An Evening with Sarah Palin: The Outdoors Enthusiast, Not the Politician

Above: Dr. Richard Kelley and daughter Bitsy Kelley

Dr. Richard Kelley the Chairman of the Board of Outrigger Enterprises Group, an upscale hotel and resort business, attended the fundraising banquet for the Weatherby Foundation International that Sarah Palin headlined in Reno, Nevada this weekend. Here he gives readers his first hand impression of the event:

This week I had a unique opportunity to explore another facet of the global Travel & Tourism industry and, at the same time, get a glimpse of one of today’s most talked-about personalities, Sarah Palin.

The occasion was a fundraising banquet of the Weatherby Foundation International, which immediately preceded the annual meeting of Safari Club International (SCI). Both events were held in Reno, Nevada. Both organizations are dedicated to ethical hunting, preservation and wildlife conservation.

My daughter Bitsy Kelley, an avid hunter and outdoors enthusiast, is a member of the Weatherby Foundation’s board of directors, and I was honored when she invited me to join her on this special occasion.

Former Governor of Alaska and Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin was the keynote speaker at the Weatherby event and captivated the audience.

Since her presentation occurred at almost exactly the same hour that President Barack Obama gave his State of the Union address to the U.S. Congress, I had expected Gov. Palin to give a table-thumping speech slamming massive federal deficits, the size of government, "ObamaCare" and loss of individual freedom.

Not one of those political topics received anything more than the briefest of mentions. Her focus was on sharing tales of her own life experiences – growing up in small towns in Alaska and learning about nature, personal responsibility and family ties through outdoors experiences with her parents and siblings – something she has carried on with her own children.

She also got some chuckles and understanding nods from her audience when she talked about some of the funny and unexpected things that happened while filming the television series Sarah Palin’s Alaska for The Learning Channel.

Listening, I could personally relate to Gov. Palin’s proposition that outdoors activities are a great means of developing family relationships and instilling values in the next generation because I did something very similar with my own children. As they were growing up, we spent many, many days in the fields of all of Hawai‘i’s major islands and later, after I began to spend more time in Colorado, in the Rocky Mountains.

Ethical hunting, the outdoors and wilderness conservation are big business. SCI has approximately 45,000 members in 190 chapters worldwide. During the past three decades SCI alone has raised and spent nearly $300 million promoting ethical hunting and wildlife conservation. Its annual convention, traditionally held in Reno, is usually the largest convention to hit the "Biggest Little City in the World" each year. Typically 20,000 attend, including many vendors who display their goods and services in a massive tradeshow covering 650,000 square feet – about three times the size of the exhibition hall in the Hawai‘i Convention Center in Waikīkī.

I knew something really important was going on in town as soon as I stepped off my flight and into the Reno terminal. “Welcome Safari Club International” signs and displays were everywhere. The motif continued throughout the lobbies and casinos of the Silver Legacy, headquarters hotel for the meeting.

During my 24 hours in Reno, I had an opportunity to talk with many members of both Weatherby Foundation International and Safari Club International. These men and women are great travelers who go around the world in pursuit of their passion for hunting, the outdoors, and wildlife conservation. This includes Hawai‘i, where hunting is legal on the Big Island, Maui, Lāna‘i, Moloka‘i, O‘ahu, Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau.

Yes, Ni‘ihau! Representatives from Ni‘ihau Safaris were at the SCI convention telling attendees of the unique opportunities available to hunt on the “Forbidden Island.” That activity not only produces an economic benefit but also helps control the population of Polynesian pigs introduced by early trans-Pacific voyagers centuries ago, as well as hybrid sheep brought there by ancestors of the Robinson family, which purchased the island in 1864.

A number of other SCI attendees were from Hawai‘i, had lived there in the past or visit Hawai‘i often. For example, I chatted with retired Marine Corps Lieutenant General Emil R. “Buck” Bedard. He told me how much he and those who served with him at Camp H. M. Smith in Aiea, Hawai‘i, appreciated the warm hospitality they always receive from Outrigger and OHANA hotels and the members of our ‘ohana. He singled out our Military Liaison, Mildred Courtney, for special praise.

Read more here.

Politico's Andy Barr Caught Red-Handed "Making Things Up" About Sarah Palin

The corrupt, left wing media is at it again. Andy Barr, a "journalist" reports an absolute lie at the so-called "political news site" Politico. At least this time he names a source, highly unusually for a website that's famous for smearing Sarah Palin, and others, by quoting "unnamed sources."

Barr used the lie to further the blood libel that somehow Sarah was responsible for the mass murders in Tuscon, even though that has been totally discredited. This is what Barr writes:

Palin retreats, won't reload

Palin’s putting the safety catch on her references to weapons in the wake of Rep. Giffords's shooting.

Continue Reading

Her speech last night to the Safari Club in Reno was closed press, but thanks to the Reno Gazette-Journal's David Jacobs putting his ear to a closed door, we’re hearing the former Alaska governor’s new line.

Palin dropped the "reload" phrase from her routine, telling the audience of hunters "don't retreat, stand tall" — a shift from her now infamous and well-known "don't retreat, reload" line that played on a loop on cable in the after the Tucson shooting.

In the wake of the tragedy, Palin came under attack for having put Giffords's district in crosshairs on her website.

In Reno, Palin also spoke in favor of gun rights and of her love of hunting, telling the crowd that hunting and fishing is part of American "exceptionalism."

This is, of course, not true. Almost as soon as this BS story broke, a member of Free Republic, SFMom, posted that she attended the event and Sarah not only used her and her dad's trademark line: "Don't retreat, reload" but used it several times.

Rebecca Mansour, who works for Sarah, confirmed via Twitter that the Politico story is "inaccurate" and Sarah indeed used her trademark line.

Is it just me, or is anyone else just a little pissed off this twerp put the word: "exceptionalism" as in AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM, in quotes?

How cosmopolitan of Barr.

Now some people may be asking "what's the big deal?"

Well, there are several. One, this lie creates the false narrative that maybe somehow Sarah feels guilty for an event she had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH, or that maybe she is somehow "effected" or even "cowed" by the attacks on her from the vile left wing media, and the democrat party.

