Obama declared his intention to “restore science to its rightful place.” But instead of staying home from Copenhagen and sending a message that the United States will not be a party to fraudulent scientific practices, the president has upped the ante. He plans to fly in at the climax of the conference in hopes of sealing a “deal.” Whatever deal he gets, it will be no deal for the American people. What Obama really hopes to bring home from Copenhagen is more pressure to pass the Democrats’ cap-and-tax proposal. This is a political move. The last thing America needs is misguided legislation that will raise taxes and cost jobs -- particularly when the push for such legislation rests on agenda-driven science.

- (Original Post) -That's the only conclusion one can come to if one reads Andrew Bolt's post:  (HT: Drudge)  (Note: Readers must click through to the extended page for the revelation of  Gore's falsehoods.)

Al Gore has studied the Climategate emails with his typically rigorous eye and dismissed them as mere piffle:

Q: How damaging to your argument was the disclosure of e-mails from the Climate Research Unit at East Anglia University?

A: To paraphrase Shakespeare, it’s sound and fury signifying nothing. I haven’t read all the e-mails, but the most recent one is more than 10 years old. These private exchanges between these scientists do not in any way cause any question about the scientific consensus.

And in case you think that was a mere slip of the tongue:

Q: There is a sense in these e-mails, though, that data was hidden and hoarded, which is the opposite of the case you make [in your book] about having an open and fair debate.

A: I think it’s been taken wildly out of context. The discussion you’re referring to was about two papers that two of these scientists felt shouldn’t be accepted as part of the IPCC report. Both of them, in fact, were included, referenced, and discussed. So an e-mail

SARAH PALIN TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: BOYCOTT COPENHAGEN

- Her latest Facebook message is here.

- Update 12/4/09 - On a different subject, Ben Smith names Sarah Palin a "Pro-Life Star" (he calls her the "anti-abortion star").   It's an excellent article that needs to be read in full.  (HT: HotAir)  It begins: 

In the months since she returned to the public spotlight, Sarah Palin’s continually evolving political identity has undergone a subtle change as her public persona centers increasingly on her disabled son, Trig.

Palin began her political career as a reformer breaking up Alaska’s corrupt boys club and shifted seamlessly into last fall’s campaign trail culture warrior. But her decision to carry to term her Down syndrome child established a special relationship with anti-abortion activists, and now Palin has transformed herself from a politician who was anti-abortion into the leading figure of the anti-abortion movement. . .

More:

But the most striking evidence of her son’s impact has been Palin’s book tour promoting her memoir, “Going Rogue.” As she descends from her tour bus or private jet to meet her fans, 19-month-old Trig has been a conspicuous presence — and generated a huge response. “There’s a lot of people who come through the line to see Trig instead of to see her,” says Jason Recher, a campaign aide who remained close to Palin and is now accompanying her on her book tour.

And those people, says Greg Mueller, a veteran anti-abortion political operative and former spokesman for Pat Buchanan, are getting a powerful message. “She’s going out there as a pro-life woman to say that there’s great joy in special-needs kids — and that we shouldn’t be aborting them.”   [Read the whole thing. . .]

See also Gary Bauer - Trig Palin has divided America

SARAH PALIN VISITS BILLY GRAHAM IN NORTH CAROLINA

The Charlotte Observer reports:  (HT: HotAir)

Sarah Palin, the hottest name in the Republican Party, took a detour from her book-signing tour Sunday to dine with Billy Graham at his mountaintop home in Montreat.

"He's followed her career and likes her strong stand on faith," said son Franklin Graham, who was present for the 2 1/2-hour get-together. "Daddy feels God was using her to wake America up."

The former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate told Billy Graham about how she came to faith in God as a girl in Bible camp.

She quizzed him on the presidents he's known and wanted his take on what the Bible says about Israel, Iran and Iraq, Franklin Graham reported.

