Feminism Is Dead

I've been watching the objectification of Sarah Palin with a somewhat jaundiced eye. As a conservative, I have come to anticipate hypocrisy from the left. But, this presses me toward incredulity. Newsweek magazine blatantly attempts to cast Sarah Palin as an inept bimbo with no redeeming qualities aside from a stunning beauty. Terrified by her broad appeal, derived from a universal sense of her genuineness, the left continues to respond in a typically bigoted fashion. The anti-intellectual left is in full propaganda mode. But, what is most shocking is the complete silence from the feminist movement. Apparently, because the National Organization for Women, and other organizations of this coven's ilk, does not agree with Palin's political perspective she is merely fodder for the bigots, sexists, and womanizers of the state run media. Where are the bug eyed, bra-burning, amazonian zealots? Not so much as a sigh from Terry O'Neil. Well, we can thank Sarah for an additional service to her country--driving a stake into the rotting bosom of the left's feminist movement.

Sarah Palin's Facebook comments in full:

"The choice of photo for the cover of this week's Newsweek is unfortunate. When it comes to Sarah Palin, this "news" magazine has relished focusing on the irrelevant rather than the relevant. The Runner's World magazine one-page profile for which this photo was taken was all about health and fitness - a subject to which I am devoted and which is critically important to this nation. The out-of-context Newsweek approach is sexist and oh-so-expected by now. If anyone can learn anything from it: it shows why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, gender, or color of skin. The media will do anything to draw attention - even if out of context."

Asking For Your Help

I don't normally post much of anything but national political news/issues commentary on this blog, but I hope, in this case, that those of you who read the blog on a regular basis will consider helping me spread the word about the story I'm about to tell you.

On Monday, April 20, 2009, 5-month-old baby Noah was shaken by his daycare provider. It was discovered, after she admitted to shaking him, that she was also residing in this country illegally. You can read Noah's story, and the heart wrenching updates his mommy and daddy have posted over the last seven months, here.

After seven months, a judge has decided to allow this illegal alien out on bail. She is with her family again, smiling, as Noah's family faces each day not knowing what the next will hold. The Peruvian media seems to be making a martyr of this woman, regardless of the facts.

If you feel led, will you please visit Noah's Road, let his parents know that you have visited, and that they are in your prayers? Will you spread the word about this horrible crime and it's effects?

This is yet another case that shows why our country must get a handle on illegals being allowed to stay in this country.

Thank you so much for your help, and for your prayers for this dear family.

Sarah In The Media

As most of America knows by now, Sarah appeared on Oprah today to chat about her new book "Going Rogue". You can view a portion of it here:

Other than this short video, I have not yet seen the interview, so I am refraining from commenting until I have had the opportunity to watch it in its entirety.

In addition, Rush Limbaugh will be interviewing Sarah live tomorrow, November 16th, at 1 p.m. on his a.m. radio show. Rush, after reading Sarah's book, says it is "one of the most substantive policy books I've read in a long time!"

As expected, the fringe media is foaming at the mouth as over the release of her new book and its contents. You will be shocked to find out that the Associated Press, after obtaining an advance copy of "Going Rogue", assigned eleven reporters to go on a fact finding mission. It's really too bad that this irresponsible media of ours will never be so concerned about fact-finding anything President Obama releases to the media. I say keep it up! We're finding out exactly what these frauds are really all about. And, that they are scared to death of Sarah Palin. So. Very. Predictable!

Sarah's Comments On Upcoming Trial of 9/11 Terrorists

Sarah had this to say today on her official Facebook page about the "Obama administration's atrocious decision":

Horrible decision, absolutely horrible. It is devastating for so many of us to hear that the Obama Administration decided that the 9/11 terrorist mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, will be given a criminal trial in New York. This is an atrocious decision.

Mohammed and his terrorist co-conspirators are responsible for the deaths of more than 3,000 Americans. Thousands of American families have suffered through the loss of loved ones because of the disgusting attacks launched against the United States, and now this trial venue adds insult to injury, in addition to compromising our efforts in the War on Terror. Heaven forbid our allies see this decision as a reason to become less likely to support our efforts in the future.

Criminal defense attorneys will now enter into delaying tactics and other methods in the hope of securing some kind of win for their “clients.” The trial will afford Mohammed the opportunity to grandstand and make use of his time in front of the world media to rally his disgusting terrorist cohorts. It will also be an insult to the victims of 9/11, as Mohammed will no doubt use the opportunity to spew his hateful rhetoric in the same neighborhood in which he ruthlessly cut down the lives of so many Americans.

