Charged Up and Going Rogue: A Post by Conservative Girl with a Voice

(PROGRAMMING NOTE: I WILL BE GUEST ON PRO-SARAH RADIO TODAY FROM 1-2 P.M. PST. TO DISCUSS SARAH'S BOOK. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ONLINE.MAKE SURE TO CATCH SARAH PALIN AS A GUEST ON #1 ALASKA TALK RADIO HOST EDDIE BURKE'S SHOW TODAY SOMETIME BETWEEN 3-6 P.M. PST!!! OUTSIDE ALASKA? CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ONLINE. SARAH ALSO APPEARS AS A GUEST ON OPRAH TODAY; CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS FOR SHOW TIMES. JUST MAKE SURE TO SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE RIDE!!!)

It's happening again. Once again the media, liberal left and former McCain campaign advisers are out and about spreading false information and lies about Sarah Palin. It was no secret this would happen. Even before Sarah announced her plans to write a book, these groups were traveling down the vengeful path of attempting to destroy Sarah and her family's good name. Levi Johnston has even gotten into the mix. Now, while I have made it a rule not to discuss Levi on my blog, I will only use him as an example to illustrate the fact that the liberal msm are using him to further their assault on the Palins. What does this say about the media? What does this say about the state the media find themselves in today? In the words of Sean Hannity, "Journalism is dead." This is hard for me to fathom. As someone who studied journalism, I learned about what journalism should be, not about what it has become. How ironic that the msm go after and wrongly attack a woman who was once a journalist herself? Shame on the msm for attacking a woman for exercising her right to freedom of speech. There is a valid answer for this in that they believe in the need and power of free speech just as long as they agree with what is being said. When Sarah speaks out against the Obama Administration, the in-the-tank-for-Obama media see this as a threat to its Pro-Obama message. Since they see Sarah as a threat, they will do everything in their power to discredit her even if this means reporting erroneous stories and showing photoshopped pictures, which happens to be their latest stunt.


Just the other day, I happened to be watching the news and sipping on my morning cup of coffee, when I began to channel surf. I immediately stopped surfing when I saw an image of Sarah appear on the television screen. Dylan Ratigan of MSNBC was doing a report on Sarah and while the report was not the worst I had seen come from this liberal network, it was the photos this network chose to show of Sarah that were clearly unfair given two of them were not of Sarah herself, but instead photoshopped images. You all probably know of the photos I'm referring to. One of the photoshopped pictures had Sarah's head placed on an image of a flag-bikini-clad woman. The other photo had Sarah's head placed on an image of a woman in a black mini-skirt. Not only was this wrong of Ratigan and MSNBC, but it is extremely sexist and once again clearly illustrates the double standard of treatment conservative women receive when compared to their liberal counterparts. MSNBC had to have known these photos were photoshopped. These two photos were proven fake months ago. Once again, MSNBC is illustrating just how out of touch and bias it really is. I urge you to hold Ratigan and MSNBC accountable. Voice your outrage here on Ratigan's Twitter page. We need to continue to hold the media accountable, and let them know that we are on to their game and will not stand for false, biased reporting.


Over the course of the next few weeks, be prepared for an onslaught of attacks aimed at Sarah as she travels across America meeting average-day "Mainstreet U.S.A." folks like you and me. The media, liberal left and so-called McCain advisers have already ramped up their attacks of Sarah in an attempt to cover their hides, which is why you see these individuals doing everything in their power to place the blame on her. The Steve Schmidts and Nicolle Wallaces of this world are obviously going to try to blame Sarah when we all know that they are really the individuals whom should be blamed. While we Sarah supporters know this to be the case, others are beginning to see the light as well. I'm sure it is no surprise to you to learn people's belief in the overall credibility of the media is at an all-time low. It is not hard to see why when you have examples like the MSNBC report above.


MSNBC is not the only media outlet to pull outlandish shenanigans. We have seen biased reporting from every medium whether it be print or broadcast. Most recently, the Associated Press (AP) did one of the most unethical things in the history of journalism, although you wouldn't even know they had done anything of the sort because the liberal msm refuses to report it. The AP wrongfully got a hold of an advance copy of Sarah's book, but the story doesn't end there. They, then, put 11 so-called "fact checkers" to work to make sure the book was fully accurate, and now, they have resulted to reporting false information. Give me a break. This further illustrates how much of a joke the msm have become. Sarah isn't letting them off the hook. Here's the Facebook note she posted yesterday morning regarding the incident:

Really? Still Making Things Up?
By Sarah Palin Sunday at 6:47 a.m.

"The book tour starts this week, and I look forward to it! I'm most looking forward to meeting many of you, shaking your hands, and telling you,"Thanks for loving America." I'll give you a scoop here and tell you what's on the book's Dedication Page - it's dedicated to you - Patriots - who love the U.S.A. as much as I do.

