Sarah Palin: Going Rogue Number One In Sales UPDATED!

In less than 12 hours after Barnes & Noble first offered "Going Rogue: An American Life," Sarah Palin’s brand new book, for pre-publication sales, it has hit number one on their chart!

The book is currently number two on Amazon.com. Amazon, for some reason, was many hours behind the curve, and didn’t have the book linked. This allowed Barnes & Noble to get the early sales, and the book to reach number one on their charts a lot sooner.

**** Updated! As of 5:15 PM "Going Rogue: An American Life" is now the number one best seller at Amazon.com! ****

This new book, so new that it doesn’t even have a cover design yet, has generated serious buzz. Easily the most anticipated book of the year, Palin and her publisher HarperCollins surprised everyone when they announced that Sarah had finished her book already and the launch date had been moved to November 17 from it’s original Spring 2010 time period.

From Fox News

NEW YORK- That was fast.

Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate, has finished her memoir just four months after the book deal was announced, and the release date has been moved up from the spring to Nov. 17, her publisher said.

"Governor Palin has been unbelievably conscientious and hands-on at every stage, investing herself deeply and passionately in this project," said Jonathan Burnham, publisher of Harper. "It's her words, her life, and it's all there in full and fascinating detail."

Palin's book, her first, will be 400 pages, said Burnham, who called the fall "the best possible time for a major book of this kind."

The book now has a title, one fitting for a public figure known for the unexpected -- "Going Rogue: An American Life."

Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins, has commissioned a huge first printing of 1.5 million copies. Sen. Ted Kennedy's "True Compass," published by Twelve soon after his Aug. 25 death, also had a 1.5 million first printing.

As with the Kennedy book, the digital edition of Palin's memoir will not be released at the same time as the hardcover. "Going Rogue" will not be available as an e-book until Dec. 26 because "we want to maximize hardcover sales over the holidays," Harper spokeswoman Tina Andreadis said Monday.

Publishers have been concerned that e-books, rapidly becoming more popular, might take away sales from hardcover editions, which are more expensive.

Palin, who abruptly resigned as Alaska governor over the summer with more than a year left in her first term, has been an object of fascination since Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate in 2008, chose her as his running mate.

Although Democrat Barack Obama won the election and Palin was criticized even by some Republicans for being inexperienced, she remains a favorite among conservatives and is a rumored contender for 2012. Interest in her is so high that a fan recently paid $63,500 to have dinner with her, part of an Internet auction for a charity that aids wounded veterans.

Palin, 45, spent weeks in San Diego shortly after leaving office and worked on the manuscript with collaborator Lynn Vincent, a person close to her said. She was joined in San Diego by her family and her top aide, Meghan Stapleton, then spent several weeks in New York working around the clock with editors at Harper, said the person, who wasn't authorized to comment and asked not to be identified.

We knew Sarah was a hard worker, but oh my goodness, she didn’t let any time go to waste!

This also answers the question of those who wondered why she had been "heard (on Facebook) but not seen." It’s obvious though, after her great Hong Kong speech, and this announcement, that things are about to change on that front!

The synopsis of the book of the book reads as follows:

Sarah Palin burst onto the political scene at the height of the 2008 presidential campaign and overnight became a national sensation. Adored by the right, bitterly reviled by the left, she is the most polarizing figure to emerge in American politics in decades. Yet for all the dirt digging and gossip that has surrounded her, very little is actually known about who she is, what she believes, and above all, about her plans for the future. In her new book, Sarah Palin tells the story of her Alaskan upbringing, her marriage and family life, her political career, her religious beliefs, and her meteoric rise to national prominence. With her customary blunt common sense, she sets the record straight about the many myths and lies that have been spun around her and lays out her vision for an America that is strong, independent, and free.

We all knew this would be an autobiographical book, but it’s the last sentence that is intriguing and will sell the books! America is hungry for a true leader. The first person to come up with a real vison to get the nation back on track will most certainly shoot to the head of the pack.

Sarah started laying things out in her Hong Kong speech. It was a policy speech full of solid ideas, the book obviously looks to expand on that.

HarperCollins has ordered an initial printing 1.5 million. Currently, Sarah has 905,787 Facebook friends, and this increases every hour, on the hour. One can bet that most will buy, at minimum, one book, with many planning these as Christmas presents, and buying multiple books. I think we’re going to need more books!

Rush Limbaugh offered his thoughts:







The Wall Street Journal’s John Fund had some interesting insight on the behind the scenes goings on, and pretty much confirms what we already knew about the inept McCain campaign:

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.

Ms. Vincent didn't reveal any details about the book, but did acknowledge it will describe Ms. Palin's frustration over her treatment by the staffers she inherited from the McCain campaign after her surprise pick as the GOP vice presidential nominee last year. Ms. Palin was booked on grueling interviews with hostile reporters while talk-show hosts such as Glenn Beck couldn't even get through to her aides. Mr. Beck tells me he was stunned when he picked up the phone one day just before the election to discover Sarah Palin was on the other end of the line. "She explained that she had been blocked from reaching her audience, so she was now 'going rogue' and booking her own interviews," Mr. Beck told me. "I was thrilled she had burst out of the cage they'd built for her and we were finally talking."

That incident was the only time Ms. Palin declared her independence from her keepers, and it's fitting that the title of her upcoming book will be "Going Rogue: An American Life."

This was a brilliant move for the Arctic Fox, and not just for sales of her book. As all big books require a book tour, and a round of interviews on all of the top shows, Sarah will be laying out her vision for America at a time it is sorely needed. At the same time, she will be starting her effort to go and campaign for like minded candidates for the 2010 elections.

Brilliant timing, and we expected no less from Sarah Palin!

New York post doesn't understand speaking engagements... it seems.

by Upinak
www.thepalination.com

When you know you are in a losing streak, you take out your opponent via the knees right?


Well the New York Post, a liberal rag of mindless entertainment, decided to write a “I Hate Palin because I don’t think she can sell herself and I think she is dumb” article again. I think that the New York Post and their writers are scared that they are losing money… and have to print this drivel to get some money in.

What cracks me up is how the NY Post is just frothing at the mouth concerning the speaking circuit and the amount of one hundred thousand (100,000) per speaking engagement, which if you think about it really isn’t that much.

Per NY Post:

Palin's bookers are said to be asking for $100,000 per speech, but an industry expert tells Page Six: "The big lecture buyers in the US are paralyzed with fear about booking her, basically because they think she is a blithering idiot."

Now, seeing this, we all understand that speaking engagements are going to “cost”. But if you book a building, with around 1500 seats would be about 67.00 a piece. BUT since you have to have money to rent the building which could be 25,000 for a day, which would cost in the amount of 17.00, I don’t see how this would be a problem? People pull out 100 dollars for just about anything anymore. So charging 100 to 150 dollars per speaking engagement, per person really isn’t that bad.

Also, let us talk about Speaking Engagements that include a nice dinner. Everyone knows you buy the plate before hand for whatever speaking engagement it is. So let’s say you want to hear Sarah at one of these. It is all priced out via the building it would be in, the price of employees, food and set up as well as the strip down and the speakers cost as well as the commission. Well we have all seen these types of dinners where you can pay up and including ten thousand (10,000) dollars per plate! So a room for 500 people. You have 100,000 for speaker, 50,000 for food and service, 15,000 to rent facility. So round it up to 200,000 thousand for cost of all and the cost of the plate for the Dinner Speaking Engagement is a whopping 500.00 dollars per person!