It is crucially important that Americans be made aware that the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks may walk away from this trial without receiving just punishment because of a “hung jury” or from any variety of court room technicalities. If we are stuck with this terrible Obama Administration decision, I, like most Americans, hope that Mohammed and his co-conspirators are convicted. Hang ‘em high.

I wholeheartedly support the survivors and the families of the victims in their appeal to the president regarding this matter. You can read more about it here.

- Sarah Palin

Sarah On Oprah

Sarah announced on her facebook page yesterday that she and her two daughters were in Chicago to interview with Oprah for the upcoming show that will be aired Monday, November 16th. The interview will follow the November 15th release of her new book "Going Rogue".

I'm not sure how I feel about Sarah giving Oprah this--no doubt--huge boost in ratings. I stopped watching Oprah a long time ago, after she became nothing more than a mouthpiece for the Obama administration. I admire Sarah tremendously, and I'm sure she has her reasons for going on the show. Above all else, it will give her an opportunity to reach women who've never taken the opportunity to actually listen to what she has to say. I'm certain that many will come to love her as we do, and realize that much of what they've heard in the mainstream media has been nothing more than a smear campaign designed by the left to destroy her.

To see a preview of the show, follow this link.

I suspect that "Going Rogue" will join the New York Times Best Seller's list, along with most other conservative authors who've had releases this year. Can't wait to read her side of the story in full. It will be an interesting read, for sure.

More From Sarah On Pelosi's "Health Care" Plan

From Sarah's official Facebook page:

We need to be vigilant in investigating the ramifications of the Pelosi Health Care Bill. Some provisions sound so outrageous as to be considered impossible to fathom, but they’re right there in the bill in black and white. For instance, page 297 of the bill explains the punishment for not purchasing government mandated health insurance. If you don’t buy what the government considers “acceptable health care coverage,” you’re going to be hit with a tax of at least 2.5% of your income. And if you don’t pay that new tax, you could be fined as much as $250,000 and sentenced to up to five years in prison.

But here’s the thing: they have to make the penalty for opting out very harsh in order to force us to buy coverage. The only way to keep this government run health care plan afloat is for everyone to buy into it – especially young and healthy people. That means that they will have to penalize citizens if we choose not to buy a plan that will cost a minimum of about $15,000 per family per year.

The bill that came out of the Senate last month – the Baucus Bill – does just the opposite. It calls for a much lighter penalty ($750 maximum) for people who don’t buy government approved health coverage, making it cheaper to pay the fine than to pay for the coverage. (And with a recession on, who can blame families for not wanting to pay $15,000 for a government mandated health care plan?)

But here’s the kicker: the bill also forces insurance companies to cover everyone, regardless of pre-existing conditions. Think about what that means. A lot of people – especially young and healthy people – will just pay the penalty instead of purchasing coverage because they’ll figure that it’ll always be there if they get sick, as government has promised. That’s what will happen, and when it does it will totally undermine the very concept of “insurance” – which is basically a group of people pooling their resources over time to cover themselves for a rainy day, paying while they’re healthy so that they’re covered when they’re sick. Those who are healthy now pay for those who are sick. If your insurance pool only contains sick people, it’s a bust. And that’s what this government plan will be. Without all of those young and healthy people paying into the pool and defraying the costs, the government will have to pony up more and more money, and who knows how long the whole crazy plan will last before it goes broke – and our country with it!

That’s where we are with this bureaucratic mess: either the government penalizes people so harshly that they could be hit with huge taxes and even possible jail time, or the government makes the penalty a slap on the wrist and undermines the plan from the get-go. Forcing individuals to buy health insurance seems unconstitutional, yet Congress wants to foist it on us anyway. Proponents of government controlled health care will say, “But we’re made to buy car insurance and home insurance, what’s the difference with health insurance?” It’s apples and oranges. Auto insurance is a state law requirement, and people can always choose not to drive. Banks might require you to have home owner’s insurance, but again, you choose to own a home, just as you choose to drive. You have no choice at all when it comes to this federal government health care insurance mandate.

There are other ways to reform health care without violating our Constitution and our personal liberties. Let’s get back to discussing market-driven, patient-centered, result-driven solutions, like, for example, allowing people to purchase insurance across state lines, tackling existing government waste and fraud, and reforming medical malpractice laws (tort reform) to stop unwarranted lawsuits that force doctors to order unnecessary procedures just to cover themselves.

Please let your Senators know that the Pelosi Bill should be dead on arrival. Once we go down this big government path, it will be virtually impossible to reverse course. Let’s fight for the reform that makes sense for Americans before it’s too late.

