Headed to SRLC

By Adrienne Ross - www.motivationtruth.com


I am headed out tomorrow morning, beginning my journey to the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, with an overnight stop in Missouri.

SRLC takes place in New Orleans, where Governor Palin will be speaking Friday. Also in attendance will be Liz Cheney, Newt Gingrich, Bobby Jindal, Rick Perry, JC Watts, Sean Hannity, Mike Pence, Michael Steele, and many others.

I am very much looking forward to voting in the straw poll. My vote, of course, will be for Governor Palin, the one so many Americans are hoping will be the next President of the United States. Let's get it done!

I intend to keep you updated as much as possible at MotivationTruth, so keep checking in. I will probably also be tweeting. My Twitter handle is @Adrienne2012, so be sure to follow me if you want to hear what's going on.

God bless!

Unreal Abuse Of Power: Barack Obama Attempting To Force The Discovery Channel To Drop Sarah Palin’s New Show

Man, where does one even begin with this deal? We all know that Barack Obama is nothing more than a Chicago street thug. That’s what a "community organizer" is, at least as defined by Alinsky’s methods, the methods Obama used to teach when he worked for ACORN.




We all know that Obama is scared of Sarah Palin and curls up under his desk in the fetal position at the mere mention of her name. It’s well documented that the second John McCain announced Governor Palin as his running mate, Obama dispatched his top people to Alaska to set up a smear campaign to end all smear campaigns.

It started with "Troopergate" or as Sarah calls it: "Tasergate" and culminated in the formation of the Alaska Mafia ©, a group of hate bloggers and their operatives, that were given complete access to Obama’s media partners, the so-called "mainstream media," to publish attack pieces, filled with out and out lies, at will.

These operatives also filed dozens of bogus "ethics complaints" in an attempt to taint Governor Palin’s stellar record as a real reformer, bankrupt her, and cause the Alaskan people pain. Obama’s Alaska Mafia © accomplished the latter, his team cost the Alaskan taxpayers over two million dollars, as the state was forced to investigate each and every nonsensical claim.

Governor Palin outsmarted Obama and his band of hired thugs though, when she resigned. By resigning, Obama and his thugs were no longer able to terrorize the Alaskan people. They were also no longer able to bankrupt Sarah personally.

That didn’t stop Obama’s thugs from their work though. They continually attack her with The White House calling the plays. While Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod surely play their part, White House adviser, and Alaskan, Pete Rouse plays a large role as well. It was Rouse who arranged the "Troopergate" dog and pony show and arranged for Barack Obama to do a little pay-for-play with his buddy, Alaska State Senator Kim Elton, who now has a make work job with the Obama regime. Reward for his part in the "Troopergate" witch hunt.

Chicago thuggery at it’s finest.

As absolutely off the charts vile as all of that is, one can still say politics is a nasty business, and this is how the Marxist-democrat party plays it. It is what it is. If you can’t run with the big dogs, stay on the porch!

Well, as we all know, not only does Sarah run with the big dogs, she’s the leader of the pack All of Obama’s and his thug’s attempts to stop her have not only failed, they have made her stronger, more popular, and more determined.

With that said, what is going on now is unprecedented in American history. Not even FDR or Richard Nixon, two really vindictive bastards, would have went this far.

Never in our history has the President of the United States attacked a private citizen in the manner Barack Obama has continually attacked Sarah Palin. This latest abuse of power is off the charts.

Here’s a copy of an e-mail sent to me by an operative.

Urge Discovery to Drop Sarah Palin's New Show

Discovery Communications — the parent company of The Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC and others, and known for their wildlife-focused programs — is planning to produce an 8-part TV show on Sarah Palin's Alaska.

Sarah Palin's Alaska is a "reality TV" show that aims to showcase the "powerful beauty of Alaska," according to Discovery's TLC website.

But the real Sarah Palin is no friend of Alaska's natural heritage. While in office, the former governor fought against increased protections for endangered whales and America's dwindling populations of polar bears in favor of oil and gas development, supported dangerous drilling for oil in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, and escalated Alaska's brutal aerial wolf-killing program.

Yet according to reports, Palin will earn about $1 million per episode from the nature-focused series.