Whoa. I think the New York Post should have thought this through before they typed their smear article out.

Public School Library Propagates Falsehood That Governor Palin Banned Books

By Adrienne Ross- www.motivationtruth.com

How ironic it is that when news emerges of Governor Palin's book becoming available prior to its expected date, she shows up in my school's library. No, she didn't show up in person and no, there was no announcement to inform interested students about her book, which reportedly is already number one on the Barnes and Noble list.

She showed up in the center of a display highlighting Banned Books Week.

I was walking on my way to the weight room this evening when I stopped dead in my tracks after taking a few steps past the library. I backed up and took in the display in the window, which includes various books, quotes, and poetry about reading and book banning. Only one person's picture is a part of the display--and that person is Governor Palin. It was included in an old article called "Sarah Palin, aspiring book banner?" which was published in the LA Times a year ago. That article makes up a homemade poster that says, "Sarah Palin + Banned Books = Censorship."

Listen, I'm not talking about a local area library. I'm talking about a public school library, where they use this week to demonize Palin as the enemy of free thought, reading, and exploration. Nevermind the plethora of information out there that she never sought to ban books but had asked a general question of a librarian to discover how she would deal with censorship. Nevermind the numerous times Governor Palin has herself stated she never sought to ban books. And nevermind the fact that some of the books on the list, like Harry Potter, hadn't even been published yet! No, facts aren't important.

What's important is the growing determination to further a Left-wing agenda to destroy Governor Palin. What's important is the attempt to indoctrinate our children. I say indoctrinate because that is exactly what this is. As if it weren't bad enough that some schools are singing the "Mmm Mmm Mmm" praises of President Obama, chanting "Change Has Come," and changing the "Jesus" in the song "Jesus Loves the Little Children" to include Obama, now I walk past the high school library in the district where I teach, and there are falsehoods about the former vice presidential candidate. There is a clear attempt to lead our children down a particular road, and somebody has to be the road block. That somebody will be me...tomorrow when I walk back in that building and address this issue.

That article in the school library window states in part:

Librarian Jessamyn West, who blogs at librarian.net, writes, "Usually I’m just happy to see libraries even mentioned in national level politics, but not like this."

This seems like a good time to mention Banned Books Week, beginning Sept. 27, which celebrates the freedom to read. 2007's most challenged book was "And Tango Makes Three," a children's book about a penguin with two dads; books by Mark Twain and Alice Walker appear, again, on the list. Exactly what books Palin might have wanted to ban have not been identified (other than some unsupported rumors), but it's safe to assume that she won't be joining in to celebrate the idea that no books should be banned at all.

I find it interesting that this particular article states that those books weren't identified. Another falsehood. Perhaps they left that out because the truth was embarrassing. Yes, it's embarrassing to list books that didn't exist when she supposedly tried to rid the world of them.

On the left and right of the display in the library window is the poem "Manifesto" by author, Ellen Hopkins. In the poem, Hopkins blasts "zealots, biggots, and false patriots," for their desire to censor. This poem is the official poem of this year's Banned Books Week--and Governor Palin's picture is the centerpiece!

What gives them the right to place this attack in the library window? Who approved the display--or who overlooked it? Am I the only person who walked by and saw it? What impression does it give our children? What impact will this have on their vote in a few years? I am livid, as I should be. This is absolutely unacceptable behavior.

Anyone who hasn't been hiding under a rock in the past year ought to know the truth about the book banning issue, but in case someone has just slithered out, here are some facts about Palin and the so-called book banning issue.

In an article called "Palin did not ban books in Wasilla as mayor," the USA Today reported

Taylor Griffin, a McCain spokesman, said Palin raised the issue of the library's policy because there had been widespread discussion in Wasilla at that time about banning books. She was trying to understand the city's policy, he said.

"Sarah Palin has never asked anyone to ban a book," Griffin said. "It shouldn't be surprising that the new mayor of a city that had seen recent protests over books and was in the process of re-evaluating the book-challenge policies at its library would ask the librarian what those policies were."

Michelle Malkin submitted in "The bogus Sarah Palin Banned Books List" this P.D.S. Alert:

Palin Derangement Syndrome strikes again. This time it’s hysterical librarians and their readers on the Internet disseminating a bogus list of books Gov. Sarah Palin supposedly banned in 1996. Looks like some of these library people failed reading comprehension. Take a look at the list below and you’ll find books Gov. Palin supposedly tried to ban…that hadn’t even been published yet. Example: The Harry Potter books, the first of which wasn’t published until 1998.

The smear merchants who continue to circulate the list also failed to do a simple Google search, which would have showed them that the bogus Sarah Palin Banned Book List is almost an exact copy-and-paste reproduction of a generic list of “Books Banned at One Time or Another in the United States” that has been floating around the Internet for years. STACLU notes that the official Obama campaign website is also perpetuating the fraud. And it’s spread to craigslist, where some unhinged user is posting images likening Palin to Hitler. Here it is again.

[...]

It’s a fake. Not true. Total B.S. A lie.

If it gets sent to you by a moonbat friend or family member, set ‘em all straight. Fight the smears. They’ve only just begun.

Malkin hit the nail on the head. They had only just begun last year, and they still exist--in our public school libraries, of all places. Read her entire article here, which includes the bogus list of books.

FactCheck.org reported:

She did not demand that books be banned from the Wasilla library. Some of the books on a widely circulated list were not even in print at the time. The librarian has said Palin asked a "What if?" question, but the librarian continued in her job through most of Palin's first term.

[...]

One accusation claims then-Mayor Palin threatened to fire Wasilla’s librarian for refusing to ban books from the town library. Some versions of the rumor come complete with a list of the books that Palin allegedly attempted to ban. Actually, Palin never asked that books be banned; no books were actually banned; and many of the books on the list that Palin supposedly wanted to censor weren't even in print at the time, proving that the list is a fabrication.

I could go on and on, but it's not necessary. As stated, anyone who cared to know, who actually did a little fact checking of their own, already got the 411 on the deal. However, I am addressing it again because obviously some who are supposed to be in the business of educating, have not been informed or are ignoring the information, and their ignorance is impacting--shall I say infecting--our children. This cannot go unchallenged--and it won't.

My approach tomorrow? I will go into the library with the facts and present them respectfully. I will ask that Governor Palin's picture and the article be removed. If that is denied, I will request they hang another article next to it--which I will graciously provide--that refutes the falsehoods. If I do not get anywhere with the librarian, well, I'll go to the next level. It is my hope that my talk with the librarian will suffice, but we'll see what happens.

No doubt as Governor Palin's book continues to sell, even before it hits the shelves, those with an agenda will beef up their attacks to misrepresent her as uninformed, anti-intellectual, and unworthy of paying attention to. I have some serious problems with that, but as a teacher, my main problem is that their misrepresentation hurts our children. So let the truth be told.

Below are pictures of the high school library display.

Purchase Going Rogue: An American Life, by Sarah Palin

Going Rogue: An American Life

by Sarah Palin

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Pre-Order Palin's Book Now - Going Rogue: An American Life

By Adrienne Ross - www.motivationtruth.com

Yesterday I wrote that you might want to get in line now for Sarah Palin's book, due out on November 17th. Today you can beat the rush. You may pre-order Going Rogue: An American Life here and here.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

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.