- Sarah Palin

Honoring Our Veterans

No words can express the gratitude we feel for those incredible Americans who've given so much to serve this great nation. Today, we honor you.

"We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."--George Orwell

From Sarah's official Facebook page:

In most of our cities and towns, you’ll see memorials to brave Americans – some in uniforms of wars from long ago – who defended freedom. If you look down at their inscriptions, you’ll see that they were dedicated by the mothers, fathers, wives and orphans of the veterans who gave all for their country. In distant lands across the globe, you’ll find silent fields of white markers with the names of Americans who never came home, but who showed their dedication to their country by where they died. Today we honor those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice, as well as those who served and came home forever changed by the battlefield.

Remember all the veterans who fought and sacrificed for our freedom today, and then please take the time to thank our brave men and women currently serving in uniform. We owe them so much.

- Sarah Palin

Commemorating a Victory for Freedom

From Sarah's official Facebook page:

Twenty years ago, the ultimate symbol of the division between freedom and tyranny was torn down. The Berlin Wall was constructed for one purpose: to prevent the escape of East Germans to the freedom of the West. The Wall’s cold, gray façade was a stark reminder of the economic and political way of life across the Soviet Union’s sphere of influence in Eastern Europe.

Ronald Reagan never stopped regarding the Berlin Wall as an affront to human freedom. When so many other American leaders and opinion makers had come to accept its presence as inevitable and permanent, Reagan still hammered away at the Wall’s very premise in human tyranny, until finally the Wall itself was hammered down. Its downfall wasn’t the work of Reagan alone. Our president’s actions were joined with the brave acts of many individuals who stood firm and united in facing the Soviet Union. The Berlin Wall came down because millions of people behind the Iron Curtain refused to accept the fate of enslavement and their supporters in the West refused to accept that the “captive nations” would remain captive forever.

Though that long, tragic episode in human history had come to a close finally with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, it wasn’t the “end of history” or the end of conflict as some had hoped. New conflicts confront us today throughout the world which call for courage and resolve and dedication to freedom. The new democracies and market economies that have emerged in Central and Eastern Europe still require our friendship and alliances as they continue to seek security, prosperity, and self-determination. But as we reflect on present and future challenges, let’s take time to celebrate the anniversary of this awesome victory for freedom. The downfall of that cold, gray concrete Wall should be a lesson to us in hope. Nothing is inevitable. Tyranny is no match for the hope and resolve of those who work and fight for freedom.

- Sarah Palin

What Now?

I've gotten a few emails from readers asking "after this health care bill vote, what now?" So many on the right feel such defeat after Speaker Pelosi shoved this health care bill right down our throats under the cover of darkness Saturday night. As most of you know, Pelosi promised last week that the American people would be given 72 hours to review the 1900 page bill. As we all know, that was just another lie. So, to those who feel a sense of defeat, chin up! This should only serve to energize us MORE as we look to the 2010 elections and beyond.

So, what now? First, get informed. There isn't a source out there that is more full of information on ANYTHING you need to know than the Heritage Foundation. It's INCREDIBLE. I suggest you pick up a few good reads, such as Liberty and Tyranny and others. Research brilliant conservatives like Thomas Sowell and Mark Steyn and read what they have to say. Listen to Rush Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck and others. Even if you don't like their style, I assure you the substance is there and you'll learn a wealth of information as you listen. Research conservative blogs...it'll take you a year just to get through the ones I have listed on the blog roll at the middle right side of this blog! My point is...do your homework. Don't let one source be your only source. Research information, find out what those on the left say about any given issue. Make certain you are well informed on the issues, especially those about which you are most passionate.

Second, find out who your local and your state representatives are. Most of us, myself included, pay little attention to local and state politics. Because the media focuses primarily on the national scene, this is what we tend to pay attention to. What we fail to realize is that our involvement is most effective at the local level...that is where it begins. Are your representatives Republican or Democrat? Moderate, liberal or conservative? How do they vote? What are their big issues? Hold their feet to the fire. Email, call, write, fax...nag them to death! If they are conservative, thank them and urge them to continue to stand true to the constitution. Use facts. Quote the Constitution, the Bill of Rights...our founding documents. (if you haven't read those, I suggest you start by doing that) Hurling insults only hurts your credibility.

When election time starts heating up (as if it hasn't already), get involved. We desperately need honest people working the polls. Not only that, get your kids involved. We're training tomorrow's leaders. I think it's vital that we get them involved YOUNG. We don't often give them enough credit. My eleven year old was explaining inflation to me the other day. I laughed in complete disbelief! I was shocked that she'd been paying close attention when my husband was explaining it to me a long time ago!