It also gives Barr a chance to continue the lies and blood libel from the Tuscon shootings. To plant that little seed again, that Sarah IS responsible, AND now maybe realizes it herself. That's how these corrupt bastards work.

We make it habit of never believing a single thing written on the pages of Politico .... ever. We always consider anything they write an outright lie, unless it can be verified through many other sources, independently.

It should be noted that while Barr himself may not have been a member of the left wing media conspiracy known as JournoList, Politico is lousy with corrupt JournoListers. Many who have conspired to write false stories about Sarah Palin, and cover up damaging stories about Barack Obama.

The bottom is Sarah Palin has NOT retreated and has ALREADY reloaded. She's loaded for bear and ready to take on the entire bunch.

This little story does, however, serve to remind Americans nationwide that our media is corrupt, and can no longer be trusted.

Soviet Space Expert James Oberg: Sarah Palin Was Right About Sputnik

This never gets old. Sarah Palin makes a brilliant statement, or two, usually ripping the Obama regime's agenda all to pieces, then the left and their media allies [the blood libel media] start trash talking, calling her stupid, or worse, then an actual expert will show up and say "you know, that Sarah Palin is spot on."

This happens constantly, but the rabid left and the blood libel media still play their silly little Alinsky games. Too dumb to realize Sarah has read Alinsky too! [and she's better at it than they are]

This time it's Soviet space expert James Oberg. Via Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit:

I'm seeing up close how 'Palin Derangement Syndrome' can compel otherwise intelligent people to foam at the mouth and babble nonsense to prove they're right and she's wrong. The historical view is that the early Soviet victories in the Space Race led to the US response of the Apollo program, whose triumph validated the superiority of US space technology -- which had profound diplomatic, military, commercial, and cultural consequences.

When Reagan challenged the USSR with Strategic Defense in the 1980s, Apollo had given that challenge credibility -- and the same pundits in the West and in Russian who pooh-poohed SDI had also pooh-poohed the odds of Apollo working. Proven wrong once, they lost credibility when Gorbachyov had to decide when/.if to pull the plug on the USSR's own hideously expensive space weapons programs (eg, Polyus-Skif and Buran).

Soviet leadership came to believe, rightly or wrongly, that SDI was a lethal threat to them, based on the success of Apollo that had only been made possible by the stinging US defeats in the early Space Race, It's more complicated, but the essence is, Palin was right: the Soviets sowed the seed of their own collapse by setting off the Space Race.

~ James Oberg

As Reynolds puts it, it's another "Party Like It's 1773" moment!

As Ronald Reagan famously said: "It's not that our liberal friends are ignorant, it's just they know so much that isn't so."

Sarah Palin On Sputnik vs. Spudnut, And A Look Forward To The Future

Above: Governor Sarah Palin meets with Russia's Ambassador To The United States, Sergy Kislyak

If our readers checked out coverage of Sarah Palin's interview with Greta Van Susteren and her follow up posting on Facebook, you know that (A) she has been ripping Obama's pep rally for even MORE Big Government boondoggles [otherwise known as the SOTU speech] to shreds, and (B) she likes potato flour donuts!

We find it delightful that Sarah was able to use a donut shop with a cool name [and an excellent play on Obama's Sputnik reference] to illustrate the difference between the American Spirit, American Exceptionalism, and the ability to make one's dreams become reality in a free society vs the crippling effect of Big Government intervention, and central planning.

Sarah elaborates on Sputnik and Spudnut further:

Please read this article by the Hoover Institution’s Research Fellow Peter Schweizer. Schweizer, who has written extensively on the subject of the decline and fall of the Soviet Union, offers a Washington Post writer an important refresher on the real history of Sputnik, since many critics are engaged in misreporting:

Palin’s other point is that Sputnik was the sort of government bureaucratic program that got the Soviet Union in trouble; it’s an example of what eventually did them in. Citing Wikipedia (what journalistic ingenuity!), Stromberg argues that actually the Soviet Union didn’t have a debt problem until some "thirty years after" Sputnik. Perhaps instead of relying on Wikipedia, Stromberg might have consulted Robert Gates’ book From the Shadows which chronicles, in part, his career as a Soviet analyst at the CIA. (Just in case they are unaware at the Post, this is the same Robert Gates who is now the Secretary of Defense.) On page 173, he accurately points out that the CIA knew early on of the "Soviet economic crisis. From the late 1950s, CIA had clearly described the chronic weaknesses as well as the formidable military power of the Soviet Union."

Read the whole thing here.

Now, in a recent interview I mentioned analogies that could relate to solutions to our economic challenges, including the difference between a communist government’s "Sputnik" and the private sector’s "Spudnut." The analogies I mentioned obviously aren’t comparable in size, but highlight a clear difference in economic focus: big government command and control economies vs. America’s small businesses.

If you’re near Richland, WA, you should stop by The Spudnut Shop, where you’ll find an all-American success story of a family owned small business that for over 60 years has been serving up a product that people want to buy. Businesses like this coffee shop don’t receive big government bailouts. They produce something with their own ingenuity and hard work. And here we see the former communist Soviet Union’s advancement (before its government debt-ridden demise) vs. America’s small businesses that are the backbone of our economy.

We’d be well off if we had a greater appreciation for the free market ingenuity of ordinary American entrepreneurs, both great and small – whether they make high-tech gadgets or potato donuts. And this goes for all our small business owners – whether they run a family farm, a commercial salmon fishing business, an auto shop, a print shop, a consulting firm, a restaurant, you name it. Our government should show them more respect by not punishing their success and limiting their ability to hire more people by over-taxing and over-reaching into their businesses. Don’t stifle their growth with burdensome regulations like Obamacare and cap-and-tax. Government should be on their side, not in their way.

I believe and trust in the strength of America’s private sector. But I sometimes fear that the current administration in Washington distrusts or discounts the individuals who have built this country; hence their belief that only a distant bureaucratic elite in D.C. can make decisions for our small businesses that will provide American opportunity. This administration’s thinking is wrong. We don’t need a command and control economy that "invests" our money in their half-baked ideas. We need freedom, reward for hard work, and a re-invigorated sense of personal responsibility and work ethic, especially among our young people.