Ms. Vincent didn't reveal any details about the book, but did acknowledge it will describe Ms. Palin's frustration over her treatment by the staffers she inherited from the McCain campaign after her surprise pick as the GOP vice presidential nominee last year. Ms. Palin was booked on grueling interviews with hostile reporters while talk-show hosts such as Glenn Beck couldn't even get through to her aides. Mr. Beck tells me he was stunned when he picked up the phone one day just before the election to discover Sarah Palin was on the other end of the line. "She explained that she had been blocked from reaching her audience, so she was now 'going rogue' and booking her own interviews," Mr. Beck told me. "I was thrilled she had burst out of the cage they'd built for her and we were finally talking."

That incident was the only time Ms. Palin declared her independence from her keepers, and it's fitting that the title of her upcoming book will be "Going Rogue: An American Life."

Barnes and Noble offered this synopsis:

Sarah Palin burst onto the political scene at the height of the 2008 presidential campaign and overnight became a national sensation. Adored by the right, bitterly reviled by the left, she is the most polarizing figure to emerge in American politics in decades. Yet for all the dirt digging and gossip that has surrounded her, very little is actually known about who she is, what she believes, and above all, about her plans for the future. In her new book, Sarah Palin tells the story of her Alaskan upbringing, her marriage and family life, her political career, her religious beliefs, and her meteoric rise to national prominence. With her customary blunt common sense, she sets the record straight about the many myths and lies that have been spun around her and lays out her vision for an America that is strong, independent, and free.

A couple things are certain: This book will be an instant bestseller, and the world will get a good look at Sarah Palin as she is--her own voice detailing her own experiences and sharing her own vision for America.

Pre-order Going Rogue: An American Life today.

Sarah is "Going Rogue" Again By Poking Fun at Herself and the Political Elite!

by NYPalinPower

Sarah is naming her book "Going Rogue, An American Life" and this is AWESOME!

It's really funny watching some journalists seriously juggling with this trying to define "rogue" in their own favorable terms when Sarah is just having some fun! Come on! We all know what Sarah means here!

This term "Rogue" that she uses in the title, if you want to define it from the dictionary, is the "playful, mischevious" form of the word, purposefully intended and aimed to shake up our current political system, including both parties in Washington. Sarah really is a Maverick! What is funny is that Sarah is playing with the word, "rogue" as a tongue in cheek term. Crafting it to send a message.

She is playing to the press for using that word in their own description of her actions, most specifically the day when she spoke directly to the media on her own by-passing the senior Republican campaign staff. Well, good for you Sarah! I applaud you for your guts and sticking with your instincts and choosing not to put up any further with the sloppy treatment and neglect you were getting in that campaign. Your campaign staff were not doing their jobs and were disloyal to you, even though they were supposed to be working for you. The whole time you were a good loyal soldier for John McCain, and I can understand why you did what you did because that campaign did not appreciate you or let you be free to be yourself. I'm glad that the press called you "rogue" because now it gives you a great, catchy title for your book!

Sarah is also playing to the good old boys in the Republican party. It is clearly obvious that Sarah is not trying to get their approval as their candidate in 2012, otherwise, why would she shock the GOP by letting them know exactly what her style is . If the current Republican Party has the guts to welcome her as their candidate, then they will truly be sending the message of "real change" in Washington. And Sarah can be the the leader of this newly restructured party and attract fresh new candidates to help her in this change. The party could elect new candidates that can "think outside the box" like Sarah, truly serve the public, and enact good "common sense" policy for the good of the country. Sarah wants a new Republican Party to emerge that will fix the system and serve America, not themselves.

Sarah is shaking up Washington without even running for office! And this is fortunate for America because every word she says has political power. The President, the Congress and the Media are listening to her. She is more effective now as a private citizen than as a spokesperson for an elite political party! She is simply being herself, private citizen Sarah. A simple person who is able to speak for the people and be heard! How many of our elected leaders truly speak for the people? How many actually enact "common sense" policies for the good of our country... none at my last count!

So this is what I conclude about Sarah's strategy here. Our government no longer works. Sarah wants REAL CHANGE. Government leaders are not working for the country or for the American people. Sarah is letting the GOP Republican Party know that if they want her to support the Republican ticket in 2010, 0r run for President in 2012, they will need to be open and welcome new and radical change within their own party with new ideas that can fix the current system, so that our government can work effectively for America and for its people.

If the GOP Republican Party cannot welcome her "maverick" approach, then she will have no choice but to run as an Independent candidate in 2012.

Going Rogue: An American Life... due on Nov. 17th at a bookstore near you.

by Upinak

Yep, it is finally done, in print and coming to a bookstore near you!

Per Yahoonews.com

The 400-page book is the first for Palin, who has been an object of fascination since Republican Sen. John McCain chose her as his running mate during his 2008 presidential bid. The book will be called "Going Rogue: An American Life."


A huge first printing of 1.5 million copies has been commissioned by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Keep your eyes open for it, I have a feeling there will be a few more prints coming about.

Sarah: Going Rogue-Take That, Tina Fey: A Post by Conservative Girl with a Voice

I cannot wait until November 17th. Why? Well, fellow readers, it is the day Sarah's memoir is going to be released to those of us on "Mainstreet U.S.A." Since her memoir will be released just in time for the holidays, you wont have to stress over what to get your loved one for Christmas this year. Good thinking, Sarah! You've just made this girl's Christmas shopping a whole lot easier.




According Harper Collins Publisher Johnathan Burnham, Sarah's memoir is entitled Going Rogue: An American Life and is about 400 pages in length. In regards to the memoir itself, Burnham said:


"It's her words, her life, and it's all there in full and fascinating detail."


As the quote above states, the memoir was in her own words. Too bad the same can't be said for our president's books. Burnham also said:


"Governor Palin has been unbelievably conscientious and hands-on at every stage, investing herself deeply and passionately in this project."


This doesn't surprise me at all. Sarah is a hard-working woman who is not afraid of a little hands-on work.We have seen her independent streak and her love for God, family, sports, nature and country- She is truly an every woman.




Not only are we going to get to hear Sarah's side of the story, the true side, but we are also going to learn about her amazing life story. Like you, I cannot wait to hear all about it. Sarah has captivated the hearts and minds of so many of us. Daily, I find myself praying for her and her family. She has touched so many of us in so many different ways. Yesterday, my good friend, Adrienne Ross, who writes the blog: "Motivation: Truth," celebrated her birthday. In celebrating, she wrote a fantastic blog post about the gifts Sarah Palin has given to her. None of these gifts can be purchased in a department store; instead, they are gifts like friendship, love for country and love for life. I encourage you all to read Adrienne's birthday post (www.motivationtruth.com) because you will see a woman who has grown and become more because of the blessings Sarah has bestowed upon her.




Like Adrienne, I too feel blessed with all Sarah has given to me. I'm sure you all feel the same way. There is something very special about a person who has the knack for being able to bring people together. Like Adrienne mentions in her post, I too have met people and started doing things I never dreamed I would be doing prior to August 29, 2008. I never thought I would become politically active, start writing a blog, become a regular guest on #1 Alaska Talk Radio Show Host Eddie Burke's amazing show, as well as contemplate a career in politics. These are just some of the cool experiences that I have been given. I thank God everyday for allowing me to be surrounded by such amazing Sarah supporters, whom I'm proud to call my friends. This is all because of Sarah. In everything she does, Sarah has shown us that she truly does care about America.





With Sarah's book, comes a new chapter in her life, a chapter that will forever give us her side of the story. Just as I have been blessed to come to know so many amazing individuals, I will be blessed with the chance to read a book about a woman whom I am so proud to defend and call a role model! I hope to be given the chance to meet her face-to-face one day. If I am fortunate enough to be given this chance, I will tell her not only how much she inspires me to want to be a better person, but also how she inspires me to want to do great things. Thank you Sarah, and on behalf of all of us, "have a great night and a pleasant tomorrow."