So, join and actively campaign for your local and state representatives. Attend tea parties, town hall meetings, help others who may be uninformed and looking for answers....but most of all, as you well know....VOTE.

More importantly, pray. II Chronicles 7:14: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

Lastly, several have asked for talking points to help them as they call or email their respective representatives. I know it might come as a shocker, but I am not a talking points kind of girl. When CNN called for the interview about this blog last fall, I called the McCain campaign and asked for talking points because I wanted to stay on message and make sure I represented the ticket as accurately as possible. I was shocked when I got them, and it taught me to recognize them quickly. All the pundits out there on the major networks say very little from the heart and follow talking points almost exclusively. (the Rush, Hannity and Beck kind of guys/gals excluded and I'm convinced it's why they're so effective). I always tell people to speak from the heart. Tell your representatives why you believe this health care bill is going to be destructive. Certainly we want facts first, to be able to speak somewhat intelligently on an issue, and those can be had at the Heritage Foundation. (if you donate a min. $25 you gain access to even more information) Please understand, I'm not somehow "scolding" anyone for asking for talking points. I thought I needed them too. I didn't, and neither do you. IF they're going to listen, they listen more when your plea is from the heart...

So, that's some general information to at least get the ball rolling for those of you who have no idea where to begin. If you have specific questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'm always digging for answers, so I'll just add your question to my own growing pile. In addition, please feel free to leave a comment adding your favorite site or author to the mix. We can never have too much information.

Here is a link with contact info for your representatives. It's a nice starting place.

Now, go do the right thing and get involved! You'll be so incredibly glad you did.

The Pelosi Bill Was Rammed Through on Saturday, But Sunday’s Coming

From Sarah's official Facebook page:

We’ve got to hold on to hope, and we’ve got to fight hard because Congressional action tonight just put America on a path toward an unrecognizable country.

The same government leaders that got us into the mortgage business and the car business are now getting us into the health care business.

Despite Americans’ decisive message last Tuesday that they reject the troubling path this country has been taking, Speaker Pelosi has broken her own promises of transparency to ram a health “care” bill through the House of Representatives just before midnight. Why did she push the 2,000 page bill this weekend? Was she perhaps afraid to give her peers and the constituents for whom she works the chance to actually read this monstrous bill carefully, if at all? Was she concerned that Americans might really digest the details of a bill that the Wall Street Journal has called “the worst piece of post-New Deal legislation ever introduced”?

This out-of-control bureaucratic mess will be disastrous for our economy, our small businesses, and our personal liberty. It will slam businesses at a time when we are at double-digit unemployment rates – the highest we’ve seen in a quarter of a century. This massive new bureaucracy will cost us and our children money we don’t have. Itwill rob Americans of more of our freedom and further hamper the free market.

Make no mistake: we’re on course to have government commandeer one-sixth of our economy. The people who gave us Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac now want to run our health care. Think about that.

All of us who value the sanctity of life are grateful for the success of the pro-life majority in the House this evening in its battle against federal funding of abortion in this bill, but it’s ironic because we were promised that abortion wasn’t covered in the bill to begin with. Our healthy distrust of these government leaders made us look deeper into the bill because unfortunately we knew better than to trust what they were saying. The victory tonight to amend the bill and eliminate that federal funding for abortion was great – because abortion is not health care. Now we can only hope that Rep. Stupak’s amendment will hold in the final bill, though the Democratic leadership has already refused to promise that it won’t be scrapped later.

We had been told there were no “death panels” in the bill either. But look closely at the provision mandating bureaucratic panels that will be calling the shots regarding who will receive government health care.

Look closely at provisions addressing illegal aliens’ health care coverage too.

Those of us who love freedom and believe in open and transparent government can only be dismayed by midnight action on a Saturday. Speaker Pelosi’s promise that Americans would have 72 hours to read the final bill before the vote was just another one of the D.C. establishment’s too-common political ploys. It’s broken promises like this that turn people off to politics and leave them disillusioned about the future of their country.

But despite this late-night maneuvering, many of us were paying close attention tonight. We’ll keep paying close attention. We need to let our legislators in Washington know that they still represent us, and that the majority of Americans are not in favor of the “reform” they are pushing. After all, this is still a country “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” We will make our voices heard. It’s on to the Senate now. Our legislators can listen now, or they can hear us in 2010. It’s their choice.

- Sarah Palin

Wisconsin Event

From the official Sarah Palin Facebook page:

Great event last night in Wisconsin! It was an honor to meet great Americans who are working so hard to remind us of life's sanctity and value. I commend this fine state for its efforts to make our nation a more welcoming place for all children.

