Todd Palin & Scott Davis: Steely Iron Doggers (Update: ADN Retraction)

By Adrienne Ross - www.motivationtruth.com




An injury to Scott Davis has caused him and partner, Todd Palin, to withdraw from the Iron Dog.

The Anchorage Daily News reports:

An injury to Scott Davis of Soldotna, the most experienced driver in the 27th Iron Dog snowmachine race, has forced him and partner Todd Palin to scratch at Puntilla Lake in the Alaska Range.

Iron Dog development director Heidi Griffin said the injury happened about 30 miles past the checkpoint Sunday night, and the racers were returning to the checkpoint.

She did not know the nature of Davis' injury and expected further updates later Monday.

Davis, 50, is tied with John Faeo as the winningest driver in race history with seven victories. Partner Palin, 45, has four titles.

Yesterday, the Iron Dog began with a flurry of excitement, as it does every year-- and contrary to ADN misreporting, Governor Palin and family were present to see Todd Palin off. At 2,000 miles, the Iron Dog is the toughest, longest snowmachine race in the world. It takes some steely men--and women, I recently learned--to even prepare for it.

While the nature of the injuries is not yet known, surely it must be bad for this particular pair not to continue. In 2008, for example, Todd suffered a broken arm when he was thrown 70 feet from his snowmachine. He somehow continued the race and managed to finish in fourth place.

Juneau Empire reported then:

Not only is he the First Dude, but Todd Palin is one tough dude.

The husband of Gov. Sarah Palin, or First Dude, as Alaskans have come to call him, survived a high-speed crash on Friday in which he broke his arm and had to be towed across the Chena River finish line in Fairbanks on Saturday after his snowmachine died, but he still finished the world's longest, toughest snowmachine race in fourth place.

Not bad considering that just the day before he was lying in the snow, curled up in the fetal position after crashing into a hidden barrel outside the village of Galena.

Obviously, this team came to the race with incredible fortitude and years of experience. Davis began racing in 1984, the year the Iron Dog was born, and placed second at the young age of 24. Palin has competed in the Iron Dog every year since 1993. The two have been racing together for seven years.

Because they're such fierce competitors, I'm sure there's some disappointment today. However, their veteran decision not to defy the elements further or risk added injury is to be commended. Experience brings wisdom, and they used that wisdom to make the right decision. We applaud them for the training and preparation they endured and for starting a race most would never even dare undertake.

Read more about the Palin-Davis team here and here.

We wish Scott Davis a speedy recovery.

(Photos 1 & 2 courtesy of Tracey)
(Photo 3 courtesy of Ron)

Update: The Anchorage Daily News has now corrected their mistake, which I referred to earlier in this post as "ADN misreporting."

Correction: This story originally reported, incorrectly, that former Gov. Sarah Palin did not make an appearance at the Iron Dog start on Sunday. She was there, seeing off husband Todd and his partner, Scott Davis.

Way to hold 'em accountable, folks.

(Retraction H/T C4P))

Catch Me on the Radio TODAY!!! A Post by Conservative Girl with a Voice

I just wanted to post a short post to let you all know that I will be a guest TODAY, Monday, on #1 Alaska Eddie Burke's Talk Radio Show at around 5p.m.PST/8p.m.EST. Over the weekend, I attended a tea party in my home state of California, and I will be joining Eddie to discuss the tea party movement. I encourage you all to listen and call in too if you would like. Eddie's show airs Monday-Friday from 5-7p.m.PST/8-10p.m.EST on Smart Radio 700 KBYR in Alaska. If you are outside of Alaska like me, don't worry because you can still listen online here. If you would like to call in with your thoughts on the tea party movement, call 907-274-5297 to share them with Eddie and me.

It was a great day, and I was happy the rain did not dampen the spirits of the many, many patriotic Americans in attendance. As the San Diego Regional Organizer for the 2012 Draft Sarah Committee, I set up a table and had had the chance to speak with many individuals about Sarah and her common sense conservative values. Contrary to popular belief, there are many individuals here in California who adore Sarah and all she stands for.