(I'm a Conservative Girl with a Voice!!! Visit my blog and become a follower: http://www.conservativegirlwithavoice.com. I'm on Twitter too @rachellefriberg.)

Get in Line Now: Palin's Book Set for Early Release

By Adrienne Ross - www.motivationtruth.com

H/T LoLornaMarie)

The Associated Press has reported that Sarah Palin has already completed her book. It wasn't expected out until spring 2010, but it will be released November 17, 2009 instead.

The word on the street was that Palin was reportedly out of the state of Alaska from August until recently, hard at work on the memoir. Working hard she was, for it is already completed--just four months after the public became aware of the book deal.

Through this book called Going Rogue: An American Life, the world will discover the true Sarah Palin and the truth to which we have not heretofore had access. She will give the public her own unfiltered message--untainted by the likes of the agenda-ridden mainstream media.

You might want to get in line now.

Read the story here.

American Thinker: Palin, Obama's 2012 Competition

By Adrienne Ross - www.motivationtruth.com

As President Obama fumbled badly at the UN and G-8 last week, Sarah Palin began redefining herself as presidential timber.

With these words James Lewis begins his American Thinker article. In it he highlights the disaster that was President Obama's speeches before world leaders last week but praises Sarah Palin's speech in Hong Kong. While the president seems to be on a downward spiral, showing himself to be unprepared to deal with many things, including America's enemies, Sarah Palin is showing herself to be stepping further into a leadership role to take America forward.

So we are seeing a president who is way over his head. Obama has great political talent, but not nearly as great as his overweening pride. So he keeps over-reaching, and there is a good chance that we will see him hit the first massive brick wall in his health-care power-grab in the coming weeks. The Democrats may pass a symbolic medical package to save face for Obama --- but then watch American seniors turn out in the tens of millions next year to throw the bums out of the House and part of the Senate. Seniors see their Medicare being stolen from them and they are not going to forget that by election time 2010.

Obama seems to be incapable of controlling his own egomania, and that means further humiliations in the years ahead. Remember that Bill Clinton looked unbeatable in 1992 and was impeached by a Republican House in 1998. No president since Richard Nixon has been brought lower than Clinton was ten years ago. Today we may be seeing Obama at the very peak of his ballistic orbit, and just beginning to curve down.

But you can't beat a strong candidate with a weak one, and the GOP notoriously nominates some real duds. Palin has scared the Left into mass hysteria because of her star quality on the campaign trail with a visibly creaking John McCain. Sarah Palin is our only charismatic leader at this profoundly dangerous time. That is why her actions are so important to the fate of the GOP, and to the future of this country and the world. Her use of Facebook to make public policy statements has been both effective and smart. Palin is using the web just as Reagan used radio and TV, to get around the murderous filter of the media.

Sarah Palin gave an extraordinarily well-crafted speech in Hong Kong, a real Reagan speech. It almost sounds as if Henry Kissinger is advising her.

[...]

Since the election campaign, it seems that Sarah Palin recruited a top-notch team of advisors and political talent. The Hong Kong speech goes straight to her alleged weakness in foreign affairs, and it is a very good first step toward re-making her media image to be more substantive. The truth is that most of our media heads would not recognize foreign policy substance if it hit them right between the eyes. But they know the image of substance, and the Hong Kong speech was good on both appearance and reality. She demonstrated "gravitas" -- in the pop slogan of the early Bush years. We need more of the same, but she has now shown convincingly that she can do it.

Obama is in for real competition in 2012; since world peace and our national well-being are clearly at stake, the more strong conservatives emerge, the better off we will be. Obama is the very worst president for these times. It is important to defeat him in a fair fight. Palin can do it; so can some others, but she is exceptionally talented.

Sarah Palin, now calling her own shots rather than being mishandled by the McCain camp, has only just begun her fight for America. As James Lewis points out in his article, she can get the job done, and she'll use--to borrow the words of Governor Palin herself--"commonsense conservatism."

Read the entire article here.

Obama defies Palin to cut off benefits for Alaska service members

In January of this year, after learning that the president was going to cut off retirement pay to a select group of individuals who had been members of the alaska Territorial Guard, then governor Sarah Palin sent a letter to the president:

Dear Mr. President:

It was with great concern that I learned of the recent decision by the Department of Defense to rescind the program that currently provides retirement payments to veterans of Alaska's Territorial Guard (ATG). This unfortunate decision was made without any notice to those affected and will cost a group of elderly Alaska veterans a significant portion of their retirement income at a time when the cost of living, particularly in rural Alaska, is substantially higher than in the rest of the United States.

In 2004, Congress fully vetted this issue and decided that service in the ATG was the same as military service. This is the right and proper way to honor these brave individuals who answered the call of duty during times of great national peril.

Prior to World War II, Alaska's territorial Governor was authorized by Congress to organize a two-branch military response organization - the organized National Guard, and the ATG, which would mobilize to help defend Alaskans in the event of an invasion. An estimated 6,600 men and women, mostly Alaska Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts, responded to that calL Instead of hunting, trapping and fishing, they patrolled rural Alaska and served as the eyes and ears of the Army for more than five years without pay and benefits.

It took our nation almost 60 years to have these defenders of our territory honored for their time in the ATG, and for their service to be counted the same as federal military service. While most died waiting for their recognition, some have survived to receive their honorable discharge from the United States Army.

Now they are being told, again, that their ATG service is not worthy of federal recognition, and that is not right.

These people are our heroes.

The stellar service of these mostly rural, mostly Native, soldiers is to Alaska today what the service of the militia at Lexington and Concord was to New England.

I urge you to remember all that these valiant members of the ATG sacrificed while defending this country and ask that you reconsider this decision and immediately reinstate the retirement benefits that Congress already recognized in 2004 and that these heroes have certainly earned.

Thank you for considering my views.

Sincerely,
Sarah Palin

Senators Murkowski and Begich helped to define service for active duty, and as a stop gap measure, the Territorial Guard vets would continue to receive their retirement payments from an emergency fund until congressional legislation could define their service and help them to continue to receive benefits.

I can't help but wonder if our fine president has a vendetta against our state, and Sarah Palin, when he does some of the things he does. Now comes this article from the Anchorage Daily News:

Senators fight for Guardsmen's war pension

PROTECTED SHORES: 26 members of Territorial Guard could lose funds.

WASHINGTON -- In a strongly worded message to Congress outlining presidential priorities for a military spending bill, the Obama administration said Friday it disapproved of including money for pensions for 26 elderly members of the World War II-era Alaska Territorial Guard.

The White House move drew swift rebuke from the state's two senators, Republican Lisa Murkowski and Democrat Mark Begich, who had together sponsored the pension fix.

The legislation honors 26 elderly Alaskans who are the few remaining survivors of a military unit that served the country with valor, Murkowski said, calling the administration's direction "deeply disappointing, bordering on insensitive."

A Senate military spending bill up for a vote in the Senate allows the former Guard members to count their service as part of active military duty, and it reinstates the pension payments.

State lawmakers passed a bill earlier this year to fill the pay gap until Congress made a permanent fix, but the White House said Friday it didn't think it was "appropriate to establish a precedent of treating service performed by a state employee as active duty for purposes of the computation of retired pay."