We need to be as motivated and optimistic as our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, many of whom started out with nothing but a dream as they built a life for themselves by the sweat of their brow. They didn’t ask for bailouts. They didn’t expect anything from anyone. They wanted the freedom and opportunity to work hard and prosper by their own merits. If at first they failed, they took their lumps, dusted themselves off, got back up, and tried again until they succeeded. They didn’t retreat. They built this country and they passed on to us more prosperity and opportunity than has ever been bestowed on any generation in human history. We must not squander that inheritance. Let’s get back to their common sense values.

~ Sarah Palin

This is spot on advice. America does need to look back at how our parents and grand-parents handled tough times. Not only making it through them, but coming out stronger, tougher, and more successful, as well.

I feel blessed in many ways. My parents were born in the early 1900s, as WWI was just getting cranked up, and I wasn't born until much later, when they were in their mid-40s. I had the benefit of parents who lived through two world wars and the Great Depression. They both had a strong work ethic, and a no-nonsense approach to things. I didn't get to spend as much time with them as most of my peers did their parents, as both passed on early in my life, but the couple of decades I did get to spend with them were essential.

America is in as tough a spot as it has ever been in, but common sense, AND history teach us that government is NOT the answer to our many problems. As Ronald Reagan often said: "Government is not the answer to our problems, government IS the problem." He was right. Almost every problem we have can be traced back to something government did. Some well meant but misguided program, draconian regulation, or just plain old stupidity.

We need to do everything we can to get government out of our way, off our backs, and helping, not hurting.

We need to get back to First Principles, and our Founding Fathers' vision for the Republic. One where the cities and states control their destinies, and the federal government stays out of the way, doing what it should do, protecting the nation from it's enemies, foreign and domestic, while the engine of democracy does it's thing.

Capitalism works, and works well, but only when government doesn't meddle. Doesn't try and pick winners and losers.

Not every business will succeed. Even Spudnuts, which was once a nationwide franchise, fell on hard times, but they survive today as a smaller group of independent owners, and carry on a brand that has been around since 1946. They did this by learning from mistakes, doing what had to be done to survive, and good old fashioned hard work. And, making a good product, as well. Not by government handouts.

Democrats introduced the concept of "too big to fail." This is a dangerous idea. Also a strange idea coming from people who believe in the THEORY of evolution as fact.

Part of evolution in business, as in the animal kingdom, is survival of the fittest. Just like some species of animals, plants, and what have you, fail, so do some businesses. It's a natural thing. A healthy thing. We learn more from failure than success. Also getting struggling businesses, that can't be turned around, liquidated, helps strengthen the market as a whole. Works the same way in the plant and animal world as well.

Government "investment" in failing businesses and "concepts" only continues to prop up the walking dead, and wastes billion, if not trillions of dollars on things that will never be.

The entire "green economy" would collapse tomorrow if the hundreds of billions of tax payer dollars stopped propping them up. But the "wise men" in Washington [and some "good old boys" on the take] have decided they are smarter than the markets, and have thrown common sense to the wind, literally, pushing an agenda few want, and one that cannot survive in the free market.

The "green economy" has failed the "survival of the fittest" test. It's failed to "evolve" into a viable business. We've been funding "green" for almost a century. Time to let it sink or swim on it's own, and stop throwing good money [that we don't have] after bad.

The same goes for other failed ideas. Time to just let go. 

We must be smarter. We must tell the federal government to cease and desist. It's well past time to stop the Soviet style central planning of our economy, and our lives. It has been a miserable failure. It has put us over $14 trillion in debt. That's basically 100 percent of the nation's yearly gross domestic product! [GDP] It's beyond simply unsustainable, it's a serious national security risk. The very nation could collapse under the weight of the debt. Simply cease to exist.

Washington wants to GROW the debt more and control even MORE of our lives from the central office in D.C.

This is unacceptable. The great American Experiment has always thrived when government was held at bay, and hard working American were left alone to do their thing. It's time to DEMAND this be the case once again, and take solid steps to make sure it is ALWAYS the case moving forward.

Sarah Palin is the nation's only top leader who is making this case for the American people. She gets it. This is why we must get behind her efforts to bring REAL CHANGE to America.

BTW, Sarah has visited The Spudnut Shop in Richland, WA and the Tri-City Herald reports on local reactions on this story and has a photo gallery of her visit. You can check that out here.

Michael Williams: I'm In!

Got a great email from Michael Williams today {as did all of his supporters] :

I'm In!

Dear Friends,

Today I officially announced my candidacy for the United States Senate in 2012. Let me tell you a little about how I reached this decision.

All too often, good people run for elected office for the wrong reasons. In each of my successful statewide races in Texas, I have sought that office with a specific purpose that involves serving our people rather than pursuing power.

First and most importantly, what guides me is a desire to serve God and my family. But I also feel called to serve the people of Texas, and my purpose in seeking this seat is to bring a prosperity agenda to Washington that empowers individuals instead of government.

I will go to Washington, D.C. to fight the establishment that expands government at the expense of our liberty. I will advocate for free markets unfettered by excessive federal regulation. I will champion life, and stand for the rule of law in enforcing our borders.

President Obama and the Democrats in the Senate are blocking true conservative reform including the repeal of ObamaCare, immigration reform, spending cuts, tax reform and the will of the electorate. If you send me to Washington, I will fight to restore our freedoms, and unleash future generations from a burden of debt.

But I need your help. Your contribution can help fuel a resounding victory in 2012.

Can you chip in $20 or more to help us start off strong?

Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and support.

God bless,

Michael

This is what we have been waiting for since Kay Bailey Hutchison announced she was retiring. Michael Williams is the right man for Texas and the Right man to represent Texas in Washington. A solid, Common Sense Conservative. Someone to help turn things around!

Now that it's official, send Michael a $20 to help him kick things off. Stop by his website WilliamsforTexas to donate.