EXCERPTS FROM PALIN'S BOOK, "GOING ROGUE"

National Review Online has done a good job bringing together a number of short quotes from Palin's book, "Going Rogue."  Example:  

What used to be called the “mainstream” national media are, in many respects, worthless as a source of factual information any more. The sin of omission glares in their reporting. . . . Perhaps national press outlets just don’t have the resources any more to devote to balanced coverage. Perhaps they’ve all just given up on themselves, so we’ve given up on them, too, except to treat their shoddy reporting like a car crash — sometimes you just have to look. The time has come to acknowledge that it is a counterfeit objectivity the liberal media try to sell consumers. We are moving into a new, more intelligent realm to gather information differently in order to hold our government accountable. (p. 348)

SARAH PALIN'S NEW BOOK, "GOING ROGUE," DUE OUT NOV. 17TH

Update 9/30/09 - Amazing: Palin's book number one on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble bestseller list; unprecedented advance sales! 

Forty-eight days before the release and she’s already topped Dan Brown’s latest conspiracy-theory casserole at both top retailers.  [more..]

(Original Post) -It should be a blockbuster.  The initial print run is for 1.5 million copies!    Michelle Malkin explains:

"The title is “Going Rogue” — an allusion to the in-fighting between Team Sarah and the McCainiancs that broke out in the last weeks of the campaign."              

John Fund adds:

Sarah Palin may no longer be governor of Alaska, but she’s certainly destined to become a best-selling author. HarperCollins, her publisher, has announced the print-run of her memoir will be a staggering 1.5 million copies — equal to the print-run of Senator Ted Kennedy’s posthumous autobiography published this month. Publishing sources tell me that such a giant run is only ordered up when there is clear evidence from booksellers and surveys of massive interest in a book.

The book, which will be published on November 17, was a crash project. Ms. Palin actually moved temporarily to San Diego after she resigned the governorship in July so she could be close to her collaborator, Lynn Vincent. I bumped into Ms. Vincent, a former editor at the Christian-oriented World magazine, in New York a few weeks ago, where she had parked herself in a hotel close to the offices of HarperCollins while working on the book’s final edits.  [more..]

Me: What caught my eye was that Palin collaborated with Ms. Vincent of World magazine.  Vincent is a fine writer, and would be an exceptional choice to express Christian perspectives with sympathy and skill. 

SARAH PALIN SPEAKS IN HONG KONG, CHAMPIONS "COMMON SENSE" CONSERVATISM

Update 9/24/09 - Sarah Palin offers an enlarged number of excerpts from her Facebook page.

(Original Post) - The Wall Street Journal offers a number of excerpts.  On the government's culpability in the recent financial crisis, she said:

Lack of government wasn’t the problem. Government policies were the problem. The marketplace didn’t fail. It became exactly as common sense would expect it to. The government ordered the loosening of lending standards. The Federal Reserve kept interest rates low. The government forced lending institutions to give loans to people who, as I say, couldn’t afford them. Speculators spotted new investment vehicles, jumped on board and rating agencies underestimated risks…

How can we discuss reform without addressing the government policies at the root of the problems? The root of the collapse? And how can we think that setting up the Fed as the monitor of systemic risk in the financial sector will result in meaningful reform? The words “fox” and “hen house” come to mind. The Fed’s decisions helped create the bubble. Look at the root cause of most asset bubbles, and you’ll see the Fed somewhere in the background.  [MORE . .]

(Ht: HotAir, which offers a video with responses of those who heard her speak)

WHY SARAH PALIN'S "DEATH PANELS" FLUMMOXED LIBERALS & THE MSM

Scott Ott sheds light on how to discern who has common sense and who doesn't.  (HT: HotAir.com)  True, the House bill doesn't specifically provide for the development of "death panels," but as Ott says, Palin and the public understand certain truths far better than "elite" opinion in this culture.   He contends Sarah Palin's charge has legs because:

1.) The only way to save money in a government-run health system is to ration care.

2.) The majority of health care expenditures for most people come near the end of life, and thus the elderly present the greatest opportunity for cost savings.