Act now, Send a powerful message to Discovery Communications expressing your disappointment at their action and urging them to drop Sarah Palin’s new show from their programming schedule.

It's important that the truth about Sarah Palin's record not be swept under the rug by her celebrity. Palin's disrespect for the environment and disregard for science and has done real damage to Alaska's wildlife and endangered Alaska's natural heritage.

Send a message to Discovery Communications and let them know that Sarah Palin doesn't deserve to represent the "powerful beauty of Alaska" in front of millions of people.


Take action today>

Thanks for taking a stand,

- The Change.org Team in support of Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund

The links in this e-mail take you directly to Barack Obama’s political arm, Change.org, and this message:

Targeting: Mr. David Zaslav (President and CEO, Discovery Communications)

Sponsored by: Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund

Sarah Palin has signed on with reality TV producers and Discovery Communications to star in a new TV show about Alaska and its outdoors.

But the ugly reality is that as governor for only two-and-a-half years, Sarah Palin escalated a bloody aerial wolf-slaughter campaign that continues to this very day. She even planned to offer a $150 bounty for the severed forelimb of each killed wolf.

Palin also fought against increased protections for endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales and America's dwindling populations of polar bears.

Sign our petition to Discovery Communications -- and let them know that Sarah Palin doesn't deserve to represent the "powerful beauty of Alaska" in front of millions of people.

Notice something? Remember the few last weeks when Obama, his thugs, and their media partners were having a hissy fit because Sarah was "targeting" them? I guess their hypocrisy truly knows no bounds!

For good measure, Obama has provided his thugs a little form letter to send to Discover’s President and CEO:

Please Drop Sarah Palin's New Show

Dear Mr. David Zaslav,

As a supporter of Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, I am disappointed and angered by Discovery Communication's decision to produce and air Sarah Palin's Alaska. As governor, Sarah Palin championed a bloody aerial wolf-slaughter campaign that continues to this very day. She even planned on offering a $150 bounty for the severed forelimb of each killed wolf. Palin also fought against increased protections for struggling Cook Inlet beluga whales and America's only populations of polar bears.

As parent company of Animal Planet, The Discovery Channel and TLC, and known for your wildlife-focused productions, I hope that you will reconsider your decision to partner with such a terribly anti-wildlife and politically divisive persona as Sarah Palin.

[Your name]

Politically divisive persona? Really? Well, at least they aren't trying to hide the fact this is all political and has little to do with the animals.

Now, Change.org should not be confused with Change.gov, Barack Obama’s "tranition" website or Organizing For America, his commercial venture and part of his never ending, permanent political campaign.

Much like Obama uses the Alaska bloggers to stay at "arms length" from things, Obama uses Change.org in the same manner. At first glance, Change.org appears to be a stand alone organization, but a little bit of research finds that Obama has been using the website as a base of operations since he began his run at the presidency. The website was launched in 2007.

We found an article in a technical online publication touting Obama’s use of Change.org as a political tool dated November 6, 2008. Our operative also forwarded us numerous e-mails from this group to their registered "changemakers." Changemakers are a group of high profile activists, as well as online volunteers who are dedicated to doing the Obama regime’s bidding. These e-mails coincide with the talking points of the Obama regime.

We were immediately drawn to some of the members of this group. Once one gets past the celebrities and political hacks, like John Kerry, who served in Vietnam, and "Patches" Kennedy, our eyes were drawn straight to none other than Jim Wallis.

Wallis is a radical anti-American Marxist "priest" who has promoted the overthrow of our current system of government for a communist form of government. Wallis is also Barack Obama’s "spiritual advisor" having replaced Obama’s far left, anti-American, Antisemitic, "preacher" of 20 plus years, Jeremiah Wright, of God Damn America fame.

Another "changemaker" is Lisa Jackson. Jackson is the Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency and a far left radical. The EPA has rapidly become one of the more dangerous agencies in the federal government. (and that’s saying something)

Unable to shove job and economy killing cap and tax legislation down America’s throat, Obama is about to unleash the EPA on America to regulate, restrict, (and tax) all manners of activity that produce carbon. That of course, includes breathing. Isn’t communism great!

Predictably, the radical stance by Obama’s EPA has touched off numerous lawsuits brought by dozens of states with many hoping to block Obama’s out of control agency from implementing industry killing regulations and economy crushing taxes.