Also follow Michael on Facebook and Twitter.

Sarah Palin Talks About What A Palin Presidency Would Look Like On The Bob And Mark Show

This is an incredible interview with Sarah Palin. She talks policy and what she will do as President. It's slash and burn time for wasteful spending, strong foreign policy, entitlement reform and much much more. You understand really quick that Sarah is ready to rock and roll and get things done. She understands what must be done.

Oh, and she's running! 

A must hear interview.

Audio courtesy PalinTV.

Sarah Palin To Headline Reagan's 100th Birthday Celebration At The Reagan Ranch

This is an exciting announcement. As we start the year long celebration of the life of one of our nation's greatest leaders who better to be front and center than Sarah Palin, a true Reagan Conservative who embodies the spirit of everything that made Ronald Reagan great.

From Publius at Andrew Breitbart's Big Government:

Governor Palin Chooses Young America’s Foundation’s Reagan Ranch Center as the Backdrop for her Speech to Honor the 100th Anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s Birth

Young America’s Foundation announced today that Governor Sarah Palin will give the keynote address on February 4 at its Reagan 100 Opening Banquet at the Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara, California, for the 100th anniversary celebration of President Reagan’s birthday. Governor Palin was Alaska’s youngest and first woman governor and the first female Vice Presidential candidate in the history of the GOP.

"I am very excited to have been selected to address Young America’s Foundation’s Reagan 100 dinner," Governor Palin said. "Young America’s Foundation has been sharing the values of President Reagan with young people for more than 40 years, and there is no organization more committed to preserving freedom’s future."

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birth, Governor Palin will reflect on the seminal speech by President Reagan, "Time for Choosing," that discussed the risks and rewards before an America at a crossroads in the early 1960’s. Governor Palin will draw parallels to today while calling for young people to continue the Reagan revolution into the future.

Vice President Dick Cheney will also headline the celebration weekend and deliver the keynote address at the closing Reagan 100 Dinner Banquet on Saturday, February 5 at the Reagan Ranch Center.

On Saturday night, the celebration weekend will close with a screening of Young America’s Foundation’s first film production, Still Point in a Turning World: Ronald Reagan and his Ranch. The film, directed by Stephen K. Bannon, addresses the importance of the Ranch as a representation of the values of the President and the urgency of passing those values on to the next generation.

The weekend’s festivities will include a series of panel discussions on Ronald Reagan’s lasting accomplishments as well as his important role in the future of freedom in our country. Panels will feature an array of scholars, writers, artists, and luminaries, including Reagan authors Lou Cannon, Peter Schweizer, Craig Shirley, and Lee Edwards; best-selling novelist Brad Thor; Reagan intimates and former Secret Service agents John Barletta and Dennis LeBlanc; artist Steve Penley; renowned film maker Stephen K. Bannon; Reagan administration alumni Frank Donatelli and Michelle Easton; as well as Young America’s Foundation President Ron Robinson, Director and author Wynton Hall, and Vice Presidents Kate Obenshain and Andrew Coffin.

These special events kick off an entire year-long celebration of President Reagan’s life and ideas and his relevance for today’s times. The weekend is part of Young America’s Foundation’s Reagan 100: Freedom’s Future initiative, celebrating the leadership of President Reagan and how important his vision is to the future of freedom in our country.

During the birthday weekend, select members of the press are invited to observe the birthday weekend festivities and tour the Reagan Ranch—Rancho del Cielo—where President Reagan spent nearly a year of his Presidency. Press must make reservations to participate. Space is very limited.

For further information on this event, or to request non-transferable press credentials, call Evan Gassman at (800) USA-1776.

Sarah Palin: Obama’s Message to America: The Era of Big Government is Back, Now Help Me Pay For It

Despite the flowery rhetoric, the President doesn’t seem to understand that individuals make America great, not the federal government. American greatness lies in the courage and hard work of individual innovators and entrepreneurs. America is an exceptional nation in part because we have historically been a country that rewards and affirms individual initiative and offers people the freedom to invest and create as they see fit – not as a government bureaucrat does.

Yes, government can play an appropriate role in our free market by ensuring a level playing field to encourage honest competition without picking winners and losers. But by and large, government should get out of the way. Unfortunately, under President Obama’s leadership, government growth is in our way, and his "big government greatness" will not help matters.

~ Sarah Palin

On the heels of her blistering rebuke of Obama's SOTU message on Greta's show Wednesday night comes a more detailed [and devistating] policy statement. Sarah Palin's own State of the Union report, if you will. Here she takes the president's agenda apart piece by piece, offing common sense solutions in it's place.

[Emphasis mine]

Obama’s Message to America: The Era of Big Government is Back, Now Help Me Pay For It

The President’s State of the Union address boiled down to this message: "The era of big government is here as long as I am, so help me pay for it." He dubbed it a "Winning The Future" speech, but the title’s acronym seemed more accurate than much of the content.

Americans are growing impatient with a White House that still just doesn’t get it. The President proves he doesn’t understand that the biggest challenge facing our economy is today’s runaway debt when he states we want to make sure "we don’t get buried under a mountain a debt." That’s the problem! We are buried under Mt. McKinley-sized debt. It’s at the heart of what is crippling our economy and taking our jobs. This is the concern that should be on every leader’s mind. Our country’s future is at stake, and we’re rapidly reaching a crisis point. Our government is spending too much, borrowing too much, and growing too much. Debt is stifling our private sector growth, and millions of Americans are desperately looking for work.

So, what was the President’s response? At a time when we need quick, decisive, and meaningful action to stop our looming debt crisis, President Obama gave us what politicians have for years: promises that more federal government "investment" (read: more government spending) is the solution.

He couched his proposals to grow government and increase spending in the language of "national greatness." This seems to be the Obama administration’s version of American exceptionalism – an "exceptionally big government," in which a centralized government declares that we shall be great and innovative and competitive, not by individual initiative, but by government decree. Where once he used words like "hope" and "change," the President may now talk about "innovation" and "competition"; but the audacity of his recycled rhetoric no longer inspires hope.