Let me set the record straight on the media's follow-up reports of the great event: Despite what CNN reported, decisions about not allowing cameras at the event were the prerogative of the sponsors of the event, and I, of course, respected their decision.

I am about to set out on my book tour, where media will no doubt join us at many spots. In the meantime, I ask our friends in the media once again: please quit making things up.

- Sarah Palin

PS: Attached is a photo from the event. You can read more about the excellent work the Wisconsin Right to Life does here.

To join Sarah on Facebook, follow this link.

Missing Navy Pilot

On October 28, 2009, a T-34C Turbomentor plane carrying Lt. John Joseph Houston and Lt. Bret Travis Miller went missing not far from the Naval Air Station of Corpus Christi, Tx. On Friday evening, the body of Bret Miller was discovered 11 miles northeast of Port Aransas, Tx. Lt. Houston has not been found, nor the plane itself....to find out how you can join the search teams, or to keep updated as you pray for Joe's rescue, please visit this link.

Fort Hood Shooting

It is with heavy hearts that we extend our condolences to the families of the shooting victims at Fort Hood, Texas shooting today.

Details are still emerging, but it seems U.S. Army Major Malik Nadal Hasan shot and killed at least 12, and injured as many as 31, at the Ft. Hood Army base today. Hasan was shot at the scene and remains in stable condition.

Our prayers are with those who have been injured in this terrible attack. For up-to-date information, see the Army Times.

Observations

Ever wonder how people can live their lives sleep walking? I don't mean literally. You know the type. They're oblivious to news, politics, danger...and are absolutely blown out of the water when tragedy strikes--if they happen to notice. Today, as the news broke about the shootings in Fort Hood, my family sat in a restaurant surrounded by televisions, each tuned to a different news network. We watched as people saw the news, then turned and continued to laugh and chat it up as if nothing was happening. No regard for their fellow citizens. No notice that a U.S. Army major had just murdered 12 of his fellow soldiers, many who were either just leaving for Iraq or Afghanistan, or just returning home. No notice that, by all accounts, the Major was quite vocal about the fact that he thinks Muslims should rise against the U.S. and force us out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

All during the elections of 2008, those of us who write for this blog were urging our readers to wake up. To quit sleep walking. To be vigilant. We urged our readers to find out the truth about the candidates who were running. We did our very best to provide the facts here on this blog, and often were scolded for making things up or assuming the worst about Barack Hussein Obama. We were inundated with hate filled comments for daring to utter the middle name of then candidate Obama, even being accused of making up his middle name by those too uninformed to learn for themselves the truth. And yet, all that we dared to utter about the character of Obama and the policies he would likely enact-- based on his little bit of political history, his own words both from the past and present, and his associations--turned out to be accurate. More accurate than we ever imagined.

The election results on Tuesday, primarily in Virginia and New Jersey, are more telling than Democrats would like to admit. The frequent protests, Tea Parties, and town hall meetings attended by regular Americans that have previously been uninvolved in the political arena reveal a turning of the tide in these United States. People are beginning to notice that their country as they knew it is quickly being changed, as promised, but it's not the change they expected and it's occurring with alarming speed.

I hope today's shootings won't cause people to begin to turn on our brave men and women who give so much to fight for our freedoms both at home and abroad. Time will reveal what the real circumstances surrounding this shooting are, and I suspect we may find out that there is a lot more to this story than meets the eye. Families lost their dear loved ones today in this massacre. Let us remember that, and support them with prayer and encouragement. In supporting them, let us also honor them by taking notice of the world around us, getting informed, getting involved in our communities...let us honor them by making a difference like they did.

Remembering

It seems like just yesterday. I was sitting in a local restaurant having breakfast with our little girl when my cell phone began to ring. It was my husband, calling to tell me that a Boeing 767 full of passengers had just hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, and that it would be best for me to go home and stay there. Little did we know what lay ahead. The events of the next few hours would change the course of history.

The days that followed were both heart wrenching, as bodies were pulled from the rubble, and heartwarming, as the country rallied together like nothing I've seen in my lifetime. People seemed to actually care about their fellow citizens. Most Americans seemed to actually care about America. We were united.

The reaction that day of our President, George W. Bush, made me prouder than ever to be an American citizen. He vowed to do everything in his power to hunt and kill the terrorists responsible for the horrors of 9/11/01, and he held true to his word. Until June of this year, no act of terrorism by Muslim extremists took place again on American soil.