For more on the tea party I attended, I encourage you to click here to check out Dan Riehl's excellent blog. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Dan wrote about the tea party I attended. It is a great read.

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

Time for the Iron Dog!

Alaska is a unique place. We have a lot of things here that are not common in the lower 48. We all know that winter is on it's way out when we start having events like the Iron Dog. There is a great deal of interest in the race because of one of it's participants, Todd Palin, husband to Sarah Palin. Here is a little history on the event from the Iron Dog Website:

The first Iron Dog event started in 1984, in Big Lake following the Northern Route of the Historic Iditarod Trail to Nome. The event began as the “Iron Dog Iditarod”, but the name was quickly changed the next year to the “Gold Rush Classic”, in 1990 the race was recognized as the “Iron Dog Gold Rush Classic” for a decade until Tesoro Corporation became a title sponsor, thus recognizing today’s event as the Tesoro Iron Dog.

Today’s Iron Dog course length 1971 miles, starting in Big Lake to Nome and finishing in Fairbanks, making it the World’s longest snowmobile race. Participants must traverse in some of Alaska’s the most remote and rugged terrain while confronting some the harshest winter conditions. Survival skills are essential, making it the World’s toughest snowmobile race. All teams in race classes are a team of two persons and two snowmobiles for safety...
(To see the whole story, follow this link.

The Iron Dog is Alaska's Nascar. The race starts on Big Lake which is very appropriately named because of it's size. This lake covers roughly 13 square miles. Go to Mapquest or GoogleEarth and check out Big Lake, Alaska and you'll see what I mean. The actual race starting line is on the lake near an island that is home to the Islander Lodge. In the summer, you can only get to this lodge by boat but in the winter you can drive to it. Ever seen Ice Road Truckers? What they have is a plowed road system out on Big lake, and that is how you get to the start of the Iron Dog.

Driving on one of the ice roads out to the starting point



The Islander Lodge



There is something of an Alaskan "fair" feeling to this event. People are walking around, running it to others they know and catching up. There are a few vendors and many, many people ride out on their own snowmachines.







Planes with skis also use the lake and were taking off



The Army National Guard is a huge supporter and a strong presence. Here is one of the vehicles they bring out every year





They line up along the chute, which is plowed and has fencing on each side.



The racers are in pairs for safety because this is an extremely dangerous sport. Flying across frozen lakes, rivers, and tundra at speeds of 50, 60, 70+ is dangerous in itself, not to mention the temperatures in the interior can reach -40 degree below zero or more. Going 70 mph in -40 degree weather is punishing on the skin and the body. Racers put duct tape on the exposed skin on their faces to protect it.



They wear very warm gear, have to have a knowledge of arctic survival and have to be able to make repairs to their machines out on the trail. And it can really hurt if you're going 70 mph and hit something and get thrown from your sled. This happened last year to one team only 2 minutes into the race. One team member hit something that was buried in the snow, it stopped his snowmachine cold, and he went flying. The race was done for that team. Even Todd Palin has fallen victim to this. One year he was thrown from his snowmachine and finished the race with a broken arm. Rest is a luxury but there are a few times during the race that mandatory layovers take place. Todd and his partner Scott Davis are pros, though. Todd first won the Iron Dog in 1995. Here is footage of the finish of that race with the interviewer talking to Sarah about how she feels about his racing:



Todd last won this race in 2008, when he was injured. Here is video of that finish:



(Click here to read an article written last year in Men's Journal Magazine about the snowmaching, famous "First Dude")

If you'd like to follow the race, each team has a GPS unit on their snowmachine and you can track their progress by following this link.