Real leadership is more than just words; it’s deeds. The President’s deeds don’t lend confidence that we can trust his words spoken last night.

In the past, he promised us he’d make job creation his number one priority, while also cutting the deficit, eliminating waste, easing foreclosures in the housing markets, and making "tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development." What did we get? A record $1.5 trillion deficit, an 84% increase in federal spending, a trillion dollar stimulus that stimulated nothing but more Tea Party activism, 9+% unemployment (or 17% percent if you include those who have stopped looking for work or settled for part time jobs), 2.9 million home foreclosures last year, and a moratorium on offshore drilling that has led to more unemployment and $100 dollar a barrel oil.

The President glossed over the most important issue he needed to address last night: spending. He touched on deficit reduction, but his proposals amount to merely a quarter of the cuts in discretionary spending proposed by his own Deficit Reduction Commission, not to mention the $2.5 trillion in cuts over ten years suggested by the Republican Study Committee. And while we appreciate hearing the same President who gave us the trillion dollar Stimulus Package boondoggle finally concede that we need to cut earmarks, keep in mind that earmarks are a $16 billion drop in the $1.5 trillion ocean that is the federal deficit. Budget cuts won’t be popular, but they are vitally necessary or we will soon be a bankrupt country. It’s the responsibility of a leader to make sure the American people fully understand this.

As it is, the American people should fully understand that when the President talks about increased "investments" he’s talking about increased government spending. Cut away the rhetoric and you’ll also see that the White House’s real message on economic reform wasn’t one of substantial spending cuts, but of tax increases. When the President talks about simplifying the tax code, he’s made it clear that he’s not looking to cut your taxes; he’s looking for additional tax revenue from you. The tax "simplification" suggested by the President’s Deficit Reduction Commission would end up raising taxes by $1 trillion over the next decade. So, instead of bringing spending down in line with revenue, the President wants to raise our taxes to pay for his massive spending increases. It’s tax and spend in reverse: spend first, tax later.

And the Obama administration has a lot of half-baked ideas on where to spend our hard-earned money in pursuit of "national greatness." These "investments," as the President calls them, include everything from solar shingles to high speed trains. As we struggle to service our unsustainable debt, the only thing these "investments" will get us is a bullet train to bankruptcy.

With credit ratings agency Moody’s warning us that the federal government must reverse the rapid growth of national debt or face losing our triple-A rating, keep in mind that a nation doesn’t look so "great" when its credit rating is in tatters.

Of course, it’s nice to give a speech calling for "investment" and "competition" in order to reach greatness. It’s quite another thing to advocate and implement policies that truly encourage such things. Growing the federal government is not the answer.

Take education for example. It’s easy to declare the need for better education, but will throwing even more money at the issue really help? As the Cato Institute’s Michael Tanner notes, "the federal government has increased education spending by 188 percent in real terms since 1970 without seeing any substantial improvement in test scores." If you want "innovation" and "competition," then support school choice initiatives and less federal control over our state and local districts.

When it comes to energy issues, we heard more vague promises last night as the President’s rhetoric suggested an all-of-the-above solution to meeting our country’s energy needs. But again, his actions point in a different direction. He offers a vision of a future powered by what he refers to as "clean energy," but how we will get there from here remains a mystery. In the meantime, he continues to stymie the responsible development of our own abundant conventional energy resources – the stuff we actually use right now to fuel our economy. His continued hostility towards domestic drilling means hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs will not be created and millions of Americans will end up paying more at the pump. It also means we’ll continue to transfer hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars to foreign regimes that don’t have America’s interests at heart.

On the crucial issue of entitlement reform, the President offered nothing. This is shocking, because as he himself explained back in April 2009, "if we want to get serious about fiscal discipline…we will have to get serious about entitlement reform." Even though the Medicare Trust Fund will run out of funds a mere six years from now, and the Social Security Trust Fund is filled mainly with IOUs, the President opted to kick the can down the road yet again. And once again, he was disingenuous when he suggested that meaningful reform would automatically expose people’s Social Security savings to a possible stock market crash. As Rep. Paul Ryan showed in his proposed Roadmap, and others have explained, it’s possible to come up with meaningful reform proposals that tackle projected shortfalls and offer workers more options to invest our own savings while still guaranteeing invested funds so they won’t fall victim to sudden swings in the stock market.

And what about that crucial issue confronting so many Americans who are struggling today – the lack of jobs? The President came to office promising that his massive, multi-trillion dollar spending programs would keep unemployment below 8%; but the lack of meaningful, pro-free market reforms in yesterday’s speech means his legacy will almost certainly be four years of above 8% unemployment, regardless of how much he increases federal spending (or perhaps I should say because of how much he’s increased it).

Perhaps the most nonsensical bit of double-speak we heard last night was when the President said that hitting job-creators with a tax increase isn’t "punishing their success. It’s about promoting America’s success." But government taking more money from the small business entrepreneurs who create up to 70% of all jobs in this country is not "promoting America’s success." It’s a disincentive that will result in less job creation. It is, in fact, punishing the success of the very people who created the innovation that the President has supposedly been praising.

Despite the flowery rhetoric, the President doesn’t seem to understand that individuals make America great, not the federal government. American greatness lies in the courage and hard work of individual innovators and entrepreneurs. America is an exceptional nation in part because we have historically been a country that rewards and affirms individual initiative and offers people the freedom to invest and create as they see fit – not as a government bureaucrat does. Yes, government can play an appropriate role in our free market by ensuring a level playing field to encourage honest competition without picking winners and losers. But by and large, government should get out of the way. Unfortunately, under President Obama’s leadership, government growth is in our way, and his "big government greatness" will not help matters.