Some "changemaking" huh?

Now for some facts about the wolves: Sarah Palin didn’t start the Alaskan predator elimination program. It had been going on for years, and Alaska isn’t the only state that has this sort of program.

Wolves travel in packs. They are incredibly efficient hunters. So efficient, they had depleted Alaska’s herd of elk, moose, deer, and caribou significantly. Alaskans depend on these herds for their very survival, as much of the population hunt and fish in order to eat. In order to survive. As Sarah herself has said: "I eat, therefore I hunt." That pretty much sums up the Alaskan lifestyle.





Since these programs were put in place, the herds have thrived and multiplied many times over. They are back in healthy, sustainable numbers.

Wolves also attack people. Alaskan teacher Candice Berner was mauled to death by wolves in March of this year. While attacks on humans are rare, wolves are predators and really don’t distinguish between people and wild game.

People seem to forget, maybe conveniently, that Alaska is a frontier state roughly the size of the entire Western United States and is mostly wilderness. Even where the people are, they are surrounded by the wilderness.

A good friend of mine who lives in Alaska was telling me about moose just last night. These animals are magnificent, but they are also aggressive and everywhere. He was telling me how they come into his yard and will charge him if he crosses their path.

Alaska ain’t New York City!

The Defenders of Wildlife is a far left group of environmental extremists who use Sarah Palin’s name to raise money. They have cooked up off the wall campaigns before and used fraudulent images to sell their program.

Coinciding with the attacks by Obama’s Alaska Mafia ©, the bogus ethics complaints, the fake stories planted in the media, and so on, the Defenders of the Wildlife, started in on their attacks on Palin as well. They are purely political.

Seeing the attacks for what they were, political, having nothing to do with actual sound wildlife management policy, the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance penned this letter of support to Governor Palin in February of 2009:

February 12, 2009

The Honorable Sarah Palin

P.O. Box 110001

Juneau, AK 99811-0001

Dear Governor Palin:

On behalf of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and the listed conservation organizations supporting this letter, we want to publicly endorse your wolf management policy. We believe the recent public relations blitz initiated by the Defenders of Wildlife grossly mischaracterizes your Administration’s wolf management policy.

After years of research, it is recognized by practically all state and federal wildlife officials that predator management is a prerequisite for guaranteeing stable populations of prey species. Given that many Alaska residents rely on moose, caribou, and other wildlife species for food, it becomes imperative that those species not be decimated through lack of predator management.

The Alaska wolf management program accomplishes this. It does so through a rigorously regulated, scientifically based system targeting only those predators in areas where wildlife populations are not able to reach adequate levels of sustainability in the program’s absence.

As each of our organizations works within the conservation movement, we understand the critical importance of science in wildlife management. It is evident that the Defenders of Wildlife attacks are part and parcel of a well orchestrated publicity stunt meant to achieve maximum exposure and minimum discourse. The future of effective wildlife management necessitates that emotional pleas not substitute for reasoned analysis.

Sincerely,

Walter P. Pidgeon, Jr.

President and CEO

U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance

Jay McAninch,

President and CEO

Archery Trade Association and Bowhunting Preservation Alliance


Steve Mealey,

Conservation Policy Co-chairman

Boone and Crockett Club


John J. Jackson, III,

President

Conservation Force


Ben Carter,

Executive Director

Dallas Safari Club


Lawrence G. Keane,

Senior Vice President and General Counsel

National Shooting Sports Foundation


Brian Bachman,

President and CEO

North American Bear Foundation


Mike Schlegel,

Conservation Committee Chairman

Pope & Young Club


Kirby L. Brown,

Vice President of Public Policy

Texas Wildlife Association

As mentioned above, Alaska isn’t the only state to practice predator control. In fact the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services Division has a long standing airborne predator control program. The Billings Gazette reported on this in November of 2009:

In January, the federal Environmental Protection Agency refused a similar demand from WildEarth Guardians and others to ban cyanide for predator control, calling its arguments "unpersuasive."

Efforts to end aerial hunting aren’t new: The Humane Society of the United States has tried for decades to stop the practice. In 2005, however, Idaho officials convinced the Federal Aviation Administration to expand policies to allow licensed ultralight-aircraft pilots to shoot predators from aloft.

