Thursday, March 19, 2009

Let's Revisit The Facts...And Set The Record Straight

I just finished watching the video that John Ziegler released in February, "Media Malpractice: How Obama Got Elected And Palin Was Targeted".  It was amazing,  eye-opening, and I hope that one day the American public will have the opportunity to see it in it's entirety on a major network. The film inspired me to do something we haven't done in quite sometime, primarily because the numbskull's in the mainstream media are still perpetuating the lies they told during the election, and, in large part, many uninformed Americans still believe every single word. 

I started this blog in late August, the day Sarah Palin was introduced to the nation. Before that, she was a little known, much loved Governor from the state of Alaska. I had heard of her on the airwaves a few times and knew she was a strong conservative, but I knew little else. If I'd had to rely solely on the mainstream media, I would have instantly thought she was the devil himself. It became abundantly clear from the outset that they hated her, and would do everything in their power to destroy her and her family--even if it meant creating a story where there was none. It didn't take much effort to find the truth about every lie that was perpetuated. I find it incredible that at least half of the American public couldn't exercise just a shred of decency and do some digging to find out if what they were hearing was, indeed, accurate. Since my high school days, I've been intrigued by the lack of accuracy in journalism in the mainstream media. I wrote term papers and speeches on it way back in the 80's. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what the truth is--just a bit of effort. 

Shortly after I started the blog, and really before I had much of anything on it, I began to get tons of traffic. I realized I may have a great opportunity to reach people who may not be informed, and those just looking for someone of like mind. Soon, the local newspaper called and wanted an interview. I was both surprised and shocked. Surprised at the fairness of our local political reporter, and shocked at how both he and I were treated after the article was published. Local bloggers and newspapers jumped on the story and made every attempt to make me look like a crazy person, when in fact I was simply an American mom voicing my opinion about someone I had grown to have a great deal of respect for. One blogger suggested I be jailed for child abuse because I home school our children. I quickly realized, on a very minute scale, what Governor Palin must be going through. Truth is, it had only just begun. 

I began getting a few calls for interviews, and quite honestly had little interest in talking to local affiliates, local radio and print outlets after how I'd just been treated...I'm a busy wife and mom, and now had added blogging to my plate which quickly became a part time job. A few weeks later, I received a call from the producer of CNN's Anderson Cooper 360. Frankly, I was honored by the call, but not as excited as one might think. I am not naive. I know what CNN's about--and that's not fairness in media. I returned the call, half thinking it may be a prank call since I'd begun getting lots of those in recent weeks, and it turned out to be genuine. The producer, Diana Miller, and reporter, Randi Kaye, did a short phone interview and asked if they could come to my home and conduct a taped interview. I told them I'd talk it over with my husband while they tried to work out the logistics, and we agreed to talk again in a few hours. After talking it over with my family, I decided to accept. I knew full well what this could mean, but I felt that if my mission was for conservative women to be heard, then I'd use whatever medium came my way that enabled me to do that. I've been widely criticized by the left for accepting an interview from the very media that I criticize, and yet people on the left do the same thing on a regular basis. The crew came, set up in our tiny home, and a handful of other local conservative moms came to take part in the interview. I have made it clear from the outset, I am a Christian conservative, and make no apologies for it. The ladies that came to participate in the interview were also mostly Christians, and it was suggested that we pray before beginning the interview. I agreed, and before we began, the cameraman stopped us and said he wanted to film us praying. My gut told me to say no, but having nothing to hide, I agreed. That would prove to be a mistake. 

The interview proceeded, and all things considered, it went fairly well. I am a big believer in living in the moment, and decided to just let go of my reservations and enjoy the process--knowing full well who I was dealing with. I don't mean to suggest that everyone working for the various mainstream networks has an agenda-I actually very much enjoyed the time I spent with the crew that came, but it doesn't take a great deal of effort to figure out that the vast majority of networks do. The 3 1/2 minute interview (pieced together from nearly 4 hours of taping) would prove just that. We'd talked about a lot of issues, and what they aired was a piece about religious "fans" of Sarah Palin. They took some of the worst parts of the interview and pieced together quite a different picture than the interview I remembered. (I wish I could link to the interview, but CNN has removed it from their site. I was promised a copy and never received it. This is where it used to be. This is the post I did the day it was filmed.)