Amazingly, but not surprisingly, the AP somehow nabbed a copy of the book before it was released. They're now erroneously reporting on the book's contents and are repeating many of the same things they spewed during the campaign and afterwards. We've heard 11 writers are engaged in this opposition research, er, "fact checking" research! Imagine that - 11 AP reporters dedicating time and resources to tearing up the book, instead of using the time and resources to "fact check" what's going on with Sheik Mohammed's trial, Pelosi's health care takeover costs, Hasan's associations, etc. Amazing.

We'll keep setting the record straight, and we'll keep reminding some in the media that Americans are very tired of their non-objective reporting. A great, recent post that accomplishes this is a Conservatives4Palin post. It's got some nice fact checking included. As always, they did a great job holding some of the media accountable for spreading more misinformation and for making things up. You can read it here. Enjoy!

And I can't wait to see you! God bless the fight for freedom! Keep up the great work, Patriots who love this country."

- Sarah Palin


Sarah is right!!! We ALL need to continue to hold the media accountable. It is important, now more than ever, that we be on the lookout for inaccurate, biased reporting. Remember, we are a strong and proud army of Palin supporters. Together, we can accomplish just about anything. As Sarah travels the country, many of you will have the opportunity to meet her and shake her hand. Make sure to tell her "thank you" for everything she has done for our country and for everything she will continue to do. She has inspired so many, and the very mention of her name sparks fear in the minds of the left. Whenever they make fun of her, call her unintelligent or misinformed, know this is code-speak for the fear they have of her. More and more individuals are coming around and realizing the power she holds. Rush Limbaugh believes in her, and just yesterday in an interview with FNC's Chris Wallace, Liz Cheney voiced her belief in Sarah. Yep, Sarah is continuing to be the powerful force we all knew she would be. Was there ever any doubt? NO. Like you, I will waiting impatiently like a child on Christmas Eve for my gift to arrive in the mail. And I can't wait to discuss Sarah's book with others who are reading it too. I encourage you all to follow Sarah on her Twitter account as she shares what life is like on the book-tour trail. Kinda brings back familiar memories of life on the campaign trail except for one important detail: This time, Sarah's in charge, and this time, she's GOING ROGUE!!! WOOO HOOO!!! Make sure to visit Sarah when she makes a stop in your neck of the woods.


(Click here to visit Conservative Girl with a Voice and become a follower!!! Follow me on Twitter!!!)

Sarah Palin To Corrupt Media: Really? Still Making Things Up?

If there is anything we have all learned over the last few years it’s the media in this nation is corrupt. They are liars and cannot be trusted. It’s one of the reasons that newspapers and magazines are going broke. It’s also why all of the other cables news stations are losing viewers en masse, to Fox News. CNN, the pioneer of cable news, and one of the most partisan networks, now has no shows that even track in the top 30 on cable. Fox, of course, owns the entire top 10 all day every day.

And don’t get me started with MSNBC! They are so in the tank for Obama, that getting real news from that outlet is impossible. MSNBC is owned by General Electric, and GE’s Chairman, Jeffrey Immelt sits on several boards of advisors to Barack Obama. GE has been a recipient of billions of taxpayer dollars to their financial divisions through TARP, and stands to make hundreds of billions through Obama’s mischief like the government take over of your health care and the cap and tax scheme surrounding the fictional "global warming" nonsense.

So trying to get anything but pure propaganda out of MSNBC is an exercise in total futility.

With that in mind, the highly suspect Associated Press, which has a level of bias only matched by MSNBC, has put no less than eleven "fact checkers" to work at "fact checking" Sarah Palin’s book that they somehow got a hold of.




Nothing wrong with giving an honest review of anyone’s book, or for that matter, "fact checking." But eleven people, really?

We have the most corrupt President in the history of this nation. There are all sorts of questions surrounding this guy. All sorts of shady dealings.

Then there is the "health care" bill. This thing could employ and entire platoon’s worth of fact checkers to separate the lies Obama, Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the democrat/communist controlled Congress are spouting vs the truth.

And what about the al Qaeda connected Ft Hood terrorist Hasan, who we now know was part of Barack Obama’s Homeland Security Transition Team! You think there might be a few questions that one should ask about all of this? Something like, oh...I don’t know, maybe like: "Mr Obama, why are you asking Congress to hold off investigating all of this? Or What are you hiding?

Nope, we gotta figure out if we can smear Sarah Palin by lying about what is in her book that isn’t even available to the general public yet! By the way, her new book is setting sales records, and buried in a Politico hit piece is the fact that HarperCollins, the publisher, has already had to order a second printing of Sarah Palin’s book, Going Rogue, An American Life.

The original printing was 1.5 million books. As we predicted early on, that wasn’t going to be nearly enough. Reportedly, pre-orders of the book at Amazon alone top 80.000. I’m sure the other sellers have similar numbers.

Anyhow, here’s my problem with the Associated Press. Not only are they neglecting real stories, that need real answers, not only are they dedicating a huge staff to one book, they are making stuff up and calling them facts!

This isn’t new for the AP. Unfortunately, the AP is the news service many, if not most newspapers use world wide. So do the cable news networks. So when AP lies, those lies go viral. And as we know, once something is on the internet, and in the search engines, lie or truth, it’s there forever.