Consider what his "big government greatness" really amounts to. It’s basically a corporatist agenda – it’s the collaboration between big government and the big businesses that have powerful friends in D.C. and can afford to hire big lobbyists. This collaboration works in a manner that distorts and corrupts true free market capitalism. This isn’t just old-fashioned big government liberalism; this is crony capitalism on steroids. In the interests of big business, we’re "investing" in technologies and industries that venture capitalists tell us are non-starters, but which will provide lucrative returns for some corporate interests who have major investments in these areas. In the interests of big government, we’re not reducing the size of our bloated government or cutting spending, we’re told the President will freeze it – at unsustainable, historic levels! In practice, this means that public sector employees (big government’s staunchest defenders) may not lose jobs, but millions of Americans in the private sector face lay offs because the ever-expanding government has squeezed out and crippled our economy under the weight of unsustainable debt.

Ronald Reagan said, "You can’t be for big government, big taxes, and big bureaucracy and still be for the little guy." President Obama’s proposals last night stick the little guy with the bill, while big government and its big corporate partners prosper. The plain truth is our country simply cannot afford Barack Obama’s dream of an "exceptionally big government" that may help the big guys, but sticks it to the rest of us.

~ Sarah Palin

This is a powerful policy statement. Sarah Palin gets it. Barack Obama clearly doesn't.

Sarah Palin has a true vision for the nation. It's what real leadership looks like.

Sarah Palin Gets Warm Reception At Lubbock Christian School Fundraiser

Sarah Palin was in Lubbock, Texas on Monday night to help raise money for the Lubbock Christian School. From the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal:

Despite the heightened level of security concerns, the Lubbock Christian School fundraiser featuring Sarah Palin garnered ample support from area residents and created a unique connection between Alaska and Texas.

Palin, former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate, addressed about 1,400 people Monday night during LCS’ annual fundraiser at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center.

Palin said Texas and Alaska are alike because they are "good beacons of freedom" and share similar values and work ethic, said Kristen Vander-Plas, president of the Lubbock Christian University College Republicans.

She said she was impressed by Palin’s willingness to go forward with her fundraiser appearance with added security despite the recent shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona.

Many in the audience were LCS alumni, Vander-Plas said, and the audience as a whole was receptive to Palin’s message as was evident in their frequent applause and cheers.

"I believe in Sarah Palin and what she represents for America," said Linda Hunt of San Angelo, who won free tickets for the event. "Her enthusiasm, her love for America, her honesty and her core values of representing the people and not just special interests."

Still, LCS alumni and sponsors said the main purpose of the evening was raising money for the school — having Palin present was an added bonus.

Kimberly Chitwood of Minnix Commercial Construction said someone as well-recognized as Palin at the annual fundraiser is a rare opportunity to attract people and support for the school.

"I thought it’d be interesting and we enjoy Sarah Palin," said Ross Shamburger, who bought tickets for the fundraiser on the first day they were sold. "It’s an exciting, great opportunity for LCS. Hopefully, they’ll raise a lot of money."

Barack Obama Celebrates America's Culture of Death

"The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to kill it."
Margaret Sanger (editor). The Woman Rebel, Volume I, Number 1. Reprinted in Woman and the New Race. New York: Brentanos Publishers, 1922.

"Birth control must lead ultimately to a cleaner race."
Margaret Sanger. Woman, Morality, and Birth Control. New York: New York Publishing Company, 1922. Page 12.

"We should hire three or four colored ministers, preferably with social-service backgrounds, and with engaging personalities. The most successful educational approach to the Negro is through a religious appeal. We don’t want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population. and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members."
Margaret Sanger’s December 19, 1939 letter to Dr. Clarence Gamble, 255 Adams Street, Milton, Massachusetts. Original source: Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, North Hampton, Massachusetts. Also described in Linda Gordon’s Woman’s Body, Woman’s Right: A Social History of Birth Control in America. New York: Grossman Publishers, 1976.

"Eugenic sterilization is an urgent need … We must prevent multiplication of this bad stock."
Margaret Sanger, April 1933 Birth Control Review.

"Eugenics is … the most adequate and thorough avenue to the solution of racial, political and social problems.
Margaret Sanger. "The Eugenic Value of Birth Control Propaganda." Birth Control Review, October 1921, page 5.

How ironic is it that America's first black President so gleefully celebrates the culture of death his party created over a century ago, with the stated goal of wiping out the Negro race.

Margret Sanger, the founder of what we now know as Planned Parenthood worked hard to make abortion acceptable to the public at large, all in an attempt to "cleanse" the population of "undesirables." Sanger, who called blacks "human weeds" is an icon of the left. Winning a Margret Sanger Award is a supposed highlight of one's career.

She would be appalled at the thought of someone like Barack Obama, the product of a black father and a white mother. 

On Saturday the New York Times wrote this:

President Obama reaffirmed his support for abortion rights on Saturday, the 38th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade that established a woman’s right to an abortion.

"I am committed to protecting this constitutional right," Mr. Obama said in a statement. "I also remain committed to policies, initiatives, and programs that help prevent unintended pregnancies, support pregnant women and mothers, encourage healthy relationships, and promote adoption."

Mr. Obama, the father of two young daughters, called on Americans to "recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights, the same freedoms, and the same opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams."

Actually Roe did no such thing. Rights cannot be "established" by anyone but God. That's the very premise of the United States Constitution, our supreme law of the land. The Constitution is designed to stop GOVERNMENT from trampling on these God given rights. Nothing more, nothing less. More on that in a minute.

What troubles me about this part of the Times piece is this:

Mr. Obama, the father of two young daughters, called on Americans to "recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights, the same freedoms, and the same opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams."

When Obama first took office and abortion was the topic, he announced he didn't want his girls "punished" with a baby if they "made a mistake." How dark-hearted is that!

It seems that Obama actually believes that having children somehow slows a woman down and ruins their opportunities to fulfill their dreams. Sounds like he is someone who has some serious issues.

He better not tell this to Sarah Palin, a proud mother of five beautiful children. She's had one of the most successful political careers in recent memory. Mayor, oil and gas regulator, Governor, Commander-in-Chief, best selling author, successful television host, and odds on favorite to be our next President.

Or how about Liz Cheney? She too has five children, and has had a serious foreign policy portfolio for years.Very successful.

Then there is Michelle Bachmann. Michelle is also one of the nation's top leaders. Not only does she have five children of her own, she and her husband raised twenty-three (23) foster kids! If anyone was going to be "handicapped" by children ....