3.) Special-needs people, like Palin’s son Trig, who has Down’s Syndrome, also require spending — another opportunity for economizing.

4.) The government, and too many in our society, believe …

a) infants in the womb to be less worthy of protection than Michael Vick’s dogs,

b) Trig Palin’s life to be Sarah’s foolish choice, and

c) the elderly to be a burden on society.

5.) Other governments which run health care operations have a track record of delaying and denying coverage based on the limited supply of medical professionals and equipment, as well as cost-containment considerations.

6.) The end-of-life counseling language appeared in a section of a bill on cost-containment.

7.) The American people don’t trust politicians, and would rise up in unified opposition if the federal government had a plan to take over and run little league athletics, let alone health care, which does involve life and death decisions.

8.) Americans love freedom.  [more . . .]

ANDY McCARTHY - A MAN WHOSE OUTLOOK AND OPINIONS I HIGHLY RESPECT

Andrew C. McCarthy has long been on my list of "highly esteemed thinkers."  If I had time I would research all the posts on this blog in which he has figured prominently.  Failing that, I want to simply note that McCarthy does his own thinking.  Though he is often published by National Review Online, today he blogged Palin Was Right on the “Death Panels” — A Dissent from Today's NRO Editorial.  If you read it, you will understand why I respect his perceptions, convictions, and insights.  [Note: McCarthy is the author of Willful Blindness: Memoir of the Jihad]

Update 8/18/09:   Another man on my list of "highly esteemed thinkers," Mark Steyn, agrees with McCarthy on the Palin "Death Panel" issue.  He writes:

EXPLAINING SARAH PALLIN

A lot of people have written a lot of things about Sarah Palin since she announced she is stepping down as governor.  The post by Jude over at Hugh Hewitt's blog, is the best I've seen.

SARAH PALIN: "I'M A RUNNER"

Runner's World  has published a remarkable interview with Sarah Palin on why she loves to run.  The article is accompanied by a series of 7 stunning photos (much larger than the sample at the right) which some politicians, for various reasons, are unhappy to see.  Allahpundit comments:

What do we think of the much-publicized photos in Runner’s World today? If there’s a woman in America who’s had five kids that looks better than she does, I’d like to meet her. But if it’s gravitas that she needs to cement herself as a serious challenger to The One, I can’t imagine that a check-me-out photo helps.

PALIN RIPS OBAMA FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS JOKE

I checked in over at the HotAir website and found the post I have headlined above.  What shocked me is that 1,216 people have logged comments (as of 9:30 PM)!  That's the most I've seen on any post at this website.  Must have hit a nerve...

Disappointing: Bristol Palin Says Abstinence "Not Realistic"

Excerpt from Greta Van Susteren's video interview here.

It's On: Palin vs. Judd

- Update 2/6/09 - Michelle Malkin offers pertinent comments. in her column, "Ashley Judd: Clown in wolf's guardian clothing."

- (Original post)  Ed Morrissey reports:

Sarah Palin has hit back at actress Ashley Judd for her criticisms of the effort to pare back the Alaskan wolf population for the protection of caribou.  Scoffing at advice from “far east coast politicians,” Palin reminded Judd and her Defense of Wildlife Action Fund that Alaskans relied on healthy caribou populations for food — especially in economically trying times.  She also accused Judd of manufacturing outrage to stoke donations to her group. . .  (Click through for more commentary plus a video of a wolf chasing a baby caribou).

Morrissey concludes:

As I wrote at the time, critics of responsible wildlife management seem to live in Cartoon World, where the wolf and the bear and the caribou all become best friends and have adventures together with the plucky little kid from the local village.  In fact, the wolf and the bear will eat the caribou until there are none left, and would have the plucky little kid for dessert if they could.

Judd should get out of Cartoon World and learn something about wildlife management — and Palin’s success — before opening her mouth and removing all doubt about her ignorance.  [my emphases]

VDH Contrasts Sarah Palin with Caroline Kennedy

I think Victor Davis Hanson's contrast of the two superb.