With that said, Sarah released a little something of her own:

Really? Still Making Things Up?

Today at 4:43am

The book tour starts this week, and I look forward to it! I'm most looking forward to meeting many of you, shaking your hands, and telling you,"Thanks for loving America." I'll give you a scoop here and tell you what's on the book's Dedication Page – it's dedicated to you – Patriots – who love the U.S.A. as much as I do.

Amazingly, but not surprisingly, the AP somehow nabbed a copy of the book before it was released. They're now erroneously reporting on the book's contents and are repeating many of the same things they spewed during the campaign and afterwards. We've heard 11 writers are engaged in this opposition research, er, "fact checking" research! Imagine that – 11 AP reporters dedicating time and resources to tearing up the book, instead of using the time and resources to "fact check" what's going on with Sheik Mohammed's trial, Pelosi's health care takeover costs, Hasan's associations, etc. Amazing.

We'll keep setting the record straight, and we'll keep reminding some in the media that Americans are very tired of their non-objective reporting. A great, recent post that accomplishes this is a Conservatives4Palin post. It's got some nice fact checking included. As always, they did a great job holding some of the media accountable for spreading more misinformation and for making things up. You can read it here. Enjoy!

And I can't wait to see you! God bless the fight for freedom! Keep up the great work, Patriots who love this country.

- Sarah Palin

Sarah references a great piece by our friends over at Conservatives 4 Palin. You should read the entire thing because it goes into a lot of details, But here are just a few tasty bits:

On the Exxon Valdez Decision

AP "FACT": "That response is at odds with her reaction at the time to the ruling, which resolved the long-running case by reducing punitive damages for victims to $500 million from $2.5 billion. Environmentalists and plaintiffs’ lawyers decried the ruling as a slap at the victims and Palin herself said she was ‘extremely disappointed.’ She said the justices had gutted a jury decision favoring higher damage awards, the Anchorage Daily News reported. ‘It’s tragic that so many Alaska fishermen and their families have had their lives put on hold waiting for this decision,’ she said, noting many had died ‘while waiting for justice.’"

THE TRUTH: Governor Palin writes in her book: "As governor I directed our attorney general to file an amicus brief on behalf of plaintiffs in the case, and, thanks to Alaska’s able attorneys arguing in front of the highest court in our land, in 2008 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the people. Finally, Alaskans could recover some of their losses."

That is correct. Alaskans were able to recover some of their losses. However, it was also a tragedy of delayed justice. Alaskans had waited for nearly 20 years, and the Court reduced the amount of punitive damages for the victims.

Governor Palin voiced her support for the $2.5 billion in punitive damages in a press conference with the victims of the Exxon Valdez spill the day before oral arguments were heard. Naturally, she was disappointed that the Court reduced the amount to $500 million – which was especially painful coming as it did after many years of litigation in which some of the victims passed away without ever receiving justice. Even after the Court gutted the punitive damages award, Exxon argued that they shouldn’t have to pay interest on it.

However, it is a matter of record that the Supreme Court did, in fact, rule "in favor of the people." The "disappointment" was in the reduction of the award and in the delay in justice.

Governor Palin’s immediate reaction to the decision expressed this frustration and disappointment. She said: "I am extremely disappointed with today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. While the decision brings some degree of closure to Alaskans suffering from 19 years of litigation and delay, the Court gutted the jury’s decision on punitive damages. It is tragic that so many Alaska fishermen and their families have had their lives put on hold waiting for this decision. My heart goes out to those affected, especially the families of the thousands of Alaskans who passed away while waiting for justice."

On Alaska’s Earmarks

AP "FACT": "Alaska is also one of the states most dependent on federal subsidies, receiving much more assistance from Washington than it pays in federal taxes. A study for the nonpartisan Tax Foundation found that in 2005, the state received $1.84 for every dollar it sent to Washington."

THE TRUTH: There is no question that as a very young state Alaska requires more help with infrastructure funding to catch up with the rest of the Lower 48. However, Governor Palin was not governor in 2005. As governor, she reduced Alaska’s earmark requests by nearly 85%.



On Governor Palin’s Frugality in Her Personal Expenses While in Office

AP "FACTS": "Although travel records indicate [Governor Palin] usually opted for less-pricey hotels while governor, Palin and daughter Bristol stayed five days and four nights at the $707.29-per-night Essex House luxury hotel (robes and slippers come standard) overlooking New York City’s Central Park for a five-hour women’s leadership conference in October 2007. With air fare, the cost to Alaska was well over $3,000. Event organizers said Palin asked if she could bring her daughter. The governor billed her state more than $20,000 for her children’s travel, including to events where they had not been invited, and in some cases later amended expense reports to specify that they had been on official business."

THE TRUTH: The AP proves Governor Palin’s point by noting that she "usually opted for less-pricey hotels."