"We are talking about 26 brave, elderly Alaska Natives who served honorably for this country during World War II," Begich said in a statement. "I, frankly, find it puzzling how the administration could object to giving these men the recognition they deserve. The federal government deserted these men at the end of the war, and I hope the Congress and my colleagues in the Senate won't let that happen again."

Murkowski doesn't appreciate the apparent minimization of Alaska's Guardsmen during the war.

"The administration's justification, which is that the legislation will set the precedent of treating service as a state employee as federal service, defies logic and history," Murkowski said in a statement. "Sixty-two years after the Territorial Guard was disbanded, the Obama administration minimizes the contribution of this gallant unit to America's success in World War II by calling its service 'state service.' "

The Guardsmen are among those assigned to protect Alaska from the Japanese during World War II. The Army decided this year it would no longer count service in the Guard when it calculates the military's 20-year minimum for retirement pay -- although it still counts for military benefits. As a result, those eligible for pensions saw them decreased in January.

An estimated 300 members are still living from the original 6,600-member unit formed in 1942 to protect Alaska, then a territory, from attack. The 26 men have enough other military service to reach the 20-year minimum for retirement pay but would see it decreased if their Territorial Guard service doesn't count.

The Senate is set to vote next week on the defense spending bill. The Obama administration objected to a number of items in the legislation other than the territorial pensions. They include the decision by the Senate to provide money for what the White House described as "10 unrequested C-17 airlift aircraft" and the decision to cut $900 million in funding for the war in Afghanistan.

Alaskool.com defined this group very well: The Alaska Territorial Guard was formed to allow the United States the means to identify further potential incursions of the Japanese in Alaska along the vast coastline of the territory. There was some initial controversy in recruiting and arming Alaska Natives as at the time there was legal and social segregation by race across Alaska. The participation of Alaska Natives in the military during World War II, in spite of these bitter circumstances, speaks well of the patriotism and hopefulness of that generation of Alaska Natives.

The cutting off of benefits for these men is totally uncalled for and unnecessary. These 26 men and the men who served with them are heroes. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, many measures were taken to protect the United States mainland. The Aleutian Islands of Attu and Adak were battlegrounds and American servicemen were brought to Alaska to help defend it. The Alaskan Highway (Alcan) was built mainly for purposes of bringing men and materials to Alaska to help defend it. Alaska's Territorial Guard was a big part of this effort. Alaskan Native men were very prepared for the climate and it's challenges and proved invaluable to the cause. It is unconscionable that the Obama Adminstration is thinking of denying these men what little financial security they have left after their brave service.

Please follow these links and check out the video to learn more about this brave group of men who deserve better than what they are receiving from our current administration.

The Alaska Territorial Guard on Wikipedia

A continuation of Sarah was right.....

by Upinak

I mentioned a couple days ago about the problematic issue with Iran and nuclear facilities they have and their missiles, when Obama is dismantling ours, and showing Sarah Palin was right about missile defense.


Now that we have been threatened by North Korea, which bluffed and now warned by Iran… how off is Sarah Palin now concerning Missile Defense in our own country? Even Defense Secretary Gates is beginning to wonder what the deal is and is saying letting Afghanistan go is a bad idea, even after he as well as our federal law makers stopped the F-22’s manufacturing. I wonder what the “Law Makers” are thinking now. Yet Obama is letting the Gitmo detainees out one at a time, so not to draw attention is seems.

It really doesn’t matter. We are at the mercy of what Iran and their leaders may do. Israel is telling the U.S. to take a stand and take action, but unfortunately it looks as though Israel is on its own, as we are under the missile bubble as well. Yet Obama still sits and grins and campaigns as usual, this time for his kids and a longer school session. Isn’t there something to worry about then worrying about children’s education later? How about Americans and ALL of their children?

I also mentioned that Venezuela is seeking its own uranium, and possibly with help. What a concept, Russia is helping them. I also saw that China is going to be involved. It seems I was right about that as well, but one country that I thought would be on our side, India, is now in the battle who can have the most nukes. When is Pakistan going to get into the mix, is anyone’s guess, but I am thinking soon.

So while all this is going on in the world which we should be on high alert, what is going on in the House is the Democrats are PUSHING for all illegals to have healthcare. Where was the plan to have Obama make them citizens as well?

Yes, I know this isn’t good news, this is depressing news. Does anyone see anything positive under the Obama Administration?

Sarah Palin and those like her, should start talking and soon about the upcoming events. This is not the time to remain quiet. Nor is it the time to look past the issues that are right in the face of the world.

As I was posting this, FoxNews.com reported that 2 medium range missiles have been fired.  It is now 8:18 PM in Alaska.  I will post the story when available as there is no link .. yet.  Say an Our Father, soon.

Update 8:26 Alaska time:  From Reuters.com

Iran has test-fired medium-range missiles, state TV reported on Monday, a day after the Islamic Republic's elite Revolutionary Guards launched short-range missiles as part of several days of war games.

 So Obama, should Americans be worried now?????

cross posted at www.thepalination.com

Despicable: Barack Obama Orders Pensions Cut Off To WWII Veterans

Once again, Barack Obama proves he is not fit to serve as commander-in-chief to our armed forces. In a continuing despicable act, Obama is refusing to honor WWII veterans who fought for our nation in it’s darkest hours.

From the McClatchy News Service:

WASHINGTON -- In a strongly worded message to Congress outlining its priorities for a military spending bill, the Obama administration today said it disapproved of including money for pensions for 26 elderly members of the World War II-era Alaska Territorial Guard.

The Guardsmen are among those assigned to protect Alaska from the Japanese during World War II.

The Army decided this year to no longer count service in the Guard in calculating the military's 20-year minimum for retirement pay, although it still counts for military benefits. As a result, their pensions were decreased in January.

An estimated 300 members are still living from the original 6,600-member unit formed in 1942 to protect Alaska, then a territory, from attack. The 26 men have enough other military service to reach the 20-year minimum for retirement pay but would lose it if the Territorial Guard service doesn't count.

A Senate military spending bill up for a vote in the Senate allows the former Guard members count their service as part of active military duty, and it reinstates the payments.

State lawmakers passed a bill earlier this year to fill the pay gap until Congress made a permanent fix, but the White House said Friday it didn't think it was "appropriate to establish a precedent of treating service performed by a state employee as active duty for purposes of the computation of retired pay."

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who along with Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, sponsored the fix, called the administration move "deeply disappointing, bordering on insensitive." The legislation honors 26 elderly Native people who are the few remaining survivors of a military unit that served the country with valor, Murkowski said.

"The administration's justification, which is that the legislation will set the precedent of treating service as a state employee as federal service, defies logic and history," she said in a statement. "Sixty-two years after the Territorial Guard was disbanded, the Obama administration minimizes the contribution of this gallant unit to America's success in World War II by calling its service 'state service.' "

This is beyond the pale, and just shows Obama’s continual disregard for what has made America the greatest nation on earth. To diminish these brave Alaska Natives as "state employees" is to diminish all of the brave men and women who served their nation in all sorts of ways during WWI.

For those that don’t know, the Japanese attacked and invaded Alaska’s Aleutian Islands at the same time the battle of Midway was about to take place. It was part diversion, part payback for Doolittle’s bombing of Tokyo.





Above: Japanese bombing of Dutch Harbor, 4 June 1942...

Historical Photo - Public Domain: Naval Historical Center

Department of the United States Navy





Above: Japanese transport burning after U.S. air attack on Kiska Harbor, 18 June 1942...