Drudge Headline: "Video: Palin Finally Unleashes on Media, Takes on Couric, Fey, Olbermann..."

 Click here.

Hmmmm.... SUSPICIOUS FIRE AT PALIN'S CHURCH

Update 12/15/08 - accelerant poured around Palin's church

Update 12/14/08 - A few more details available.  Here's a TV news video report. 

(Original post) - I just read the headline above at the Hot Air website.  The Anchorage Daily News has the story.  The pastor estimates a million dollars damage.

CAMILE PAGLIA CONTINUES TO BUCK THE "DEMOCRAT TALKING POINTS" ON SARAH PALIN

I posted on Paglia's positive, disarmingly readable views on Palin last month.  Paglia continues to see Palin positively.  In her latest post, Paglia says that Palin

. . .  has been subjected to an atrocious and at times delusional level of defamtion merely because she has the temerity to hold pro-life views.

How dare Palin not embrace abortion as the ultimate civilized ideal of modern culture? How tacky that she speaks in a vivacious regional accent indistinguishable from that of Western Canada! How risible that she graduated from the University of Idaho and not one of those plush, pampered commodes of received opinion whose graduates, in their rush to believe the worst about her, have demonstrated that, when it comes to sifting evidence, they don't know their asses from their elbows. . . 

I like Sarah Palin, and I've heartily enjoyed her arrival on the national stage. As a career classroom teacher, I can see how smart she is -- and quite frankly, I think the people who don't see it are the stupid ones, wrapped in the fuzzy mummy-gauze of their own worn-out partisan dogma. So she doesn't speak the King's English -- big whoop! There is a powerful clarity of consciousness in her eyes. She uses language with the jumps, breaks and rippling momentum of a be-bop saxophonist. I stand on what I said (as a staunch pro-choice advocate) in my last two columns -- that Palin as a pro-life wife, mother and ambitious professional represents the next big shift in feminism. Pro-life women will save feminism by expanding it, particularly into the more traditional Third World.

VIDEO: PALIN ON THE LEAKERS - "THOSE GUYS ARE JERKS"

Gov. Sarah Palin:  “I never asked for anything more than maybe a Diet Dr. Pepper once in awhile.”   On the media:  "There have been some stinkers..."  Click here to see her 10 minute informal news interview with reporters in Alaska.

Note:  Matt Drudge reports that Greta Van Susteren will air a major interview with Gov. Sarah Palin on Monday night, Nov. 10th, on Fox News Channel at 10:00 PM.

Updates 11/8/08 - The Associated Press covers the story.   Also, Politico reports: "Palin Allies: She's No Diva"  (Me:  Good article!)

Gov. Palin Exonerated by Personnel Board

 Story here.   Update 11/4/08 - A thorough analysis of the various investigations, including the political motivations and injustices involved, are provided by Bill Dyer. I have reproduced his analysis on the second page.

PALIN DRAWS 18,000 IN JEFFERSON CITY, MO.

(AP)

"Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin walks down the front steps of the Missouri State Capitol building Monday in Jefferson City before speaking to supporters." (Columbia Tribune)

Gateway Pundit reported on the Sarah Palin crowd.  Noting that Sen. Joe Biden drew 400 elsewhere in Missouri, Gateway Pundit observed wryly:

And, once again the mainstream news comes out today with its latest report on how Sarah Palin is costing McCain the election.
Sadly, this has become the norm from the mainstream media.

A Study in Character Assassination: How the TV Networks Have Portrayed Sarah Palin as Dunce or Demon

Click here.   (HT: Hot Air)

GUESS WHAT? SARAH PALIN IS SMART!

So says Elaine Lafferty, former editor in chief of Ms. Magazine (and a Democrat) on what she learned on a campaign plane with the would-be VP.  She is irritated that Palin is getting a bad rap.  Bravo for Ms. Lafferty!  It's amazing that elementary fairness now deserves special recognition because of its stark contrast to the sewer-like treatment the media affords Palin.  Read Lafferty's article.