The First Family’s travel was processed by the Administrative Services Department, whose director served under the previous governor. Governor Palin followed the same protocol that past governors had followed. The one obvious difference, however, is that Governor Palin and her family spent less than her two predecessors. In fact, she spent over $913,000 less on personal expenses in her first two years than former Governor Frank Murkowski did his last two years.

"Amending" the reports was not done to hide anything. It was standard practice for Governor Palin’s security personnel to submit the initial trip requests with the basic details of the trip to the Administrative Services Department. Later, the rest of the trip details would be added by the Governor’s personal staff.

And, by the way, perhaps someone could tell us how to find a cheap and safe hotel in New York City. And does anyone think she took a 9 hour flight to the east coast and didn't do any other business. Riiight. Maybe we can ask Andree McLeod for the Governor's calendar for that day, seeing as how Andree wasted hundreds of hours of work time of state personnel for her FOIA requests of the Governor's emails, calendars, and, ah... we don't know... Piper's finger paintings.

The simple fact is that Governor Palin and her family spent significantly less than the prior two administrations despite having a much larger family. That is a fact. Clearly frugality was important to her.



On Governor Palin’s Interview with Vogue

AP "FACT": "Says she tried to talk about national security and energy independence in her interview with Vogue magazine but the interviewer wanted her to pivot from hydropower to high fashion.

THE FACTS are somewhat in dispute. Vogue contributing editor Rebecca Johnson said Palin did not go on about hydropower. ‘She just kept talking about drilling for oil.’"

THE TRUTH: Governor Palin wanted to talk about resource development. The Vogue contributing editor confirms this. Hydropower is one of many alternative sources of energy used in Alaska. "…hydropower to high fashion" is used as a turn of phrase. Are they really this obtuse?



On Governor Palin’s "Ambitions"

AP "FACT": "Few politicians own up to wanting high office for the power and prestige of it, and in this respect, Palin fits the conventional mold. But ‘Going Rogue’ has all the characteristics of a pre-campaign manifesto, the requisite autobiography of the future candidate."

THE TRUTH: We didn’t realize writing a book was a declaration of anything other than the desire to tell one’s story.



Oh yeah, and one more thing...

We got a tip from our very own reliable anonymous source. Apparently the McCain campaign racked up legal costs in Alaska and said repeatedly it would pay for them. When the bill was discussed and submitted, according to the campaign's wishes, it was turned down after the election and officials said the campaign would have paid if the campaign had won. Among the dollars - nearly $50,000 for vetting. Charming. Again, we ask you folks to consider this: When has the McCain staffers ever behaved honorably or honestly to this woman? Never.

Mark Steyn, with his sharp wit, weighed in on this stupidity by the AP as only he can:

Rogue's Eleven

If you wonder why American newspapering is dying, consider this sign-off:

AP writers Matt Apuzzo, Sharon Theimer, Tom Raum, Rita Beamish, Beth Fouhy, H. Josef Hebert, Justin D. Pritchard, Garance Burke, Dan Joling and Lewis Shaine contributed to this report.

Wow. That's ten "AP writers" plus Calvin Woodward, the AP writer whose twinkling pen honed the above contributions into the turgid sludge of the actual report. That's 11 writers for a 695-word report. What on? Obamacare? The Iranian nuke program? The upcoming trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed?

No, the Associated Press assigned 11 writers to "fact-check" Sarah Palin's new book, and in return the 11 fact-checkers triumphantly unearthed six errors. That's 1.8333333 writers for each error. What earth-shattering misstatements did they uncover for this impressive investment? Stand well back:

PALIN: Says she made frugality a point when traveling on state business as Alaska governor, asking "only" for reasonably priced rooms and not "often" going for the "high-end, robe-and-slippers" hotels.

THE FACTS: Although she usually opted for less-pricey hotels while governor, Palin and daughter Bristol stayed five days and four nights at the $707.29-per-night Essex House luxury hotel (robes and slippers come standard)...

That looks like AP paid 1.8333333 fact-checkers to agree with Mrs Palin: She says she didn't "often" go for "high-end" hotels; they say she "usually opted for less-pricey hotels". That's gonna make one must-see edition of "Point/Counterpoint".

Or is AP arguing "four nights" counts as "often"? Is that the point? AP assigned 11 reporters to demonstrate that four is a large number?

Over at Powerline, John Hinderaker and his vast team of researchers (17 Minneapolis-area Somali jihadists, 29 Acorn-accredited child-sex slaves, and 43 unemployed Columbia School of Journalism graduates) fact-check AP's fact-checkers.

Coming next:

PALIN: How many AP fact-checkers does it take to change a lightbulb?

FACT: Palin has gone seriously "rogue" in her facts here. AP fact-checkers are prevented per union regulations from changing lightbulbs.

AP writers Matt Apuzzo, Sharon Theimer, Tom Raum, Rita Beamish, Beth Fouhy, H. Josef Hebert, Justin D. Pritchard, Garance Burke, Dan Joling and Lewis Shaine contributed to this joke. We'll be here all week.