Aerial gunning even rose to the level of presidential politics in 2008, when then-Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin unapologetically backed her state’s airborne wolf hunts.

Ranching interests including the American Sheep Industry Association say using aircraft and poison to kill coyotes are important tools to combat $125 million in annual losses from predators to the sheep, goat and cattle industry. Peter Orwick, the group’s director in Englewood, Colo., said WildEarth Guardians has a radical animal rights agenda that threatens the livelihood of ranching families like his own.

"If they weren’t able to use airplanes, they would not be in the livestock business," Orwick said. WildEarth Guardians "wants absolutely no control tools made available, from the federal perspective."

USDA Wildlife Services, with a budget of about $120 million, reported killing some 4.9 million animals in 2008 in efforts to control predators and invasive species. It uses airborne predator management primarily for coyotes, wolves and feral swine, spokeswoman Meghan Klingel said.

"Wildlife Services only uses lethal methods ... when they are determined to be the most effective and humane method," Klingel said in an e-mail Friday.

You can read more here.

As you can see, predator control, and more specifically airborne predator control is a long standing, mainstream solution to significant problem. Not only is it accepted policy, it’s policy that The Obama regime continues to carry out, while commanding their minions to attack Sarah Palin for enforcing the exact same policies during her time as Governor of Alaska.

That takes serious cojones my friends!

Now lets get to the whales. Sarah fought the Bush and Obama administrations over their policies because they violated long standing maritime law. Sarah actually defends the law. It’s who she is and what she does.

In addition to that, as Governor, Sarah felt the federal government had overstepped it’s bounds, failed to comply with rules and regulations regarding public review, and used faulty and incomplete data to reach their conclusions. You can read a copy of the "Intent to sue" letter from the Alaska Department of Law here.

As for the polar bears, Sarah successfully sued the Bush administration to keep them off the endangered species list because they are simply not endangered. The population is growing, not declining, Sarah saw the move to put the polar bears on the endangered list for what it was, an attempt by the environmental zealots to shut down all energy production in Alaska. Noting more, nothing less.

And should you think I’m exaggerating, just ask California farmers in the once fertile and incredibly productive San Joaquin Valley. That land has been turned into a modern day dust bowl, and the area is experiencing a 43% unemployment rate because the environmental zealots were able to declare the Delta Smelt, a minnow not even native to the water ways, "endangered."

The federal government shut off the water to this fertile land that once fed the world, literally, because of a 3 inch long bait fish!.

Read about it here and here.

Sarah Palin was doing her job. She was looking out for the Alaskan people, and their economy. And since Alaska provides such a significant amount of energy to America, much like the California Valley used to supply the bulk of America’s food, by extension, Sarah was working to protect America and the American economy as a whole.

Look, Obama and the Marxist-democrats couldn’t care less about the environment or the animals. They use this the way they throw down the race card at the drop of a hat. BTW, they couldn’t care less about Blacks or other minorities either.

To these vile bastards, wildlife, race....whatever...are just weapons in their arsenal. Weapons they can use to beat their opposition into submission and gain command and control over them. Past that, these issues are completely meaningless to them.

Look, politics are a dirty business, especially when the Marxist-democrats are involved. We get it. Again, if a person isn’t tough enough to play in the big leagues, stay home.

What Obama is up to, though, is simply beyond the pale. He has continually attacked Americans who disagree with him, either directly or through his corrupt "rubber stamp" Congress.

For example, now that many fortune 500 companies are publically announcing they will have to take write downs in the tens of billions of dollars with the passage of ObamaCare and it’s related increases to their costs of doing business, Congressman Henry Waxman has ordered them before Congress in an attempt to intimidate them into silence. To bully them into sitting down and shutting up.

The problem with this is, in the wake of the Enron scandal, and their phony-baloney book keeping practices, the Republican Congress, at the time, passed laws that require publicly traded corporations to do exactly what these companies are doing now! By law they can’t sit down and shut up, no matter how hard Obama and his Congress wish they would.

Barack Obama and his party do not govern. They are attempting to rule, and to rule by intimidation and thuggery.