I'd like to share some personal photos from last year's Iron Dog. I had the opportunity to speak briefly to Sarah before the race and had my picture taken with her. You can read more about that experience here and look at some of the photos that go along with the story

Sarah arrived to see Todd off and took a few photos with some of the spectators



I even had a chance to speak to Sarah and have my picture taken with Sarah and Trig



Todd Palin and his race partner Scott Davis greeting fans



Last year Todd had all the kid's names painted on his snowmachine, as well as Sarah "The Gov"



And, let the ceremony begin! The Army National Guard presents the colors, the National Anthem is played, and we say the Pledge of Allegience.



Sarah gives Todd and hug and kiss and says goodbye



Sarah wishes all the racers luck and then she and Piper get ready to drop the flag to start the race



Piper got to drop the flag for the start of the race. Sarah's dad Chuck Heath is just to the right of the security guard



After a few other racers, Scott Davis (left) and Todd Palin pulled up to the starting line



And then they got the signal to head down the chute



They are on the trail now. Please keep them in your prayers for a safe return!

UPDATE: To view photos of the Iron Dog start today, check out this link to KMBQ 99.7 Valley Radio

- To see more posts from this author, please check out Finding Myself In Alaska

Iron Dog 2010 Under Way

The Iron Dog race began today with Todd Palin and Scott Davis comprising Team 22.

The Iron Dog is the world's longest snow machine race covering 2,000 miles of Alaskan Wilderness.

Todd Palin is a four-time champion and completed one race in the top five after breaking one arm during the event.

Complete information including GPS tracking is available at Iron Dog.

Photos courtesy of an Alaskan Sarah Palin supporter. Last photo is Team 22.

Why Gov Palin Chose SRLC over CPAC

With CPAC 2010 finished, media reports are swirling discussing Governor Palin's absence from this event, which they billed as "mandatory" for conservative candidates for anything. Was it?

SRLC the Real Proving Ground for Gauging A POTUS Run

According to Politico's Ben Smith, the Southern Republican Leadership Conference (SRLC) is "the first real chance to gauge the interest in her candidacy among the core of Republican activists and operatives" (Painter, 2010, ¶11). Peter Hamby, of CNN describes SRLC as "a major gathering of Republican officials, donors and activists from 14 southern states" (Hamby, 2010, ¶2). "Political watchers will be paying close attention, and not just because several potential presidential candidates are expected to attend. The SRLC - 'the most prominent Republican event outside of a Republican National Convention,' the organization boasts - also conducts a presidential straw poll" (Hamby, 2010, ¶5). As noted in prior coverage of SRLC Governor Palin will not be earning a speaker's fee for this event.

CPAC Supposedly Owned by Romney

CPAC is practically owned by the Romney camp with the organization's executive director in his back pocket. This is not a secret to anyone. CPAC's darling; however, delivered what some considered a snooze-fest of a speech, complete with a front row of staffers reading along, two teleprompters, and a serious story about a trip to WalMart to pick up stuff for his grandchildren. His "ownership" did not translate into a straw poll victory this time around.

CPAC Co-Sponsored by the John Birch Society

The John Birch Society has indeed co-sponsored CPAC 2010 (Hahn, 2009, ¶1). Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post cited this factor as one reason why Governor Palin declined CPAC (Cillizza, 2010, ¶1). Indeed, the fringe elements of the right appeared to have taken over CPAC under Mitt Romney's nose. Politico's Ben Smith wrote, “ 'in 2008, people had this perception of Mitt Romney as this kid sitting in the front of the classroom with his hand up,' said Gary Marx, a conservative adviser to Romney’s ’08 campaign" (Smith, 2010, ¶4). According to Smith, Marx thinks that Romney has now secured "the full embrace of the conservative movement" (Smith, 2010, ¶4). Our analysis begs to differ. Delivering a boring speech, losing a straw poll and losing control of your own gathering to fringe elements does not constitute anything approaching a "full embrace." That circumstance more points to Marx's 2008 "kid in the front of the classroom with his hand up" metaphor. It's the original analysis that was spot on and in our assessment that has not changed.