You know, the AP and the rest of the dishonest media, in the long run, are doing more to help Sarah Palin than they will ever understand. Recent polls show that Americans trust the media about the same as they trust lawyers and used car salesmen. People know they are being lied to. And now that more folks have access to the internet, and can do the own fact checking, the jig is up!

The more the media spreads lies about Sarah Palin, the more people world wide start looking into her actual record, her actual accomplishments, and her actual views. As this happens, her base of supports grow exponentially, just as the consumer’s trust of the old media collapses.

The left wing forgets that people can actually think for themselves and are not mind numbed robots.

By the way, our cover photo is an "improvement" of a cover that Newsweek Magazine is running this week, along with an accompanying hit piece, using a photo that was part of an issue of Runners World Magazine that contained an excellent interview with Sarah, more on Newsweak to come!

H/T Serr8D for the artwork.

Sarah Palin: Really? Still Making Things Up?

By Shane Vander Hart, Caffeinated Thoughts 

Governor Sarah Palin was up extremely early this morning posting on Facebook:

The book tour starts this week, and I look forward to it! I'm most looking forward to meeting many of you, shaking your hands, and telling you,"Thanks for loving America." I'll give you a scoop here and tell you what's on the book's Dedication Page – it's dedicated to you – Patriots – who love the U.S.A. as much as I do.

Amazingly, but not surprisingly, the AP somehow nabbed a copy of the book before it was released. They're now erroneously reporting on the book's contents and are repeating many of the same things they spewed during the campaign and afterwards. We've heard 11 writers are engaged in this opposition research, er, "fact checking" research! Imagine that – 11 AP reporters dedicating time and resources to tearing up the book, instead of using the time and resources to "fact check" what's going on with Sheik Mohammed's trial, Pelosi's health care takeover costs, Hassan's associations, etc. Amazing.

We'll keep setting the record straight, and we'll keep reminding some in the media that Americans are very tired of their non-objective reporting. A great, recent post that accomplishes this is a Conservatives4Palin post. It's got some nice fact checking included. As always, they did a great job holding some of the media accountable for spreading more misinformation and for making things up. You can read it here. Enjoy!

And I can't wait to see you! God bless the fight for freedom! Keep up the great work, Patriots who love this country.

- Sarah Palin

Kudos to Conservatives4Palin.com for the shout out by the Cuda!

Shane Vander Hart is the editor of Caffeinated Thoughts.  Feel free to follow him on Twitter or friend him on Facebook.

My Interview with the National Post: The Second Coming of Sarah Palin

By Adrienne Ross - www.motivationtruth.com

Earlier this week the National Post of Canada contacted me, stated they were doing an article to be published the weekend before Governor Palin's Going Rogue hit bookstores, and asked for an interview. They apparently see this book as her "second coming," the first being her emergence on the national scene during the 2008 election campaign.

Sheldon Alberts asked questions about a variety of topics, including the governor's upcoming book, my initial reaction to her VP nomination, my being in Alaska when she announced her resignation and then transferred power to Sean Parnell, her role in the GOP, and, of course, what I envision for her future.

When asked about 2012, I stated how unconventional, yet politically astute, Governor Palin is:

"If she decides to run in 2012, I think we are going to see something that is going to shock many people," said Adrienne Ross, an English teacher from Hudson, N.Y., and a blogger with Conservatives4Palin.com.

We also spent some time discussing Governor Palin's impact on the special election in the NY 23rd Congressional District with her endorsement of Doug Hoffman over Dede Scozzafava.

Alberts writes:

Her endorsement this month of a rebel Conservative Party candidate over a moderate Republican in an upstate New York congressional race almost single-handedly raised the election to national prominence.

[...]

What is encouraging for Palin supporters, and disturbing to her critics, is that she wielded such influence from a distance. Who needs appearances on Washington's Sunday political talk shows when penning a few short sentences on Facebook will get you on the front page?

While he points out the power the governor possesses to influence important races within the nation (which amounted to arousing an influx of support for a 3rd Party candidate and causing the RINO turncoat candidate to quit) he also exposes the fear Governor Palin conjures up within people on both the Left and the Right. We're seeing a lot of that the last few days as people are scrambling like roaches to kill the book before it kills them.

Fear, yes--and jealousy.

All the attention paid to Ms. Palin is starting to grate on other potential 2012 Republican candidates.

"I'm glad she's getting the props -- I know I'm not nearly as attractive," Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, groused recently.

This, of course, was Huckabee whining this week that she gets more attention because she's more attractive.

At least Huck is honest--and pitiful--enough to state he so desperately wants the governor out of his way.

The article also highlights the absolute stupidity of those on the Left who pretend that her sticking around is good for their cause.

David Plouffe, Barack Obama's former campaign manager, recently described Ms. Palin as the "pied piper" of the GOP, leading a shrinking rump of right-wing Republicans.

"I think she'll be most helpful to the Democratic Party with a high profile. I hope her book tour lasts two years," he told the San Francisco Chronicle.

To which Palin supporters say, be careful what you wish for.