This latest attack by Obama though is the last straw. For Barack Obama to use the full weight and power of the presidency to attack Sarah Palin, a private citizen, and Discovery Communications, a private company, for personal political purposes, simply goes too far.

This is an Intolerable Act and must not be allowed to stand.

Look, we get it. Sarah Palin is the strongest voice in America for freedom and liberty. She is also, by far, Obama’s biggest political rival, and the candidate for President in 2012. When Sarah Palin speaks, Obama and the left trembles.

This still does not give Barack Obama the license to use his power as President to pressure Discovery, or any other entity, to bow to his demands.

This is a clear abuse of executive power and a severe breach of trust with the American people. Obama has proven time and time again he can’t be trusted with the simplest task on behalf of the people, but to openly attack an American, a private citizen, and to attempt harm on her, all for his personal political gain, is simply intolerable.

UPDATE: Alaska's Conservative Voice Eddie Burke Announces he WILL Run for Lieutenant Governor

UPDATE: Alaska Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell(R) announced last week that he was withdrawing from the Lt. Gov. race. This leaves the fight for the Republican nomination between Conservative Eddie Burke and RINO Jay Ramras (pictured by Eddie at right). Alaska's Editor for Red County, Tom Lamb, recently wrote a great piece entitled Eddie Burke Throws A Wrench, His T-Shirt and his Political Hat into the Lt. Governor's Race. I encourage you all to read it here. Make sure to follow Eddie campaign on Twitter @EddieBurke4AK. You also support him on Facebook by becoming a fan here.

What a better night announce this great news other than on the same night of Sarah Palin's "Real American Stories" debut on FOX. I'm honored to call Eddie Burke a great friend, and even prouder to call him a great American. He is truly an ordinary person who is doing extraordinary things. On behalf of all my readers here at "Conservative Girl with a Voice," rock on, Eddie!!! We stand with you as you stand up for Alaskans everywhere. The following is the Press Release that was released earlier today:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Eddie Burke Candidacy for Lieutenant Governor

CONSERVATIVE MEDIA PERSONALITY BEGINS REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN TO
CHAMPION RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT IN ALASKA

Press Conference
When: Friday, April 2,
10:00 a.m.

Where: Region II Elections Office
2525 Gambell St
Anchorage, Alaska

--ANCHORAGE - April 2, 2010 –

Former Anchorage radio talk show host and small
business owner Eddie Burke has entered the race as a Republican candidate for
Lieutenant Governor. Though Alaska has financially benefited from its abundant
natural resources, particularly the success of the oil and gas industry, Eddie understands that current state budgets are unsustainable over the long term. Therefore,he will encourage and support the Governor and State Legislature to be fiscally responsible in the governance of Alaska. Eddie knows that thoughtful actions taken today will help secure the future for Alaska's children.

The issues important to Eddie Burke are those that are important to the livelihood of all Alaskans. As a well-known and outspoken media personality on local radio, Eddie has been a staunch defender of the Second Amendment, the rights of the unborn and the concerns of Alaska's veterans. As he campaigns for Lieutenant Governor, he will continue to be a passionate proponent of these important issues, while also stressing the importance of the responsible stewardship of the State's financial resources.

Eddie Burke has been an active member of the Alaskan community since he arrived 38
years ago. In addition to his media career, he has been a small business owner and
active on the boards of Special Olympics, Crimestoppers, Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, Legislative Committee and President of Alaska State Snowmobile Association. Furthermore, Eddie gained valuable legislative experience as a Chief-of-
Staff in the Alaska State Legislature.

Eddie Burke resides in Anchorage, Alaska with Linda, his wife of 28 years. They are
the parents of four children, and the proud grandparents of three young Alaskans. Eddie
Burke is seeking the office of Lieutenant Governor in order to secure a bright future for
his family and all Alaskans.

Run, Eddie, run!!!

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

Happy Resurrection Day!

On this day that we celebrate the greatest event in all of human history, the authors of the Sarah Palin Information Blog and the members of the Sarah Palin Web Brigade wish all of you and your families all the blessings of Easter today and always! Have a wonderful day!