Thanks to Project 2,996, I was given the privilege of participating in remembering several of those who died on September 11, 2001. Eight years ago, not only were the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon attacked, there were passengers on four different airliners that were also killed. (American Airlines Flights 11 and 77 and United Airlines Flights 93 and 175). Many of those who so bravely raced to the scene that day to rescue the injured also lost their lives. John Joseph Florio and Thomas Richard Kelly were two such heroes. Florio was an FDNY firefighter with Engine 214. He was 33 years old, a husband, and father of two. As I read his memorial page, tears came to my eyes. You see, for some, September 11, 2001 was just another ordinary day. Their lives were seemingly unaffected by this tragedy. For others, life went on, and we too easily forgot that these were real people who left behind real families, whose lives would never be the same. John Joseph Florio was a brave firefighter who ran into a burning building to save his fellow citizens, and never made it out.

Thomas Richard Kelly was 38, from Riverhead, New York, and was also an FDNY firefighter. He was a lieutenant assigned to Ladder 105, and was last seen entering the South Tower just before it collapsed at 9:59 a.m. Just two days earlier, he and his girlfriend had decided to meet at a bar after a long bike ride through all five boroughs of New York. While he was waiting, he met a man who was also a firefighter, whose name also happened to be Tom Kelly. Sadly, two days later, both men were killed at the World Trade Center while trying to save lives. His memorial page paints the picture of a firefighter who loved life and lived it to its fullest.

Others who perished that day just went to work that ordinary clear, sunny September morning. It would turn out to be anything but ordinary. Thomas William Duffy, from Pittsford, New York, was one such person. Mr. Duffy was a devoted husband of thirty years, a father of two sons, and a senior vice president at Marsh & McLennan. It seems that Mr. Duffy didn't work at the World Trade Center all the time, but the trip he made that morning was one of many he made each year. Marsh & McLennan was located just below Cantor Fitzgerald on 8 floors near the top of the North Tower, which collapsed that morning at 10:28.

Karen Hagerty, of New York City, was 34 and single. She was a senior vice president for Aon Risk Services in the World Trade Center. Aon was located just 5 floors from the top of the South Tower. Karen and many of her colleagues were among the many trying to make it down the stairwell when they heard an announcement that all was clear. The last time witnesses saw Karen was in the stairwell on the 78th floor as she told her colleagues she was headed back upstairs. (read more here) It wasn't long until an airliner hit the South Tower, and Karen was among those who perished.

It's been eight years since the attacks of 9/11. It's hard to remember the emotions of that day, and the days that would follow, but I hope we never lose the passion we felt during that time. Americans from all walks of life came together as one: as Americans. On this day, let us put politics aside, and give honor to those who gave their lives. It would do us all a world of good to remember what happened on 9/11, rather than sweep it aside as some have demanded. That September day forever changed this nation. May we never forget that some have paid the ultimate sacrifice. May we never forget the price of freedom.

May we never forget.

May God bless our nation.

**Where were you on 9/11/2001? How did that day change your life? Leave a comment and share your story.

Excellent Article

Betraying Our Dead

Forgetting the vows we made

by Ralph Peters

New York Post

Eight years ago today, our homeland was attacked by fanatical Muslims inspired by Saudi Arabian bigotry. Three thousand American citizens and residents died.

We resolved that we, the People, would never forget. Then we forgot.

We've learned nothing.

Instead of cracking down on Islamist extremism, we've excused it.

Instead of killing terrorists, we free them.

Instead of relentlessly hunting Islamist madmen, we seek to appease them.

Read more....

A History Lesson

Sarah's Response To The Health Care Speech

Sarah released this reply to the President's speech on her Facebook page today: 

After all the rhetoric is put aside, one principle ran through President Obama’s speech tonight: that increased government involvement in health care can solve its problems. 

Many Americans fundamentally disagree with this idea. We know from long experience that the creation of a massive new bureaucracy will not provide us with “more stability and security,” but just the opposite. It's hard to believe the President when he says that this time he and his team of bureaucrats have finally figured out how to do things right if only we’ll take them at their word.

Our objections to the Democrats’ health care proposals are not mere “bickering” or “games.” They are not an attempt to “score short term political points.” And it’s hard to listen to the President lecture us not to use “scare tactics” when in the next breath he says that “more will die” if his proposals do not pass. 

In his speech the President directly responded to concerns I’ve raised about unelected bureaucrats being given power to make decisions affecting life or death health care matters. He called these concerns “bogus,” “irresponsible,” and “a lie” -- so much for civility. After all the name-calling, though, what he did not do is respond to the arguments we’ve made, arguments even some of his own supporters have agreed have merit. 