"If they didn't view her as a threat, they wouldn't spend so much time on her," Ms. Ross said.

That's no rocket science assessment I made--just common sense.

We really don't know what Governor Palin may be planning for the future, but one thing is for sure, and the National Post knows it: with the publication of Going Rogue and the launch of her book tour, she's got the world's attention--and that's a good thing.

Like other avid supporters who made Ms. Palin's memoir a bestseller before publication, Ms. Ross said she "can't wait" until the book arrives and she'll make the four-hour drive to the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Rochester, N.Y., for a planned Palin appearance on Nov. 21.

"People are excited that we finally get the opportunity to hear her tell her story, without the [media] filter," she said. "There is nothing like getting it from the source."

Read the entire article here.

* NOTE: Actually, Governor Palin is signing books at Borders Books and Music in Rochester, not Barnes and Noble as the article states.

A Wasilla Christmas: A Post by Conservative Girl with a Voice

Christmastime is my favorite time of year, and while it is a little more than a month away, I am already excited. I love traveling to the nearest Christmas tree farm and picking out the perfect tree, which last year topped 14ft and barely missed the ceiling. Yes, San Diego DOES have a live Christmas Tree farm where we go, pick and cut our tree. My family would tell you that I am a Christmas fanatic. They would also tell you that I am like those women on those Christmas movies who always seek to have the perfect Christmas. I love doing all the fun stuff that comes with Christmas. Things like shopping, baking, decorating the house and picking out and trimming the perfect tree, but it is important to remember Christmas is not about all this stuff; it's about Jesus. My family and I celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, which is what Christmas is truly all about. He IS the reason for the season. While having the perfect Christmas is special, it is even more important to celebrate the birth of Christ who has saved me. While I am able to celebrate the real meaning of the season surrounded by family and friends, there are many among us who are not as fortunate. My good friend, Tracey Porreca has written a fantastic blog post about what the city of Wasilla, Alaska, does every year to help Alaskans in need.


I encourage you all to visit her fabulous blog and follow her on Twitter . As an Alaskan, Tracey personally knows Alaska and the people who live there. She is also a great supporter of Sarah and her family. I have included her piece below about a great cause I hope you will support. I encourage you to join me in supporting Wasilla and the honorable volunteers who spend their Christmas Day helping out. Together, we can help those who less fortunate celebrate Christmas with memories that will last them a lifetime. Please read this and pass it along:


"Sarah Palin's Hometown: A Christmas Dinner Request"

I love living in Wasilla, Alaska. It reminds me of the small farming community where I grew up in Ohio. I recently was approached by Sarah Palin's mother, Sally Heath, and her friend Carol Ryan, and asked to become involved with a group they have been involved with in recent years, the Christmas Friendship Dinner. Sarah Palin and her family have given their time in past years as volunteers and I know Sarah's mom will be there with myself and many others on Christmas Day to provide a meal and fellowship to people of the Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Valley who have nowhere else to go, or just want to be with others on Christmas Day. Last year because of her run for Vice President and Secret Service concerns, Sarah was not able to serve, but did come to show her support. Please check out this article from The Frontiersman, our local paper, and the 2007 Christmas Dinner after Sarah was elected Governor of Alaska for information about her serving:

SEASON'S EATINGS
By Greg Johnson
Frontiersman
Published on Thursday, December 27, 2007 9:57 PM AKST

WASILLA - Gov. Sarah Palin really does serve the people, and has the apron and spoon to prove it.

The governor made a surprise visit at Tuesday's annual Christmas Day Dinner at Wasilla High School, and it wasn't long before she was behind the steam tables serving up helpings of mashed potatoes and dressing.

"Isn't this cool?" the governor said about the community feed, which drew more than 1,000 people to WHS this year. "What's neat about this is those folks who've been here doing this for 16 years."

Daniel Brown, Palin's serving buddy on the line, was nearly giddy over the unexpected gift he received from the governor.

"She said I was her new best friend," Brown said.

Palin and Brown were part of the estimated 200 volunteers who helped make the 2007 Christmas Day Dinner another success, said Bob Bowers, who has been and organizer of the event since its inception. About 1,200 attended last year's event and more than 1,000 were fed Tuesday. An actual count wasn't immediately available.

For Bowers, the community gathering in a central location to eat, sing, visit Santa Claus and be neighborly embodies the spirit of the holiday.

"This is just fantastic, just like it is every year," he said. "We've got doctors, lawyers, businessmen, community folk all together. Even Sarah [Palin] showed up this year. Wow."

Enjoying the food and playing with other kids was Clarissa Coon, 7, who was excited to talk about her Christmas experience.

"We opened up our presents," she said. "My daddy's friend [came over] and I showed them what I got, and that I made a leaf thing for my daddy."

Hannah Clark, 11, spent much of the time with her family and taking turns singing Christmas carols. She also complimented whoever donated the brownies on the dessert line.

"I love their brownies," she said. "They are the best. I think this is all really, really great. I like to sing and they let kids sing.