As I stated earlier, all things considered, the piece was fair enough--for CNN. I wouldn't have expected more. What I wasn't prepared for was the firestorm that followed. It became quite an example of who actually watches CNN, as thousands of commenters flooded the site during the wee hours of the morning following the interview. Many stated clearly that it was their intent to shut down the site, while many others openly admitted working for the Obama campaign. Thankfully, blogger was able to handle the traffic and they were unable to shut me down. My mistake was in not filtering the comments--and doing so manually took hours of time, even with the help of several people. There were death threats, threats of violence, people posted my address and phone number, and most comments were full of filth and profanity. Those who came to leave positive comments were quickly overshadowed, and soon disappeared. The liberals trying to shut down my site began following my supporters via their user names and email addresses and threatening them. Several received death threats simply for leaving a message of support on my site, many experienced a huge influx of unwanted spam. The liberals successfully stopped the vast majority of conservatives from commenting openly on the site, but they were completely UNsuccessful in stopping me. They even hacked into my paypal account and took money that was being given to charity. I've never taken kindly to being bullied, and this was a classic case. I've become quite aware that when a liberal cannot argue on the issues, they quickly resort to attacks both physical and personal, and at the very least they simply call you a racist.

Why am I sharing this now? To set the record straight. I still have commenters that come here spewing blatant lies, and one major thing has changed. Thanks to them, I have grown quite a thick skin. I still receive hate mail. Some has been turned over to the authorities, but most goes in the trash with a laugh and roll of the eyes. That someone would waste their time to write something so stupid and pay postage for it shows their need to truly be a patient at Bellevue, not just a visitor in our special spot for crazy liberals. Some still even waste their time calling in the middle of the night--again, it's laughable that they waste their time, and it gives me an abundantly clear picture of most of those who blindly voted for Barrack Hussein Obama. I was accused of being a "hayseed" because I filmed barefooted, when in fact it was simply because I was told my feet would not be shown. (when I asked for time to go get my shoes) I'm a very laid back person, and walking barefoot in my own home prior to the taping is not something that would be out of the ordinary for me. Shoes, in our home, are left at the door (for sanitary reasons) unless a guest fails to notice. I was accused of selling t-shirts just to make money (imagine that--making money off t-shirts I paid to have designed!) when, in fact, I required that my t-shirts NOT be made a primary subject of the interview. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds went to a charity for down syndrome. My family is not wealthy, as many "accused" after watching the interview. Because we have great taste in decorating (if I may say so myself!) and bargain hunting, some interpreted that as us being wealthy. Contrary to the accusations of laziness, I do listen to Rush Limbaugh, and sometimes Shawn Hannity, nearly every day as I do my housework after a morning filled with teaching our children. I home school because we cannot afford to send our children to a private school here in Florida, and the Florida public school system is one of the worst in the country. My motivation? My heroes...my husband, my brother, and my dear father--all veterans of our armed forces, one still serving at home in another capacity. I have seen the price that is paid for freedom, not through eyes that have been on the battlefield, but through the eyes of a brother, husband, and father; and the memories told me by my precious mother of a father who nearly lost his life. You see, I really am simply a very blessed daughter, sister, wife and mommy who had enough and decided it was time to let my voice be heard.  I felt that conservative women had been silent for far too long, and wanted to do my part to motivate others to scream from the mountaintops what is right and true. This blog is my mountaintop.

So, there you have it...that's my story. I continue to be amazed at how the vast majority of people in this country blindly follow the mainstream media with no clue that perhaps there's an underlying agenda. Those of us who actually dig up the truth and report it, no matter how small our medium is, are attacked and targeted simply for telling the truth. Funny thing is, when you're telling the truth, you have nothing to lose by continuing....and so I do, with a great deal 
of gratitude for my faithful readers. I know there are now many great conservative blogs out there, many you will find links to on the bottom right side of this blog, that are far better than this one--but, remember this: we are in this together, and as long as I have the ability, I will continue to do what I can to make this a blog worthy of your time. 

God bless.

2 comments:

Tyler said...

That was a very well written piece Tami! While I don't agree with you on every issue, and am not a supporter of Sarah Palin, everyone deserves respect. I enjoy reading your blog and hearing others opinions on issues, and it bothers me that people both conservatives and liberals would want to shut down a website just because they don't agree with what they have to say. I enjoy listening to others opinions and hearing what they have to say. (See, I can say something nice, and I have a liberal view.) ;)

Unknown said...

I was very moved and motivated by this post. My heart is just reacing, and it is amazing how our bodies react physically to something as simple as reading a blog post. I suppose I respond this way because I share many things in common with you and can imagine myself in your situation. I admire your courage and want to offer my encouragement as you continue to do this very hard thing. I pray the rest of us will not be afraid to do the hard things as the opportunity comes. Blessings to you and yours.