These are just three examples of happy successful women [out of millions] who weren't slowed down a bit by having a houseful of kids. 

Children are a blessing. Yeah, they are hard work, but so is everything that matters.

There's more from the Times:

Mr. Obama said the 1973 Supreme Court ruling "affirms a fundamental principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters."

Now THAT would be snort-worthy, if it wasn't so infuriating. Here's the biggest Big Government proponent since FDR talking about government needing to stay out of "private family matters"!

What does this fool think ObamaCare does? Or how about the First Lady's championing of controls over the food we eat and the beverages we drink?

We are to the point where government is telling what kind of light bulbs you can buy! Mr Obama, I think the "government should not intrude on private family matters" ship has sailed long ago. You are helping kill the concept of individual Freedom and Liberty.

Abortion is a nasty business, and absolutely nothing to celebrate or be proud of. 10s of millions of babies have been slaughtered since Roe. It's been particularly hard on the black population. If you've never visited the website Black Genocide, you should. It's a real eye opener.

Roe was bad law, mostly because it usurped states' rights. The 10th Amendment. Contrary to left wing propaganda, it didn't "legalize" abortion. Abortion was already legal in most states, with different states having different restrictions. Roe was about privacy. Texas had a law that require the father be notified before an abortion was performed. Not exactly an unreasonable law, and there were exceptions. The Supreme Court "found" a right to privacy that never before existed to strike down the Texas law. 

It should be noted that Norma L McCorvey, Jane Roe, never actually had an abortion, and has become one of the leading voices in trying to have Roe v Wade over turned.

One of the most despicable consequences to come out of Roe has been the rise of Planned Parenthood. Though the left calls these "women's health clinics" they are nothing more than abortion mills that skirt the law and mass murder for profit. And by mass murder I do mean mass murder.

It's interesting to note that while an Illinois State Senator Barack Obama, fought against "born alive" legislation that would require doctors to attend to the life of babies who survived botched abortions chose now to celebrate the left's cult of death.

As you know, a West Philadelphia abortion mill doctor, his wife and eight other suspects are now under arrest following a grand jury investigation. From CBS Philly:

Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 69, faces eight counts of murder in the deaths of a woman following a botched abortion at his office, along with the deaths of seven other babies who, prosecutors allege, were born alive following illegal late-term abortions and then were killed by severing their spinal cords with a pair of scissors.

"I am aware that abortion is a hot-button topic," said District Attorney Seth Williams. "But as district attorney, my job is to carry out the law. A doctor who knowingly and systematically mistreats female patients, to the point that one of them dies in his so-called care, commits murder under the law. A doctor who cuts into the necks severing the spinal cords of living, breathing babies, who would survive with proper medical attention, is committing murder under the law."

Gosnell is facing charges of murder in the third degree for the death of 41-year-old Karnamaya Mongar. Mrs. Mongar died on November 20, 2009, when she was overdosed with anesthetics prescribed by Gosnell. He is also facing seven murder charges for the deaths of infants who were killed after being born viable and alive during the sixth, seventh, or eighth month of pregnancy. Gosnell is also facing numerous other charges.

Gosnell is suspected of killing hundreds of living babies over the course of his 30-year practice. However, he is not charged because the records do not exist.

DA Williams said Gosnell made approximately $1.8 million in one year alone performing the procedures.

$1.8 million is a year. Evil pays very well it seems.

What does it say about our society that this District Attorney is all but apologizing for arresting this monster who is suspected of murdering in the hundreds. Our society is in real trouble.

The stories coming out of this abortion mill are just heartbreaking. This evil man not only murder living, breathing infants, but at least one adult female as well. I say "at least" because this "doctor" failed to keep records of his slaughter.

The stories are horrific, but it's worth the effort to take a look at both the Grand Jury's findings, and the Philly DA's Final Presentment here and here.

This "doctor" was a monster, laughing and joking as he murdered. Michelle Malkin wrote a very strong column on this entitled: The Philadelphia Horror: How mass murder gets a pass, which is a must read.

Michelle has another strong column today: The March for Life 2011: America’s REAL rally to restore hope and sanity. It too is essential reading.

I know some people will say this monster, "Dr" Kermit Gosnell, is some sort of aberration. Not representative of the abortion mill industry as a whole. They would be wrong. This is all too common, as many investigations have proven.

Life News has just published the first chapter of Abby Johnson's new book, Unplanned, an exposé on Planned Parenthood. Abby Johnson is the former director of the Planned Parenthood abortion business in Bryan, Texas. She had a change of heart after being asked to assist in an abortion, and has now written a book exposing the entire set up. You can read the first chapter here.

While Obama and his followers celebrate what amounts to nothing less than genocide, they are working hard to remove any all all restrictions to abortion. Using the Orwellian title, the"Freedom of Choice Act" will:

* FOCA will do away with state laws on parental involvement, on partial birth abortion, and on all other protections.


* FOCA will compel taxpayer funding of abortions.


* FOCA will force faith-based hospitals and health care facilities to perform abortions.

That's right, this death warrant for future babies will force all taxpayers to pay for this mass murder, and will force faith based hospitals to perform this gruesome act of violence. So much for the left's nonsense about the "separation of church and state"! This will force a lot of hospitals to close, rather than participate in this genocide.

You can help stop this though by joining the fight and signing the petition here.

The legacy that Obama and the left is celebrating is a legacy of death and destruction. A legacy of broken lives and tattered souls. It's nothing to be proud of.

Sarah Palin, when speaking of abortion, reminds us a people are judged by the way they treat the least among them. If that's the case, America will be judged quite harshly, and will deserve it.

Sarah Palin: Ronald Reagan Was America's Lifeguard

As you know, in February we will celebrate Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday. In honor of this, Sarah Palin has written a tribute to the Gipper for USA Today:

I had the privilege of coming of age during the era of Ronald Reagan. I like to think of him as America's lifeguard. As a teenager, Ronald Reagan saved 77 lives as a lifeguard on the Rock River, which ran through his hometown of Dixon, Ill. The day he was inaugurated in 1981, a local radio announcer famously declared, "The Rock River flows for you tonight, Mr. President."