Real American Stories Ratings Crush Competition

Reminder: If you missed the premiere episode of Real American Stories, the show is re-airing tonight at 9 PM and Midnight EDT. Be sure to DVR/TiVo and/or tune in! This is a perfect closing for Easter Sunday.



Ratings Success

Real American Stories garnered ratings nearly equal to those achieved by Greta Van Susteren each night with slightly over two million viewers for that time slot. The competition could not even come close drawing between one fifth and half of her numbers: "CNN’s Anderson Cooper had 820,000 viewers at the same hour, while MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann had 575,000 and HLN’s Nancy Grace drew 400,000" (Gold, 2010, ¶3).

Alinsky Leftists' Coverage of Ratings is Patently Absurd

Not surprisingly, the Alinsky leftists were hard at work spewing out story after story absurdly declaring the show "a ratings failure." Only the normally left-leaning Los Angeles Times, and Greta Van Susteren - in whose time slot Real American Stories runs - provided fair and balanced coverage about the show's ratings. "Have you seen the TV critics' reviews of Governor Sarah Palin's special? Nasty is a description I would assign to some of them. What is so bizarre is that not one single person who took a nasty swipe at her is remotely as successful she is," (Van Susteren, 2010, ¶1) she wrote in her blog Greta Wire. Van Susteren continued, "If you look at the ratings for her special, she easily beat the competition in the time slot! What is with the critics? Even with no TV experience, she crushed the competition" (Van Susteren, 2010, ¶1).

Picking Up Where She Left Off 22 Years Ago...

Our only point of contention with Greta Van Susteren's post is the statement that Governor Palin has "no TV experience." Gov. Palin was a sportscaster on KTUU from 1988 till 1992, and she is a Fox News Analyst. Though she has not hosted a show in 22 years, in watching Real American Stories, you would think she has been hosting for 22 years. Gov. Palin was polished and professional, warm, engaging, telegenic, appropriate, and a fantastic listener. Gov. Palin's colleague Bill O'Reilly can draw this very important lesson from her and learn to listen rather than cutting guests off as they try to get a word in edgewise.

Heroes Are Back...

The airwaves are full of shows that celebrate, glorify, promote and romanticize gratuitous violence; alcohol and other drugs; smoking; gambling; and wanton and irresponsible sexual behaviors. Heretofore, there had been no one to look up to on the big or little screens - even fictional heroes went the way of the Duke.

Real American Stories brings back heroes. Furthermore, these are real people, ordinary people - they could be a relative of yours or your next door neighbor. You can submit your story online. The first episode profiled a woman who ran toward a burning gasoline tanker truck to rescue a driver who was on fire and rush him to a hospital in her own car; a war hero who died from his act of courage; a child who was not supposed to be able to walk again, now walking because of the inspiration he drew from a service dog; and patriotic singer Toby Keith.

Who do the Leftists Fear? Gov. Palin? Or Sarah?

Real American Stories is not about Gov. Palin, her message of Reagan Conservatism and politics. We are not watching Gov. Palin on this show. We are watching Sarah, a likable, lovable host - inspiring and lifting our spirits by giving unsung heroes - ordinary people - a forum to tell their stories. In so doing, she endears people to her and her message in a forum far removed from politics.

"Really enjoyed the show. I am a [D]emocrat, but not a close-minded one. She really is attempting to touch base of the true America without the politics, rather with the PEOPLE, who make up America," wrote Anthony the sixth commenter on the show's page.

Though he disagrees with Gov. Palin's position on health care, Anthony closed,

"Keep up the good work with the show Sarah; has potential to be great! -A supporting Democrat of the show."

It could be that Sarah - not Gov. Palin - is who strikes fear and loathing in the hearts of the Alinsky leftists.

References:

Gold, M. (2010, April 2). "Sarah Palin's 'Real American Stories' on Fox News draws 2 million viewers." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 4, 2010 from: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2010/04/sarah-palins-real-american-stories-draws-2-million-viewers.html

Real American Stories, Sarah Palin (Comments). (2010). Real American Stories. Retrieved from: http://www.realamericanstories.com/sarah-palin/

Van Susteren, G. (2010, April 3). "Governor Sarah Palin's one hour Special on Fox News Channel." GretaWire. Retrieved April 4, 2010 from: http://gretawire.blogs.foxnews.com/governor-sarah-palins-one-hour-special-on-fox-news-channel/

"The Pine Trees Know When It's Easter"

It was in the mid-1970's when someone first pointed out the pine tree "Easter crosses" to me. A few days ago, I looked unsuccessfully for them in one group of pine trees. But today I saw them at the top of nearby pine trees. So I went to the Internet to see if others had described them. And I found a beautiful story that has been repeated many times. It can be found at this website, where it is accompanied by my favorite song.