Historical Photo - Public Domain; Naval Historical Center

Department of the United States Navy





This was a tragic bit of history for Alaskans, more of which you can read here and here.

From Wikipedia:

The Alaska Territorial Guard (ATG) or Eskimo Scouts was a military reserve force component of the US Army, organized in 1942 in response to attacks on American soil in Hawaii and Alaska by Japan during World War II. The ATG operated until 1947. 6,368 volunteers who served without pay were enrolled from 107 communities throughout Alaska in addition to a paid staff of 21, according to an official roster.

The ATG brought together for the first time into a joint effort members of these ethnic groups: Aleut, Athabaskan, European American, Inupiaq, Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshian, Yupik, and most likely others. In later years, all members of some native units scored expert sharpshooter rankings. Among the 27 or more women members were at least one whose riflery skills exceeded the men. The ages of members at enrollment ranged from 80 years old to as young as twelve. (both extremes occurring mostly in sparsely populated areas)

Two things stick out in my mind. One, these 6,368 Alaskan Territorial Guards, of which the 26 men being denied by Barack Obama are part of, served their nation during war time, for NO PAY.

Second, the situation was so dire that old men and children all pitched in.

You can read more here.

Another historic perspective can be read here:

The Alaska Territorial Guard: A Debt of Honor Unpaid. As this article points out towards the end:

In 2000, largely due to efforts by former Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens, a bill was signed into law ordering the Secretary of Defense to issue Honorable Discharges to all members of the Alaska Territorial Guard. The bill was intended to repay the debt of honor we as a nation owe these people, these Americans, and provided many of the surviving members (now in their 80’s and many living far below the poverty line) with retirement pay and survivor’s benefits and medial care.

However history views Ted Stevens it must be noted that he was largely responsible for righting a dishonorable and inexcusable injustice. However, the story of the ATG doesn’t end there – most of the elderly surviving members of the ATG live in remote and inaccessible locations. Finding them was long and difficult.

In 2003 Colonel Bob Goodman USA(ret), undertook the effort to find and assist the remaining members of the ATG, at first funded by the state and later out of his own pocket. So far he and his people have located over 150 former members of the ATG, and they estimate there are several hundred more – and they continue their efforts to this very day.

Many of those located in the last five years have since died of old age. For those who remain, the benefits provided aren’t much, some medical care and a couple hundred dollars a month, but for folks who now live far below the poverty line in villages where gasoline costs more than $10 per gallon – those benefits mean the difference between life and death.

Those benefits, that mere pittance in retirement pay, would seem to be the least we can do for those forgotten veterans of that long ago conflict.

It would seem to be the very least we could do.

But it’s not.

It turns out we could actually do less.

It turns out that the Army could suddenly decide, say yesterday in fact, to reinterpret the law to read that these men and women of the Alaska Territorial Guard, these men and woman who came to defend our nation in its time of need, these men and women who fought bravely for a flag not even their own, who built the roads and the airfields and the hospitals and the bridges and who rescued downed airmen and stranded sailors and braved the cold and the isolation and the horror of war – these men and women – are not, in fact, entitled to even that small effort.

That’s right. The Army has decided to cut off retirement pay for the twenty-six surviving members of the ATG. Twenty-six, and applications from thirty-seven more identified by Colonel Bob Goodwin and his people have been suspended. Apparently we can not afford to take care of even this small handful of people, this small handful of veterans, this small handful of Alaskans, this small handful of Americans.

However, in a good hearted move, the Army will not seek to recoup past payments.

Big of them, wouldn’t you say?

It goes without saying that this issue has been boiling for some time. Senator Stevens indeed had worked to get these brave WWII veterans, these brave Native Americans, their due.

In what some might say was odd timing, or Chicago style politics, just two days after Barack Obama had taken the Oath of Office as Commander-In-Chief, ABC News reported:

The Army has decided to cut off retirement pay for veterans of a largely Native militia formed to guard the territory of Alaska from the threat of Japanese attack during World War II.

The change means 26 surviving members of the Alaska Territorial Guard — most in their 80s and long retired — will lose as much as $557 in monthly retirement pay, a state veterans officer said Thursday. The payments end Feb. 1.

Applications for retirement pay from 37 others have been suspended.

The state is pursuing a remedy for "these brave Alaskans, who did so much for the cause of freedom during a time of great national peril," Gov. Sarah Palin said.

The action comes almost a decade after Congress passed a law qualifying time served in the unpaid guard as active federal service. The Army agreed in 2004 to grant official military discharge certificates to members or their survivors.

An Army official said the law was misinterpreted. The law applies to military benefits, including medical benefits, but not retirement pay, said Lt. Col. Richard McNorton, with the Army's human resources command in Alexandria, Va.

"The focus is to follow the law," he said. "We can't choose whether to follow the law."

The Army doesn't intend to seek to recoup past pay, he said.

About 300 members are still living from the original 6,600-member unit called up from 1942 to 1947 to scout patrols, build military airstrips and perform other duties. But only a fraction had enough other military service to reach the 20-year requirement for retirement pay.

Among those who did is 88-year-old Paul Kiunya in the western Alaska village of Kipnuk. Kiunya was 16 when he joined the territorial guard and worked in communications, reporting by radio any unusual noises or the direction of aircraft, including some Japanese planes he spotted.

"We did not get one cent being in the territorial guard," he said. "And we worked hard."

Kiunya — who later put in 22 years in the National Guard and another decade in the Guard reserves — will lose more than $358 a month in his retirement package because of the Army's decision. With gasoline in his village at almost $10 a gallon, that's a huge amount to lose.

For her part, Governor Sarah Palin, in her role as Commander-in-Chief of the Alaska Defense Force, the modern day equivalent to the Territorial Guard, signed SB 89 which funded, these pensions until 2010.

For those that don’t know, the Alaska Defense Force is a federally recognized state militia, that trains as an auxiliary police force, as well as a military defense force, and is part of Homeland Security’s readiness plan, and is under the command of the Governor of Alaska.





This situation is incredibly disturbing. All indications are these brave WWII veterans served Alaska and the nation with honor. To purposely cut these aged men off, in the twilight of their lives, goes against everything America stands for. In fact, as this cuts off not only a substantial part of their paycheck, but other benefits, such as medical, one might even say this is sort of a death panel, especially knowing that winter is coming, and heating fuel is quite expensive in Alaska.

I can’t speculate what makes Barack Obama such a heartless and cruel man. I do know that once again, Obama’s radical, communist upbringing has shown it’s self front and center. Obama must really hate America, and Americans to pull a stunt like this.

Obama should be ashamed of himself, but I fear that is an emotion he is incapable of.

What can you do?

You can call your Senators and Congressmen and tell them that this dog just don’t hunt! Tell them cutting off pay to these brave WWII veterans is inhumane and un-American. Our veterans deserve better.

You can also call Barack Obama at the White House: (202) 456-1414

Tell Obama this cannot stand. Tell Obama this will not stand!

My Birthday Present from Sarah Palin

By Adrienne Ross - www.motivationtruth.com





Today, September 27, 2009, is my birthday. Nevermind how old I am; that's not important!

I imagine every one of us has received great birthday presents over the years: clothing, dinner and a movie, money, etc. Some presents stand out more than others, however. That's what I want to talk about today.

Okay, the title seems misleading, but really it's not because it is the truth that Sarah Palin gave me the greatest birthday present ever--a present that was delivered to me a year ago. It's a present that--unlike other year-old presents--has appreciated rather than depreciated in value. It is a present that has grown rather than diminished.