While you're at it, take a look at Fred Barnes' piece, "To Know Her is to Respect Her."  It's excellent.

And finally, I love the way Sarah Palin is setting the record straight about those expensive clothes!

BUCHANAN - "WHAT IF 'SNL' MOCKED MICHELLE OBAMA?"

Excellent question.  It caught my attention.  Pat Buchanan wrote a wide-ranging article on the media's totally biased treatment of the presidential election, and concluded with the way the media treats Sarah Palin vs. the way it treats Michelle Obama.  Buchanan wrote:

The media cannot get enough of the "Saturday Night Live" impersonations of Palin as a bubblehead. News shows pick up the Tina Fey clips and run them and run them to the merriment of all.

Can one imagine "Saturday Night Live" doing weekly send-ups of Michelle Obama and her "I've never been proud" of my country, this "just downright mean" America, using a black comedienne to mimic and mock her voice and accent?

"Saturday Night Live" would be facing hate-crime charges.

How do we know? When the New Yorker ran a cartoon of Michelle in an Angela-Davis afro with an AK-47 slung over her shoulder, New Yorker editors had to go on national television to swear they were not mocking Michelle, but the conservatives who have so caricatured Michelle and the Messiah.

Is there a media double standard? You betcha.

DR. DOBSON TALKS WITH GOV. PALIN

Dr. Dobson talks with Gov. Palin (via phone) for about 27 minutes on this broadcast.  It's refreshing to hear two pro-life people converse together as they do.  The mutual respect is palpable.   Palin also talks about the rigors of campaigning.

The Associated Press writes up the interview here.

VIDEO - PALIN'S SPECIAL BASE

 Click here to access the video.  Heartwarming!

DID SARAH PALIN ABUSE HER POWER IN TROOPER CASE?

The media is buzzing with reports that Gov. Sarah Palin is guilty of abusing her power in the trooper gate accusation.  But for the present, until I know more, it seems to me that Bill Dyer a/k/a Beldar perceives what is going on better than most.  His post is titled, "Branchflower report on Tasergate: Just one guy's opinion that contradicts itself and ignores the relevant facts and law."  He writes:

Please understand this, if you take nothing else away from reading this post: The Branchflower Report is a series of guess and insupportable conclusions drawn by exactly one guy, and it hasn't been approved or adopted or endorsed by so much as a single sub-committee of the Alaska Legislature, much less any kind of commission, court, jury, or other proper adjudicatory body. It contains no new bombshells in terms of factual revelations. Rather, it's just Steve Branchflower's opinion — after being hired and directed by one of Gov. Palin's most vocal opponents and one of Alaska's staunchest Obama supporters — that he thinks Gov. Palin had, at worst, mixed motives for an action that even Branchflower admits she unquestionably had both (a) the complete right to perform and (b) other very good reasons to perform.  [Beldar's emphases]    Continue reading . . .

CAMILLE PAGLIA ON SARAH PALIN

Paglia, an iconoclastic professor, self-proclaimed atheist, social commentator, and declared supporter of Barack Obama, has interesting -- and appreciative -- things to say about Sarah Palin.   An excerpt:

The mountain of rubbish poured out about Palin over the past month would rival Everest. What a disgrace for our jabbering army of liberal journalists and commentators, too many of whom behaved like snippy jackasses. The bourgeois conventionalism and rank snobbery of these alleged humanitarians stank up the place. . .