Perhaps this explains why only one tenth of this year's participants bothered to vote in the straw poll and why Ron Paul won. Governor Palin still managed to come in third -- phenomenal, considering her absence and the demographic catered to. She handily beat Pawlenty. Huckabee, long considered "Mr. Conservative" was not even listed as an option on the straw poll.

CPAC Chair Disrespects Palin, but Wanted Her at Conference

Dave Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union, which organizes CPAC (which he is also the chairman of) has said disrespectful things about Governor Palin. For instance, "Sarah Palin needs to stop whining about unfair media coverage and get over the fact that some people don’t like her...Keene...tells Newsmax" (Kessler, 2010, ¶1). Keene devotes the rest of the interview to trashing Governor Palin as "a quitter," (Kessler, 2010, ¶5-8), "rock star" without substance (Kessler, 2010, ¶9-12), "taking shots at the media," (Kessler, 2010, ¶13-14), and "unreliable when it comes to speaking engagements that help the GOP" (Kessler, 2010, ¶15). He declares her "not ready to run for the Presidency" (Kessler, 2010, ¶20-21).

Since CPAC was supposed to be mandatory for conservative candidates for anything, and Keene has belittled Governor Palin, why would her flat-out rejection of this year's invitation matter to him? Keene wanted Governor Palin at CPAC, because she would have drawn many more participants, enhancing CPAC's bottom line. Indeed, one of the hottest pieces of swag at the event was giant Sarah Palin posters. The entire batch ran out very quickly.

CPAC Losing its Luster

Shenanigans such as the Federal Express conflict of interest and catering to the lunatic fringe diminish the value of this once prestigious gathering of conservatives. Keene rather than taking splinters out of Governor Palin's eyes might do well to take the planks out of his own. Those Sarah Palin posters were snatched up so fast, because those who wanted her image yearn for a leader to carry Ronald Reagan's torch. None of the alternatives present could satisfy that yearning. In her absence, Governor Palin won the real poll, and she was summoned yet again.

Our vigil is posted awaiting her beckon.

Register for SRLC

Make your voice heard loud and clear! We want Governor Palin to be President Palin. Register for SRLC and vote for Governor Palin in its straw poll.

Register Today!

References:

Cillizza, C. (2010, January 8). "Sarah Palin and the first 2012 Republican proving ground." The Washington Post. Retrieved February 19, 2010 from: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/morning-fix/1-2-3-house-republicans.html

Hamby, P. (2010, January 7). "Palin to speak at major GOP event." CNN Political Ticker. Retrieved February 19, 2010 from: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/01/07/palin-to-speak-at-major-gop-event/?fbid=M2y_6z-QpHt

Hahn, B. (2009, December 15). "The John Birch Society Announces CPAC 2010 Cosponsorship." The John Birch Society. Retrieved February 19, 2010 from: http://www.jbs.org/press-room/5768-the-john-birch-society-announces-cpac-2010-cosponsorship

Kessler, R. (2010, January 9). "CPAC Chairman: Palin Not Ready for Presidential Run." Newsmax. Retrieved February 19, 2010 from: http://newsmax.com/RonaldKessler/sarah-palin-cpac/2009/07/09/id/331430

Painter, J. (2010, January 7). "Sarah Palin says no to Keene's CPAC, yes to SRLC." Texas for Sarah Palin. Retrieved February 19, 2010 from: http://texas4palin.blogspot.com/2010/01/sarah-palin-says-no-to-keenes-cpac-yes.html

Smith, B. (2010, February 19). "The new Mitt Romney." Politico. Retrieved February 21, 2010 from: http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0210/The_new_new_Romney.html?showall

GretaWire: Is Sarah Palin or Sally Quinn "putting family first"?

By Adrienne Ross - www.motivationtruth.com

As I pointed out as recently as last night, Governor Palin is no stranger to double standards. The mainstream media loves to pull out a separate set of rules when it comes to her. Greta Van Susteren boldly points out another example of such bias in her article, "Who is 'putting family first?' Sarah Palin or Sally Quinn?"