"Santa Claus himself was one of those enjoying listening to Coon and others sharing the microphone singing holiday tunes. Fresh off making his around-the-world trip, Santa was still lively and spry, visiting with children, who each left with a free photograph with the Jolly Old Elf.

Many of the kids asked Santa if he were tired after being up all night delivering toys, he said.

"I love it," said Santa, aka Leroy Hawn, about the Christmas Day Dinner. "I look forward to it every year."

All the food, decorations and help is donated, Bowers said, adding that there was no reason for anyone to leave the feast hungry and many took home leftovers. Overall, volunteers donated and cooked up:

. 43 turkeys,

. 23 hams,

. 400 pounds of potatoes,

. 120 large cans of yams,

. 300 pounds of bread, which was.
dried and made into dressing,

. 140 large cans of cranberries,

. about 150 gallons of gravy,

. more than 1,000 rolls,

. and hundreds of donated pies and
desserts.

The dinner has grown since its first year, when it drew 64 people to the Wasilla Senior Center, Bowers said. For several years, he also made all the rolls himself, but the dinner has grown so much he can't make them all from scratch anymore.

In addition to the hundreds who file into the Wasilla High School gymnasium, volunteer drivers also take meals to the home bound, Bowers said.

Area seniors really appreciate having a place to go on Christmas or seeing a smiling face bringing dinner to them, said Jeanne Gardner, a resident at the Wasilla Senior Center.

"This is the first time I've been here and it was great," she said. "I got to see people I haven't seen in months. I see a lot of seniors out today, and it's good for them."

Roger Hughes said the food was "wonderful," and enjoyed the social atmosphere."

I see people I haven't seen for years," he said, adding the effort reflects positively on Wasilla and the Mat-Su Valley. "It says we're together and this is a loving, caring, giving community. It's uplifting."

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2268


Tracey writes:

"The story behind this dinner tradition is really touching. Some 18 years ago, a group of friends in a Wasilla Lions Club had received some donated turkeys and decided to put together a dinner for the community. Their modest start of serving about 25 people has developed into an annual event that is estimated to serve over 1800 this year, including delivery of meals to home bound folks over a broad area of the core of the Mat-Su Valley.

The meal is open to all regardless of age, beliefs or type of need (some people have physical or financial needs and other have spiritual or emotional needs) to gather in a welcoming atmosphere to celebrate the birth of Jesus. This is NOT a holiday dinner - it is a CHRISTmas dinner.

There is absolutely no charge for the dinner. We serve on Christmas Day from 11:00-3:00. In early years the event was held at the Wasilla Senior Center, and then at Wasilla High School. Because of the resounding success of the event, the 2009 dinner has been moved to the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center.

As you might imagine, staging an event of this magnitude takes a lot of people, and a lot of resources (or money). I write to you because we need your help. Everything has a cost associated with it from the building we are in, to the food, to the plates and cups, down to security and housekeeping services. Over the years many different people have helped in many different ways and we have been blessed to have had financial, time and/or in-kind contributions from individuals, corporations, governmental entities, churches, non-profits and small businesses. Currently we are working hard to meet the increased costs of this year's dinner. The need is great, especially this year, and gifts of money for the purchase of food and other supplies is greatly appreciated. Donations can be sent to the following address:

Christmas Friendship Dinner
PO Box 870845
Wasilla, AK 99687

PLEASE NOTE: If you need a tax donation receipt, please contact me directly via my email at va2ak2005@yahoo.com and I will give you instructions on how and where to send those donations. Only email me if you need a receipt. Otherwise, use the address above.

Any amount would be appreciated. We thank you so, so much and I will make sure to include a copy of any article that may be published again this year about the event. God Bless!"



Will you join me and help Tracey and the other Christmas Friendship Dinner volunteers? If you live near Wasilla, volunteer your time. Outside Alaska, join me in helping to fund this event by sending in a donation. Let's make this year's Christmas Friendship Dinner the most memorable yet for the attendees and their families!!! After all, Christmas is about Jesus and helping out those in need!!!


(Visit Conservative Girl with a Voice and become a follower!!! Follow me on Twitter too.)

Pigs Do Fly: Alaskan Democrats Defend Palin (Update: Oops)

By Shane Vander Hart, Caffeinated Thoughts

Pigs do fly.  Alaska Democrats & Obama supporters defend Palin on pipeline record that AP says was “flawed” when they were “fact checking” Going Rogue: An American Life (isn’t that opining anyway?  Is the AP supposed to do that?).  A snippet from the Juneau Empire, that I thought was especially telling:

The AP story quoted only two legislators, Senate President Lyda Green, R-Wasilla, and Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, both in the minority who voted against the TransCanada deal.

Juneau Rep. Beth Kerttula said AP reporter Burke talked with her, but didn’t include her defense of Palin.