A year ago when Governor Palin showed up on the scene, she personally gave me things that changed my life. I know I'm not the only person who received these gifts from her because I have heard multitudes of people say she gave them the same gifts.

Prior to September 2008, I had never felt passionate about America, about the military, about the unborn, about special needs. If I had been asked, I would have stated emphatically that each of these were important to me and worthy of admiration and respect. I would have declared the importance of someone standing up for every one of these. It's just that that someone had not been me. Until September of last year, I had never realized that there was a call upon my life to make my voice heard, to make a difference in this way.

I was never a patriotic person. I mean, I knew that this country was a good one, that we were blessed to be Americans, but I simply wasn't what I'd call passionate about America. Something happened when Sarah Palin showed up with such a love for America, its people, and its future. Something happened as I watched the sincerity in her eyes as she stood and reverently pledged allegiance to our flag. Somehow I went from appreciating this country to loving my country.

My uncle fought in the Korean War and my dad was in the Vietnam War, so I understood that men and women sacrificed their own personal freedoms to fight for a cause greater than themselves. I understood that they placed their lives on the line for the sake of America and what she represents. But to be honest, I didn't really love our military...until Sarah Palin. When she spoke about the cause of freedom, the soldiers--like her own son--who made their own independent decisions to fight for the cause of freedom, something clicked within me. All of a sudden, I loved these men and women, I honored their sacrifices, and I wanted to see them given every opportunity to successfully complete their tasks. I never wept on Veteran's Day or Memorial Day...until Sarah Palin. I never participated in a Fourth of July parade...until Sarah Palin, which brings me to another point.

Sarah Palin's present to me took me all the way to Alaska for a month this summer. It is unlikely that I would have ever even heard of Wasilla, AK--nevermind visited Wasilla, AK for a chunk of my summer. But on July 4, 2009, I was marching in a parade in Wasilla with other great Americans, marching with a pride that can only be explained in two words: Sarah Palin. March in a Fourth of July parade? Before Governor Palin, I couldn't even stand to watch a 4th of July parade! But there I was.

To back up a little, I never really prayed for an election like I did last year. Somehow I grasped what was on the line, and I began to cry out to God for this particular election before I even heard Sarah Palin's name. She was that answer to prayer. And once she showed up, I had someone to vote for. Before her, I had never truly voted for a candidate. I voted against a candidate in 2004, but I didn't really vote for anyone until 2008--and that someone was Sarah Palin. I rejoiced to cast my vote for her.

And I wept on the eve of that election day--for the first time ever.

It was shortly thereafter that I got involved with the 2012 Draft Sarah Committee, eventually becoming the New York State Organizer, an Executive Board Member, and the Media Director. Me...involved in some kind of political movement? No way! But I knew on the night that Barack Obama became President-elect Obama, that we had not seen the last of Sarah Palin. In fact, that is exactly what I said through the sadness that night. I just knew at that moment--as surely as I knew my own name--that it wasn't over, and so I wanted to throw myself behind supporting someone who had so changed my life and my focus.

It was during this time that I became involved in Team Sarah. I had never seen such a power house emerge so quickly. People from all over the country--and even some from other countries--were committed to remaining strong in their support of America's governor.

The next month, I knew I had to do more, I had to say more, and I had to fight more. That's how Motivation: Truth was born. Little did I know at that time, that this conservative blog would draw readers from all over the world. Little did I know that it would stand strong alongside other blogs that support conservative principles and conservative leaders like Sarah Palin. How was I to know then, also, that I would end up being a contributor to at least ten other blogs that stand strong for Governor Palin? This is another gift Governor Palin gave me.

In February, I went to CPAC, the largest gathering of conservatives in America. I had never been there before, nor had I ever heard of it before. But there I was in the company of Ann Coulter, Newt Gingrich, John Ziegler, Joe the Plumber, Fred Thompson, Michelle Malkin, Mitt Romney, Michael Steele, and so many others. There I was handing out stickers and buttons with 2012 Draft Sarah on them. There I was meeting with Team Sarah members. And there I was fired up to come back home and continue the fight.

Sarah Palin's voice made me raise my own voice on issues of life. I became involved with the local Alight Pregnancy Support Center, offering support to those who are facing unplanned pregnancies. I decided that the best way to fight abortion was to work ahead of time and teach sexual integrity classes, which a friend and I began doing. Starting next month, I am taking that message to my junior high school through our afterschool program.

I now have a deeper appreciation for our special needs children, something I never really thought a lot about before...until Sarah Palin. Through Trig I have an understanding of how much they teach us, how much growth they cause in us, and how perfect they are in God's eyes. It's a lesson that has influenced my classroom and interaction with my students. It's a change of heart that transpired only when Sarah shared Trig with us. I got the message because Sarah gave me that gift.

Probably the most incredible gift Sarah Palin has given me is the gift of friendship. She probably will never know the amount of people she has brought together. I have friends now that I never would have had. In fact, I was marvelling at the fact that my first three birthday wishes came, not from New York, but from three different parts of the country. My first "Happy Birthday" came from Irma in Georgia, followed by Tracey in Alaska, and then Mary in Houston. By the time I returned from church today, I had about 50 different birthday messages from all over the nation--people from Facebook, Twitter, the 2012 Draft Sarah Committee. These are people I connected with simply because Sarah Palin brought us together. I communicate with hundreds of people because that's the birthday present Sarah Palin gave me. It is absolutely amazing.

My trip to Alaska, for example, allowed me to meet people who left an indelible mark upon my life.

Of course, meeting Sarah's parents and children were an absolute joy. Her mom, in particular, remains a highlight for me. Her sweet spirit truly left me better off than before meeting her. I saw in her eyes a kindness that is so needed in this world. In her voice is a gentleness that makes those in her presence feel comfortable and safe. In her spirit is a sweetness that explains where Sarah got the same spirit.

I also met a few people who follow my blog. That was fun. Rosie is one such person. She was excited to meet me at the Wasilla picnic after the parade and to take a picture with me. I was like, "Me?!" By the time I had left Alaska, Rosie and I had seen each other several times, I had met her husband and children, we had lunch together, and just had a wonderful time.

I met Ivy, a woman who works, from the heart, for Sarah Palin. You want to talk about true-blue. Ivy is true-blue. My prayer for Sarah is always that she will be surrounded by those who have her best interest at heart, those who would give their absolute all to stand beside, defend, and support her. She has that in Ivy, and Ivy made me feel at home on the Fourth of July. She was the one who invited me to walk in the parade with the Valley Republican Women's Club, welcomed me to Wasilla, and introduced me to Sarah's parents and Piper.

I cannot say enough about Tracey. Tracey and I hit it off from the beginning. We connected, and still communicate just about every day. From meeting for lunch several times, to dinner at her home with her family, to hanging out at Pandemonium, to traveling to and from Fairbanks, we spent much time together. This is a friendship, I believe, that will last forever.

Jessica was also a delight to meet. Many know her as Jessica Beehive, Sarah Palin's personal hairdresser. We know what a talented hairstylist she is just by looking at Sarah, but she is also a sweetheart. Meeting her was a treat, one that I will cherish always.

Eddie Burke, beloved Alaskan radio talk show host, has become dear to me. He opened his studio and allowed me to come on and talk about the 2012 Draft Sarah Committee and Sarah's resignation. After I returned to New York, he had me call in to the show to talk about Obama's address to students on September 8th. He has been an encouragement to me and a great defender of Governor Palin. Would I have ever met Eddie prior to Sarah Palin? I doubt it.