Greta writes:

In July, Sally Quinn, columnist in the Washington Post, defended David Letterman for his comments about Governor Sarah Palin and her daughter. In doing so, she criticized Governor Palin. My "favorite" of her criticisms ? It is in bold blue text below. Read below and then you decide who is putting family first - the mother defending her child from the comments of a talk show host who coincidentally cheats on his wife? or the wife who conveniently schedules a wedding so that her husband can't attend the wedding of a grandchild from a former marriage...and then writes a column to sugar coat it when it hits the gossip circuit in DC.

We report, you decide.

Here are Sally Quinn's comments about Gov Palin...followed by a link to her explanation.

".....Well, clearly, [Governor Sarah Palin] has not put her family first … And these children have, it seems publicly, to have been exploited by her in a, I think, really unfortunate way … She brings them all to the convention, including Trig, the baby. She brings the pregnant daughter with the boyfriend who clearly didn’t want to be there. She then travels around with the children, using them as sort of photo ops … she brings the children up when she needs them to shore up her own image....." [MS/NBC]

So how does Sally Quinn compare to Sarah Palin? She has scheduled her son's wedding on the same day as her husband's grandchild from a previous marriage so now her husband must pick: his son or his granddaughter from previous marriage. Family first? or some deep seeded problem?

[...]

PS - you may notice the reference Sally Quinn made on MS/NBC about Governor Palin's then "pregnant daughter" which seemed a bit of a slap at the family situation. In Quinn's article, she reports her news about her son's pregnant girlfriend and her reaction is that she is thrilled. I am sure she is thrilled - but was she being nasty about the Palin situation or not? We report, you decide.

Visit this article on GretaWire by clicking here.

I applaud Greta's commitment to truth above all. She calls it like she sees it. Sally Quinn's double standard is plain to see--so she gets called out.

People suffering from Palin Derangement Syndrome face one major danger: in their commitment to undermining Governor Palin and calling her actions into question, they draw attention to their own actions--and often theirs doesn't stand up to serious scrutiny.

There's a problem with wielding a double-edged sword: on the rebound, it usually comes back to smack you in the face.

UPDATE: If Sarah Palin were Liberal....- A Post by Conservative Girl with a Voice

As you all are well aware, the sitcom Family Guy recently took a swipe at Sarah Palin and her son Trig. (Read more about it here.) It sickens me that a show would go the lengths it did to make fun of Sarah and her son. As I mentioned in the post above, NO child should be made fun of or belittled. Many may be unaware of the actress who is the voice behind the Down Syndrome character. The actress's name is Andrea Friedman, and like her character, she too has Down Syndrome. While I don't at all agree with Andrea's choice to play a role that mocked Sarah and Trig, this is not what bothers me; instead, it is a letter she has chosen to distribute to the New York Times.

I guarantee that had Sarah member a member of the left, she and her son would NOT have been mocked in this manner. A great example of one such individual is David Axelrod who, like Sarah, has a (grown) child with special needs. Now, before the left becomes unhinged and cries out, "Well, David Axelrod never parades his daughter around" I will tell them that, during the election, Parade Magazine did a piece on Axelrod and his daughter. David Axelrod's daughter has been treated with respect and dignity, which should ALWAYS be the case, but where are the people to speak out when little Trig is attacked? Where is the fairness, justice and respect for him? After learning of Andrea's letter, liberal media outlets like the Daily Kos, Huffington Post and Gawker reporting the letter's (see below) contents.

Andrea's Letter:

My name is Andrea Fay Friedman. I was born with Down Syndrome. I played the role of Ellen on the "Extra Large Medium" episode of Family Guy that was broadcast on Valentine's day. Although they gave me red hair on the show, I am really a blonde. I also wore a red wig for my role in " Smudge" but I was a blonde in "Life Goes On". I guess former Governor Palin does not have a sense of humor. I thought the line "I am the daughter of the former governor of Alaska" was very funny. I think the word is "sarcasm".