"I don’t believe Gov. Palin should become vice president, but I don’t think this story was fair and accurate," she said. *snip*

The story said the oil companies were unhappy that Palin did not support their request for 45-year tax and royalty freezes but didn’t say that Palin and most legislators think that is not allowed under the Alaska Constitution. (emphasis mine, be sure to read the whole thing)

Instead of calling themselves the Associated Press, I think Another Prevarication would be better suited.  AP can now be filed under news you can not trust.  Putting another nail in mainstream journalism’s coffin.

From an updated post at Caffeinated Thoughts.

Shane Vander Hart is the editor of Caffeinated Thoughts.  Be sure to follow him on Twitter and friend him on Facebook.

Update: I goofed, that story was from 2008.  Sorry!  Just a little detail.  I’ll leave my mistake, with this correction, up.  Unlike AP.

Rush Limbaugh: Sarah Palin’s Book Is "Truly One Of The Most Substantive Policy Books I've Read"

Was listening live when I heard el Rushbo say this. Rush was announcing that he had interviewed Sarah Palin for the upcoming issue of his popular Limbaugh Letter.

Here’s a transcript of Friday’s show. Limbaugh also announced that he would interview Sarah live on the air Tuesday in the second hour of his show which will be 1 pm Eastern noon Central across the EIB Network.

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Yesterday afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, I interviewed Governor Palin for the upcoming issue of the Limbaugh Letter. It will be our cover story. I think it was the first time other than an interview with me -- sometimes I do interview myself in the newsletter because the best questions I ever get asked are the ones I ask myself. But she's the cover story, she's the interview, and she will be here live on the radio next Tuesday, the day her book is released, at the top of the second hour. I talked to her yesterday, I've got the book, I have it right over there and I've had a chance, I just got it a couple days ago, three days ago, and I've had a chance to go through it, and I made a prediction to her when I talked to her yesterday. I said, "You've got enough in here that people who get hold of this, like the AP or any of the State-Controlled Media, they're gonna focus on the soap opera aspects of your book, and they're going to ignore what is truly one of the most substantive policy books I've read."

This woman, Governor Palin, clearly is jazzed by policy, particularly environmental policy and energy policy, as well as taxes and so forth. I talked to her about the future of the Republican Party, what she thought about New York-23, how she deals with the character assassination, not just of herself, but of her entire family. It was fascinating, and we'll do it again on Tuesday afternoon at one o'clock eastern time. She sent out a message here on Facebook: "'Keep Your Powder Dry' -- As you probably have heard, the AP snagged a copy of my memoir, Going Rogue, before its Tuesday release. And as is expected, the AP and a number of subsequent media outlets are erroneously reporting the contents of the book. Keep your powder dry, read the book, and enjoy it! Lots of great stories about my family, Alaska, and the incredible honor it was to run alongside Senator John McCain. We can't wait to hit the road and meet so many on the book tour! See you in Michigan first." That's Sarah Palin's post -- her reacting.

One of the things the AP is focusing on is nonsense. I should have printed out the AP story. I didn't do it. Rather than try to paraphrase it I'll find it during the break. (interruption) Well, not going after her son-in-law? You mean this Levi? He's not her son-in-law, but no, she doesn't mention him. She doesn't mention him in the book. Nobody can stop talking about this guy, this Levi Johnston, but she doesn't mention him in the book. She's pretty open and honest about being locked up and confined and not allowed to be herself by certain people in the McCain campaign, Nicolle Wallace who set her up with the Katie Couric interview. You know, I told you that I had some friends in town last week and I blew my stack again when one of them started asking me questions about Sarah Palin based on media reports. This guy brought up the Palin-Katie Couric interview and that's when I started throwing the napkin. I said, "Don't you know what happened there?"

Nicolle Wallace, who used to work at CBS, pushed that interview on Couric to help Couric. Couric's numbers were in the tank, and she told Palin some things that were not true, and most of that interview ended up on the cutting room floor. The substance of the interview, it was a total setup, a total setup. "Well, why didn't she know that?" She was on a leash. When you read this book, you'll find that they dressed her. She wanted to wear her clothes. They started this whole controversy about paying for the clothes, were they donated, this kind of thing. They would not let her mention, they wouldn't let her give a shout-out to George Bush during the campaign for keeping the country safe after 9/11. They wouldn't let her make a concession speech alongside McCain the night that he gave what many thought was his best speech of the campaign.

There are many other instances of stuff inside the campaign that I think will help people understand what the real problem or series of problems was. I mean she really dishes it out at Steve Schmidt, who was the campaign manager. They wouldn't let her go back and talk to the press on the campaign plane. I woulda gone nuts had I been in that position, that muzzled and that directed. But, you know, she's not hard on McCain. She talks about it was an honor serving with him as his vice presidential nominee. Anyway, you'll learn all of this when you read the book, it's going to come out to Tuesday. It's going to set sales records, it already has. One-and-a-half million printing is what's the original, and it's going to go higher than that.

END TRANSCRIPT

As usual, Rush is right. Mark Halperin of Time Magazine is out there chirping: "Don't look for hefty policy prescriptions." [ in Sarah’s book] I think I’ll trust Rush Limbaugh over Halperin.