Here is an excerpt from the story from this website:

After a few minutes, I looked over at my husband and noticed a tear running down his cheek. I asked him what was wrong. This time he told me, "I was just thinking about Pop and a story he had once told me." Of course, because it had to do with his Pop, I wanted to know the story, so I asked him to share it with me.

He said, "When I was about 8 years old, Pop and I were out fishing and that's when he told me that the Pine trees know when it is Easter."

I had no idea what he meant by that, so I pressed him for more information.

He continued on... "The Pine trees start their new growth in the weeks before Easter... If you look at the tops of the Pine trees two weeks before, you will see the yellow shoots. As the days get closer to Easter Sunday, the tallest shoot will branch off and form a cross. By the time Easter Sunday comes around, you will see that most of the Pine trees will have small yellow crosses on all of the tallest shoots."

I turned to look out the window and I couldn't believe my eyes. It was a week before Easter, and you could see all of the trees with the tall yellow shoots stretching to Heaven.

The tallest ones shone in the sunlight like rows of tiny golden crosses.

Many people are familiar with the legend of the dogwood tree that arose because of the appearance of its blossom:

Another fascinating legend is one that was told to me by a minister friend in Alabama who is a storyteller for the Cherokee. It centers around the staurolite crosses that are found in greatest abundance in a 50-acre tract at the top of Bull Mountain in Virginia.

Cherokee legend has it that the tears of the Cherokee when they heard about the crucifixion of Christ were turned into these small stone crosses. I don't know whether their legend originated before or after the introduction of Christianity to North America. However, the very existence of these little staurolite crosses makes one wonder if they are yet another message about the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.

It brings to mind Jesus's words on what is now celebrated as Palm Sunday:

Luke 19:37-40 (King James Version)

³⁷And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;

³⁸Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.

³⁹And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.

⁴⁰And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

But after the cross came the resurrection. Governor Palin eloquently expressed the hope that these two events brought to the world:

Some may wonder why we merrily celebrate at a time when we’re remembering Christ’s crucifixion on the cross. And there is something to that. Good Friday is, after all, about God who became Man, dying on the cross for our sins. And yet we celebrate Easter Sunday, and we are right to do so.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). This one verse sums up the miracle that is the Easter season and helps explain the celebration. Yes, Christ died for us, but in the end Easter isn’t a season of sadness. Ultimately, the story of Christ’s rising from the dead three days after the crucifixion is the story of the triumph of hope over despair.

Sarah Palin: A Celebration of Hope

A message of love, hope, and freedom from Sarah Palin:

A Celebration of Hope

For many of us, the arrival of Easter means the arrival of a new season of joy – of Easter parades, Easter egg hunts, chocolate bunnies, and sweet Peeps topping off a family meal. Some may wonder why we merrily celebrate at a time when we’re remembering Christ’s crucifixion on the cross. And there is something to that. Good Friday is, after all, about God who became Man, dying on the cross for our sins. And yet we celebrate Easter Sunday, and we are right to do so.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). This one verse sums up the miracle that is the Easter season and helps explain the celebration. Yes, Christ died for us, but in the end Easter isn’t a season of sadness. Ultimately, the story of Christ’s rising from the dead three days after the crucifixion is the story of the triumph of hope over despair.

Hope is one of America’s unique virtues. Hope makes us dream and achieve the seemingly impossible. It’s who we are, and it’s why we’re able to always believe that our best days are yet to come, both for our families and for our country. Easter time reminds us that we have every right to believe that this hope is based on time-tested truths and a solid foundation.

On behalf of the Palin family, I wish you all a peaceful and reflective Good Friday and a blessed and happy Easter Sunday.

- Sarah Palin

May all of God's blessings touch each and everyone.

-Gary P. Jackson