In my family we think laughing is good. My parents raised me to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life. My mother did not carry me around under her arm like a loaf of French bread the way former Governor Palin carries her son Trig around looking for sympathy and votes.


This letter should upset you as much as it does me. I usually do not spend my time on trivial issues, but when I learned of what was present in it, I became outraged at just how mean spirited some people could be. How dare Andrea say that Sarah's treats little Trig like a prop and carries him around like a loaf of bread? As someone with Down Syndrome herself, Andrea should know firsthand of the challenges Trig has ahead of him. Didn't it occur to her that little Trig will one day be old enough to learn that someone else in the special needs community called him a prop and equated him to a piece of food? While I commend Andrea for overcoming challenges to become a successful actress, I am disgusted that she would use her platform as an actress and advocate belittling the Palins this way. Sarah is a great mother who loves her family with all her heart. I look up to her so much for the way she includes her family in so many aspects of her life. She is not ashamed of her children; instead, she is very proud of each and every one of them. You can see it in the way she talks about them. You can see it in the way interacts with them. You can see in the way her children have turned out. She and Todd are excellent parents who have taught their kids what matters: God, family and country. I always say that if I turn out to be half the wife and mother Sarah is, I'd be a happy woman!

It is so clear that Andrea has a liberal bias. What I think Andrea fails to understand is that, although she does not see the harm the role she played has caused, not everyone thinks the same way she does as one reader commented over on Gawker. Andrea is a strong woman who has a successful career, so why does she feel the need to attack a woman as gracious and generous as Sarah? A woman who CHOSE to give life to her child. Although Sarah and her family are well-known individuals, they are still considered private citizens. I hate to break it to Andrea, but Trig is not the prop, she is. I say this because just as others individuals like Levi Johnston are being used by the media to tear apart Sarah and her family and to push their liberal agenda forward, so too is Andrea. She may not realize it now, but she will, and it is only a matter of time before the liberal media who swallowed her up spits her out. We can only pray that Andrea realizes this before it happens.


THERE IS ANOTHER ISSUE I WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS: I want to commend Fox News Channels Greta Van Susteren for her tireless advocacy for women in politics. It is no secret that Greta is a great woman herself who believes women should be given the same opportunities and treated with the same fairness as their male counterparts. Today on her Greta Wire Blog, Greta blogged about the absurdity of liberal Washington Post Columnist Sally Quinn:

In July, Sally Quinn, columnist in the Washington Post, defended David Letterman for his comments about Governor Sarah Palin and her daughter. In doing so, she criticized Governor Palin. My "favorite" of her criticisms ? It is in bold blue text below. Read below and then you decide who is putting family first - the mother defending her child from the comments of a talk show host who coincidentally cheats on his wife? or the wife who conveniently schedules a wedding so that her husband can't attend the wedding of a grandchild from a former marriage...and then writes a column to sugar coat it when it hits the gossip circuit in DC.

We report, you decide.

Here are Sally Quinn's comments about Gov Palin...followed by a link to her explanation.

".....Well, clearly, [Governor Sarah Palin] has not put her family first … And these children have, it seems publicly, to have been exploited by her in a, I think, really unfortunate way … She brings them all to the convention, including Trig, the baby. She brings the pregnant daughter with the boyfriend who clearly didn’t want to be there. She then travels around with the children, using them as sort of photo ops … she brings the children up when she needs them to shore up her own image....." [MS/NBC]

Click here to visit Greta Wire and read the rest of Greta's post, including Greta's reaction to Quinn's vile comments; it is a definite MUST READ! Greta is reporting on an issue that so many in the liberal msm are unwilling to do. Just as I and many others have called out the terrible, malicious actions of the sitcom Family Guy, Greta is taking a stand and calling it like she sees it!!! Thank you, Greta, for being a fair, objective journalist AND champion for women!!! As a woman, I thank you!!!



(I want to thank Karen Allen for the beautiful image of Sarah and Trig with the verse above. Click here to visit Conservative Girl with a Voice and become a follower. Click here to follow me on Twitter.)