In fact, after promising to “make sure that no government bureaucrat .... gets between you and the health care you need,” the President repeated his call for an Independent Medicare Advisory Council -- an unelected, largely unaccountable group of bureaucrats charged with containing Medicare costs. He did not disavow his own statement that such a group, working outside of “normal political channels,” should guide decisions regarding that “huge driver of cost ... the chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives....” He did not disavow the statements of his health care advisor, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, and continuing to pay his salary with taxpayer dollars proves a commitment to his beliefs. The President can keep making unsupported assertions, but until he directly responds to the arguments I’ve made, I’m going to call him out too. 

It was heartening to hear the President finally recognize that tort reform is an important part of any solution. But this concession shouldn’t lead us to take our eye off the ball: the Democrats’ proposals will not reduce costs, and they will not deliver better health care. It’s this kind of “healthy skepticism of government” that truly reflects a “concern and regard for the plight of others.” We can’t wait to hear the details on that; we look forward to working with you on tort reform.

Finally, President Obama delivered an offhand applause line tonight about the cost of the War on Terror. As we approach the anniversary of the September 11th attacks and honor those who died that day and those who have died since in the War on Terror, in order to secure our freedoms, we need to remember their sacrifices and not demonize them as having had too high a price tag. 

Remember, Mr. President, elected officials work for the people. Forcing a conclusion in order to claim a “victory” is not healthy for our country. We hear you say government isn’t always the answer; now hear us -- that’s what we’ve been saying all along.

- Sarah Palin

Sarah's Response To The White House

This statement was released this evening on Sarah's Facebook page:

I'm pleased that the White House is finally responding to Republican health care ideas instead of pretending they don't exist.[1] But in doing so President Obama should follow his own sound advice and avoid making "wild misrepresentations".[2] Medicare vouchers would give everyone on Medicare the chance to decide for themselves which health plan to use, rather than leave that decision to government bureaucrats. Such proposals are the kind of health care reform that Republicans stand for: market-oriented, patient-centered, and result-driven.

The White House talking points leave the rest of my arguments unanswered. They don't respond to the idea that all individuals should get the same tax benefits received by those who get coverage through their employers; that we must reform our tort laws; and that we should allow Americans to buy insurance across state lines. The White House also fails to respond to the Nyce/Schieber study indicating that wages will fall if the government expands coverage without reducing health care inflation rates. 

One last thing: after President Obama's speech tonight, listen for which pundits use the words "false", "scary", and "risky" in describing the proposals I put forward. That's how you'll be able to tell who the White House counted as "allies" worthy of receiving its talking points. 

-Sarah Palin

[1] See http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0909/White_House_talking_points_blast_Palin.html.
[2] See http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/opinion/16obama.html. 

Sarah's Back!

In an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal today, Sarah weighed in on President Obama's healthcare plan, or lack thereof: 

Obama and the Bureaucratization of Health Care

By Sarah Palin

Writing in the New York Times last month, President Barack Obama asked that Americans "talk with one another, and not over one another" as our health-care debate moves forward.

I couldn't agree more. Let's engage the other side's arguments, and let's allow Americans to decide for themselves whether the Democrats' health-care proposals should become governing law.

Some 45 years ago Ronald Reagan said that "no one in this country should be denied medical care because of a lack of funds." Each of us knows that we have an obligation to care for the old, the young and the sick. We stand strongest when we stand with the weakest among us... 

To read more, see this link at the Wall Street Journal. 

Concerning The "Death Panels"

This statement was released today by Sarah Palin on her official Facebook page: 

Yesterday President Obama responded to my statement that Democratic health care proposals would lead to rationed care; that the sick, the elderly, and the disabled would suffer the most under such rationing; and that under such a system these “unproductive” members of society could face the prospect of government bureaucrats determining whether they deserve health care.

The President made light of these concerns. He said:

“Let me just be specific about some things that I’ve been hearing lately that we just need to dispose of here. The rumor that’s been circulating a lot lately is this idea that somehow the House of Representatives voted for death panels that will basically pull the plug on grandma because we’ve decided that we don’t, it’s too expensive to let her live anymore....It turns out that I guess this arose out of a provision in one of the House bills that allowed Medicare to reimburse people for consultations about end-of-life care, setting up living wills, the availability of hospice, etc. So the intention of the members of Congress was to give people more information so that they could handle issues of end-of-life care when they’re ready on their own terms. It wasn’t forcing anybody to do anything.” [1]

The provision that President Obama refers to is Section 1233 of HR 3200, entitled “Advance Care Planning Consultation.” [2] With all due respect, it’s misleading for the President to describe this section as an entirely voluntary provision that simply increases the information offered to Medicare recipients. The issue is the context in which that information is provided and the coercive effect these consultations will have in that context.