The hysterical emotionalism and eruptions of amoral malice at the arrival of Sarah Palin exposed the weaknesses and limitations of current feminism. But I am convinced that Palin's bracing mix of male and female voices, as well as her grounding in frontier grit and audacity, will prove to be a galvanizing influence on aspiring Democratic women politicians too, from the municipal level on up. Palin has shown a brand-new way of defining female ambition -- without losing femininity, spontaneity or humor. She's no pre-programmed wonk of the backstage Hillary Clinton school; she's pugnacious and self-created, the product of no educational or political elite -- which is why her outsider style has been so hard for media lemmings to comprehend. And by the way, I think Tina Fey's witty impersonations of Palin have been fabulous. But while Fey has nailed Palin's cadences and charm, she can't capture the energy, which is a force of nature.

RICH LOWRY ON GOV. PALIN "PROJECTING THROUGH THE SCREEN"

Lowry writes: 

A very wise TV executive once told me that the key to TV is projecting through the screen. It's one of the keys to the success of, say, a Bill O'Reilly, who comes through the screen and grabs you by the throat. Palin too projects through the screen like crazy. I'm sure I'm not the only male in America who, when Palin dropped her first wink, sat up a little straighter on the couch and said, "Hey, I think she just winked at me." And her smile. By the end, when she clearly knew she was doing well, it was so sparkling it was almost mesmerizing. It sent little starbursts through the screen and ricocheting around the living rooms of America. This is a quality that can't be learned; it's either something you have or you don't, and man, she's got it.     [my emphases]

Me:  Ha ha...   I got a kick out of Lowry's post.

ON THE GOV. PALIN - SEN. BIDEN DEBATE . . . ROOKIE PALIN ROCKS!

I'll probably be posting more tomorrow, but for now, I like Andy McCarthy's statement:

Watching her is fun.  It's like watching a rookie who's taken the league by storm and is hitting .290, and you just know that in two years, she'll be hitting .340 ... while Biden is hitting .210 and belongs back in Double A.

Me: When I first read that statement, I mistook "Biden" for "McCain."  I think it works either way. 

- Michelle Malkin warns:

Prediction: Watch for a whole new, severe strain of Palin Derangement Syndrome to begin tonight.

They hated her before tonight. They are going to pour on more unfathomable hate at a level we have never seen before.   Sarah, we’re praying for you.

ALLEGED "CORRUPTION" OF GOV. PALIN & SEN. OBAMA COMPARED

Mark Hemingway writes:

Good Grief. So this is the result of an AP "investigation":

Though Sarah Palin depicts herself as a pit bull fighting good-old-boy politics, in her years as mayor she and her friends received special benefits more typical of small-town politis as usual, an Associated Press investigation shows.

When Palin needed to sell her house during her last year as Wasilla mayor, she got the city to sign off on a special zoning exception - and did so without keeping a promise to remove a potential fire hazard.

She gladly accepted gifts from merchants: A free "awesome facial" she raved about in a thank-you note to a spa. The "absolutely gorgeous flowers" she received from a welding supply store. Even fresh salmon to take home.

Not that these things are to be excused out of hand, but Palin bends zoning rules — which I'm sure are stringent and a high stakes matter in Wasilla, Alaska — and gets a free facial. Obama gets a freakin' house with help from a someone indicted for money laundering, wire fraud,

KATHRYN JEAN LOPEZ - "FREE SARAH PALIN!" (TO BE HERSELF)

Update 9/29/08 - Bill Kristol explains how McCain/Palin can win

                                 - Add Mitt Romney to the chorus

- I think Kathryn Jean Lopez is right.  Click here.

PHOTO: PALIN'S CORNIEST MOMENT

Click here.  (HT: Hot air)

VIDEO: VISITING PASTOR FROM KENYA, BISHOP THOMAS MUTHEE, PRAYED OVER PALIN (2005) FOR PROTECTION FROM WITCHCRAFT

Click here for video and commentary. I suppose, as Allahpundit suggests, that this prayer by Kenyan pastor Bishop Thomas Muthee is supposed to be some kind of Leftist response to the criticism leveled at Barack Obama for his 20 -year subjection to Rev. Wright.  That comparison won't wash.  Judge for yourself.

MAGIC MARKER CAMPAIGN

From a person's lawn in Indiana (posted at the Corner):