Lynette Bergh is my dear friend--more like a sister. She and her husband were such a blessing to me during my stay in Alaska. They opened their home and their hearts, fed me delicious meals, including the long-awaited moose chili, and treated me like family. We, too, will always be friends.

I would be remiss not to mention April Moore. She is responsible for showing me so much of the great state of Alaska: Fairbanks, Wasilla, Palmer, Anchorage, Homer, Seward, McCarthy, Valdez. We were everywhere--and none of this would have been possible without April.

I am forever indebted to Tom and Kim. Had it not been for them, I never would have had the confidence to plan this trip to Alaska. Tom told me months before going that I not only would enjoy Alaska, but that I needed to go to Alaska. He sensed there was a purpose in it all, and it was a confirmation to me. He was right. His prayers, and his wife's, provided me with wisdom that I needed--and the rest is history.

I spent the last part of my trip with Olga. What a blessing she and her daughters were. Olga and I are still close, communicating often. Olga's prayers move mountains, and I have no doubt that I needed to end my trip to Alaska with her. She blessed me in ways I can't fully express. I could say so much more, but I will simply say that I believe Sarah Palin is so very blessed in part because people like Olga are always praying, always interceding.

Meghan Stapleton's name speaks for itself. I would never have met Sarah in New York had it not been for Meg. I am grateful for her, and for her support of Sarah. She is another who is true-blue. When I think of her, I think of a person who possesses a servant's heart--something so lacking in this world and yet so needed.

Todd Palin, too, truly touched my life and blessed me. When I first met him, I thanked him for being such a secure man, exemplifying such "quiet strength" as he selflessly stands by his wife while she does what she's been called to do. He assured me that they work together, each doing their part.

The problem with naming names is it's impossible to name everyone. There are so many gifts from so many cities in this great nation: there's Lynn, Gayle, Jill, Denise, Billy, Ana, Pastor Kalnins, Jo, Phil, C4P, KJNP, Mayor Graham of Watertown, NY, Kristina, Randy, Susan W, Lisa, Ron, Atlas Shrugs, Kenton, Rachelle, Raj, JD, Nande, and on and on. Sarah Palin has brought all of us together. Like I said, she will never know the full impact she has had on all of our lives.

Obviously, the moments I spent communicating with Sarah herself are moments I will never forget. They left me better off. They gave me the added assurance that she is the real deal, as if I didn't know that already. They gave me a deeper desire to stand up for her, for no one else has had to take the abuse that she has taken for us--for me. If she can do that for me, the very least I can do is stand up for her. They gave me a better understanding of how vital she is to America's progress. More than anything, they gave me a stronger commitment to pray for her.

Sarah Palin's gifts to me are too numerous to count and name. I know this is bigger than she is, however. I believe God has used her to get me to a place He wanted me in. He used Sarah to ignite a fire within me so that I would stand up for what's right, be active, and fight with everything within me. He used Sarah to bring multitudes of people together who would never--before Sarah--have had an occasion to talk, to meet, to stand together for the cause.

When Sarah Palin walked into America's heart, a fire was shut up inside my bones--a greater love for God, for America, for our military, for our children, for freedom, and for life itself. I had never experienced such great passion, and I told a few people, "Well, if it disappears in about two weeks, I'll know I was just caught up in the moment. However, if it remains, I'll know there's something to this thing." I think it's safe to say there's something to this thing! I do not have it all fully figured out yet, I do not yet know all that God wants me to do with what He has birthed within me through the gift of Sarah Palin, but I do know He's got a plan--and I will work with all my might to support the one he's used to light that fire.

Thank you, Sarah Palin, for giving me so much and making my birthday so special.

Giving Back: A Post by Conservative Girl with a Voice

Our veterans deserve the best America has to offer for all the sacrifices they have made in serving our great country. When I heard Sarah was going to be a part of a benefit auction on eBay to aid wounded veterans, I was so excited because I knew this charity would greatly benefit from Sarah's star power. I am so happy that a great woman, Cathy Maples, from Huntsville, Alabama, won the chance to have dinner with Sarah and Todd with a winning bid of $63,500.





As a great supporter of our men and women in uniform, as well as an ardent supporter of Sarah, there is no doubt in my mind that Cathy is going to get to experience the chance of a lifetime in meeting Sarah. As I was watching the news (Fox News Channel) this morning and drinking a cup of coffee, I was thinking about what an awesome experience Cathy would have in meeting Sarah when I saw a story that truly touched my heart. It is stories like the one I am about to describe that makes me truly thankful to be living in a country where so many great individuals and organizations do so much for our great men and women in uniform. It is this story, fellow readers, that inspired today's random thought post.





The inspiring Fox New's story focused on the outstanding work of The Lakeshore Foundation, a non profit organization that serves people with disabilities. The foundation's motto is: "healthy, active, independent." According to the foundation's website, Lakeshore serves more than 3000 people with physical disabilities each year. The individuals they help range in age- from six months to those in their 90's. According to the Foundation's website:

"Lakeshore meets their critical needs for access to exercise and recreation opportunities--needs that can't be met elsewhere. We are setting a standard in this country and changing the perception of people with disabilities."

Not only does the foundation allow disabled individuals the chance to experience many of the things we may take for granted, it also allows them to experience the fun with their families.





This weekend, the foundation has invited 30 injured veterans and their families to take part in activities they normally otherwise would not be able to partake in part of what the foundation calls "Operation Rise and Conquer." Think of your own life- think of all the outdoor activities you do without so much as a thought. Now, think about how hard participating in these same activities would be for an injured veteran. This puts life into perspective, doesn't it?





This weekend, brave men and women from across the country, who have given and sacrificed so much, are finally going to be able to experience the joys many of us get to experience on a daily basis. For injured veteran Orlando Pettis, this means the world:

"It (waterskiing) was amazing! Just to know that I'm able to do stuff that other people take for granted that I can do. It's just amazing."





Fox New's Channel's Marianne Silba asked Orlando what being able to participate this weekend means to him as an injured veteran to which he replied:

"Coming here is amazing because it not only brings together the injured military from all across the country, it also brings the family members. It shows us that it's not only competition, it's not only just going and leaving with a disability. We can do this other stuff and have fun with our families and our service members, just get together and be together."

For men and women like Orlando, they will get to participate in amazing activities such as waterskiing, target shooting and archery. This organization adapts these experiences to fit the needs of the veterans. For example, when waterskiing, veterans can sit or stand- how amazing!




For many of the 30 veterans and their families, this may be the first time they have been able to experience sports activities together since being injured; therefore, this weekend will allow them to re-connect with their loved ones, which is crucially important.





There are over 34,000 injured veterans living in America today, and The Lakeshore Foundation will continue to be a service to these brave men and women as they have been to so many since beginning "Operation Rise and Conquer" four years ago. It is so important that we have organizations like The Lakeshore Foundation. Many of us forget the important fact that just because a service member comes home, does not mean that the rough times are over. Our disabled men and women in uniform are so important and need to feel as if they are no different than anyone else just because they are disabled. The Lakeshore Foundation is setting the bar for this and making sure our disabled vets are not forgotten, but instead built up and made to feel that there are no limits, only limitless possibilities.



To learn more about The Lakeshore Foundation or to contribute, visit the foundation's website: http://www.lakeshore.org.




(I'm a Conservative Girl with a Voice!!! Visit my blog and become a follower: http://www.conservativegirlwithavoice.com. I'm on Twitter too @rachellefriberg.)