Section 1233 authorizes advanced care planning consultations for senior citizens on Medicare every five years, and more often “if there is a significant change in the health condition of the individual ... or upon admission to a skilled nursing facility, a long-term care facility... or a hospice program. [3] During those consultations, practitioners must explain “the continuum of end-of-life services and supports available, including palliative care and hospice,” and the government benefits available to pay for such services. [4]

Now put this in context. These consultations are authorized whenever a Medicare recipient’s health changes significantly or when they enter a nursing home, and they are part of a bill whose stated purpose is “to reduce the growth in health care spending.” [5] Is it any wonder that senior citizens might view such consultations as attempts to convince them to help reduce health care costs by accepting minimal end-of-life care? As Charles Lane notes in the Washington Post, Section 1233 “addresses compassionate goals in disconcerting proximity to fiscal ones.... If it’s all about alleviating suffering, emotional or physical, what’s it doing in a measure to “bend the curve” on health-care costs?” [6]

As Lane also points out:

Though not mandatory, as some on the right have claimed, the consultations envisioned in Section 1233 aren’t quite “purely voluntary,” as Rep. Sander M. Levin (D-Mich.) asserts. To me, “purely voluntary” means “not unless the patient requests one.” Section 1233, however, lets doctors initiate the chat and gives them an incentive -- money -- to do so. Indeed, that’s an incentive to insist. 

Patients may refuse without penalty, but many will bow to white-coated authority. Once they’re in the meeting, the bill does permit “formulation” of a plug-pulling order right then and there. So when Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) denies that Section 1233 would “place senior citizens in situations where they feel pressured to sign end-of-life directives that they would not otherwise sign,” I don’t think he’s being realistic. [7]

Even columnist Eugene Robinson, a self-described “true believer” who “will almost certainly support” “whatever reform package finally emerges”, agrees that “If the government says it has to control health-care costs and then offers to pay doctors to give advice about hospice care, citizens are not delusional to conclude that the goal is to reduce end-of-life spending.” [8]

So are these usually friendly pundits wrong? Is this all just a “rumor” to be “disposed of”, as President Obama says? Not according to Democratic New York State Senator Ruben Diaz, Chairman of the New York State Senate Aging Committee, who writes:

Section 1233 of House Resolution 3200 puts our senior citizens on a slippery slope and may diminish respect for the inherent dignity of each of their lives.... It is egregious to consider that any senior citizen ... should be placed in a situation where he or she would feel pressured to save the government money by dying a little sooner than he or she otherwise would, be required to be counseled about the supposed benefits of killing oneself, or be encouraged to sign any end of life directives that they would not otherwise sign. [9]

Of course, it’s not just this one provision that presents a problem. My original comments concerned statements made by Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a health policy advisor to President Obama and the brother of the President’s chief of staff. Dr. Emanuel has written that some medical services should not be guaranteed to those “who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens....An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia.” [10] Dr. Emanuel has also advocated basing medical decisions on a system which “produces a priority curve on which individuals aged between roughly 15 and 40 years get the most chance, whereas the youngest and oldest people get chances that are attenuated.” [11]

President Obama can try to gloss over the effects of government authorized end-of-life consultations, but the views of one of his top health care advisors are clear enough. It’s all just more evidence that the Democratic legislative proposals will lead to health care rationing, and more evidence that the top-down plans of government bureaucrats will never result in real health care reform.

[1] See http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/08/president-obama-addresses-sarah-palin-death-panels-wild-representations.html.
[2] See http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c111:1:./temp/~c111cuTEiH:e513253:].
[3] See HR 3200 sec. 1233 (hhh)(1); Sec. 1233 (hhh)(3)(B)(1), above.
[4] See HR 3200 sec. 1233 (hhh)(1)(E), above.
[5] See http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c111:1:./temp/~c111CRTI8u:e0:.
[6] See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/07/AR2009080703043.html].
[7] Id.
[8] See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/10/AR2009081002455.html]. 
[9] See http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/letter-congressman-henry-waxman-re-section-1233-hr-3200.
[10] See http://www.ncpa.org/pdfs/Where_Civic_Republicanism_and_Deliberative_
Democracy_Meet.pdf]. 
[11] See http://www.scribd.com/doc/18280675/Principles-for-Allocation-of-Scarce-Medical-Interventions.

The following is an article published today on the American Spectator website: Palin Is Not Wrong. The left is attacking this statement with more of their lies. I've repeatedly seen people read from the bill, while a liberal sits and watches and calls them a liar or a nazi. It's outrageous, and they need to be called out for it, starting with the President.