#35 Sarah Palin

Before the 2008 American presidential election season, most of us had never heard of the Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. Since that time, there are very few who have not heard of her, and depending upon one's politics, you either love her or hate her. Well, I happen to be on the 'love her' side. I deeply admire and respect her and God knows, this is a woman who has earned my compassion.

Former Governor Palin began her political career on the city council of Wasilla, Alaska in 1992, and was elected mayor in 1996. She successfully ran for Governor of Alaska in 2006, and during the presidential campaign of 2008, was selected by John McCain to be his vice-presidential running mate.

Sarah Palin with John McCain, 2008

Sarah Palin and her husband Todd are the parents of five children, the youngest of whom, Trig, was diagnosed prenatally with Down Syndrome. Her eldest daughter, Bristol, became a single mother in a very public way, after the world knew who Sarah Palin was. 

The Palins - Track, Piper, Willow, Sarah with son Trig, Todd, Bristol with son Tripp

 

Sarah Palin is a Republican, and as such, her views on issues are conservative-right. As a vice-presidential candidate, her stance on issues such as abortion, immigration, oil exploration, the economy, health care and so on were put out there for public consumption, for voters to decide if they agreed or disagreed with her, and would choose to vote for her (and John McCain, the presidential candidate), or not. Fair game.

What was (and still is) not fair game is the vile, horrible, hate-filled garbage that has been spewed about this woman, her family, her choices, her politics, even her faith, ad nauseum since 2008.

Palin has a style that is - refreshingly - not typical of 'inside the Beltway' politicians. She is young, pleasant, folksy, and from time to time wears a pony-tail. She's outdoorsy, knows how to hunt and shoot big game, and is in her element living in the far north. She's got a doll of a husband...

Sarah Palin with husband Todd, Alaska's "First Dude"

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..and... she's smart as a freakin' whip, with skin as thick as a moose hide, and is very, very deserving of the "Mama Grizzly" moniker she coined. All of this drives Democrats INSANE.

Unless your "choice" is to abort a fetus with Down Syndrome, then left-wingers deny you your right to "choose", or so it seems. To them, there is only one "choice". To carry her child to term and give him life was Sarah Palin's "choice". Since becoming a nationally-known public figure, she has been accused of such malicious and ridiculous crap, even going so far as to claim that the child, Trig, is not even hers, but her daughter's. How, one must ask, could one then abort a child that is not even one's own? Liberal nut-jobs like those, however, don't get bogged down in the details. You either "choose" to abort a child at the drop of a hat, or you are nothing more than a crazed clinic-bomber. There is no other "choice" in the left-wing world.

Her daughter, Bristol, did get pregnant around the time of Palin's being chosen as the vice-presidential running mate. Bristol was going to marry the father, until he was sucked up into the media vortex. Next thing, he's posing semi-nude in Playgirl, and "dishing" supposed tell-all details about the Palin family in a book deal, which, had he done the honorable thing, would never have been offered to him. He took the 30 pieces of silver over the mother of his child, and his child. Not a guy whose word I would take concerning the weather, let alone on anything having to do with the Palin family. Blood sucker.

Sarah Palin has been called every gross, horrible, misogynistic name in the book. The "b" word is tame compared to some. And why? Because people don't agree with her politics. That, apparently, gives left wing loons the right to be intolerant, ignorant, vicious bastards.

And interestingly, whereas other such beleaguered women of power would be stridently defended by various national women's groups, no one stands up to defend Sarah Palin. I guess it's only liberal women supporters of abortion who are worthy of defence.

As much as I love America, and I do, it is their most unattractive quality as a nation, this vitriol-spewing hatred towards conservative politicians, and the support this hatred gets from the main-stream media. I don't know who would have to run for office in Canada or Britain, or any other westernized country, that would be subjected to what Sarah Palin, and others, particularly conservative women, have had to put up with.

Anyone whose sole source of American political insight is CNN or MSNBC gets a very narrow, biased, negative, slanted view of those on the political right. Fortunately, for those interested in facts, there are options that don't include these sources.

I have heard Sarah Palin speak on any number of occasions. I cannot tell you chapter and verse of every political stance she espouses, but I'll tell you this - I have never heard her express an opinion with which I did not agree. Whether it concerns drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or abortion, or dealing with immigration, I agree with her. I respect and admire her bravery for taking such stands and being willing and able to defend them. But, most of all, I feel compassion for Sarah Palin, for all that she and her family have had to endure, while she puts herself out there as someone who just wants to serve her country. What a price to pay, and no wonder so few good people run for public office. That's a scary place to be, and that's exactly what liberals want those with conservative values to fear. Well, they underestimated Sarah Palin and America's response to her. She didn't get to be vice president, but she's not going anywhere, and America will be the better for it.

To conclude on a more pleasant note... who can hate a woman who raised Piper, this sweet little girl who took care of Trig while Mommy was giving her speech at the Republican National Convention in 2008...?

 

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