The image of the lifeguard seems to represent what Reagan was to America and to the freedom-loving people of the world. He lifted our country up at a time when we were in the depths of economic, cultural and spiritual malaise. We were told that we must accept that the era of American greatness was over; but with his optimism and common sense, President Reagan held up a mirror to the American soul to remind us of our exceptionalism.

Reagan showed us that despite a deep recession, there could still be morning in America. He could speak to the economic troubles facing ordinary Americans because he understood what it was like to live through a Great Depression where families scraped to get by. And yet, he saw us recover from our Great Depression, and under his leadership we experienced the greatest peacetime economic boom in our history. He could speak to our fears that our years as a superpower were over, because he understood what it was like to see America at war and really fear that we might lose. And yet, he saw us win two world wars, and under his leadership we won the Cold War without firing a single shot. Reagan's belief in American greatness was rooted in historic fact, not blind optimism. He was a sunny optimist because he knew that our best days are yet to come.

Today, when we hear the worry in the voices of Americans wondering where the jobs will be for our children and grandchildren and wondering if the world will be safe and prosperous in the years to come, we should remember Reagan's faith in our inherent heroism and greatness. When we see people around the globe looking to the White House for leadership, we should remember Reagan's steel spine. He understood America's purpose in this world and what we need to do to secure liberty. As Margaret Thatcher said of him, "He sought to mend America's wounded spirit, to restore the strength of the free world, and to free the slaves of communism." He sought those things and he succeeded.

This year, as we celebrate the centennial of Reagan's birth, let's remember the lifeguard from the Rock River who rescued us with his optimism and common sense. We need more lifeguards like him.

Indeed we do!

The vote I cast for Ronald Reagan in 1980 was my first. We had struggled through the Carter years. Reagan immediately made the nation feel strong again. It wasn't easy to turn things around, and it didn't happen over night. During the Carter years the media actually created something called a "misery index" to help Americans understand just how bad things were. America was in a malaise.

The thing Reagan did, with his optimism and belief in the American people, was inspiring. He had people believing in themselves again. As a strong leader he showed America the way, and America followed. It was Reagan's policies that created the longest period of economic growth in our nation's history. Americans were proud again. The American spirit had been lifted. Great successes followed.

It's a tribute to Reagan that he is still the standard that all great leaders are measured by.

As we look ahead for a new leader, for someone with the strength of character, as well as clarity of vision, I'm reminded of the horrible events of a few weeks back. The democrat party, aided by the corrupt media, worked hard to blood libel the 30 to 40 million Americans who are members of the Tea Party, trying desperately to tie the acts of a mad man to the group, as well as Sarah Palin.

Only one leader stood up and defended the honor of these millions of America. As she has been doing for the past several years, it was Sarah Palin who stood up to the left. Others hid out, still others, including many Republicans, told her to sit down and shut up. None had America's back.

Time and time again Sarah has shown that she is the only leader with the strength and conviction to stand up and be heard. The only leader who will fearlessly take on those who seek to tear America down.

I know this is a tribute to a great President, a great leader, and a great man, but as Sarah herself puts it, we need more lifeguards like Ronnie. I submit we have found one who is cut from the same cloth, someone who like Reagan, sees America as that Shining City on a Hill.

There is simply no one better to carry on the legacy of the great Ronald Reagan than Sarah Palin.

New Jersey Governor Christie's Dirty Ties To Hamas-linked Islamic Supremacists

Now we know why Chris Christie came out in support of the Ground Zero Victory Mosque.

From Jihad Watch: [emphasis mine]

Cross another one off the Presidential timber list for 2012. A tale of yet another clueless or compromised politician: "Governor Christie's Dirty Islamist Ties," by Daniel Greenfield at Sultan Knish, January 16 (thanks to Dave):

New Jersey, the Garden State, has just taken its first step toward becoming the Sharia State, with Governor Christie's nomination of Sohail Mohammed, an attorney to detained terrorist suspects, to a Superior Court judgeship in Passaic County. The Sohail nomination continues Christie's unfortunate pandering to the American Muslim Union and the Islamic Center of Passaic County.

Passaic County has the second largest Muslim population in the country. And the Islamic Center of Passaic County is the state's largest mosque, and it's the only one run by an an Imam who was a member of the Hamas terrorist organization. But when the United States government attempted to deport Mohammed Qatanani, New Jersey's pols and wannabe pols like Christie, quickly came to his aid. Despite the fact that Mohammed Qatanani was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, the organization that is behind both Al Qaeda and Hamas, despite his own guilty plea to being a member of Hamas, and despite the fact that even in the United States, he had defended a charity that provided funds to children of suicide bombers (this is done as an incentive to reassure terrorists that if they die their families will be taken care of), Qatanani was not deported.

This is less a sign of his innocence, then of the power and influence wielded by Qatanani and the American Muslim Union. There was hardly a top New Jersey public official who did not come out for Qatanani. And that included both of the major candidates in the governor's race, Governor Jon Corzine and Chris Christie. Christie called Qatanani, "a man of great goodwill" and "a constructive force" and allowed Charles McKenna, one of his associate attorneys to testify on behalf of Qatanani. Afterward Christie tapped McKenna to head New Jersey's Department of Homeland Security. McKenna had spent a good deal of time on Muslim "outreach" and made numerous statements echoing their talking points.

The pioneering terrorism researcher, Steve Emerson called it, "a disgrace and an act of pure political corruption". He stated, "I know for certain that Christie and the FBI SAC had access to information about Qatanani's background, involvement with and support of Hamas." Defending Qatanani required Christie to pit himself against the Department of Homeland Security, which wanted him deported. But the Department of Homeland Security wasn't running for office in New Jersey. Christie was.

The first Imam of the Islamic Center of Passaic County, Mohammad El-Mezain, was convicted of funneling money to Hamas. El-Mezain had actually boasted of raising almost 2 million dollars for Hamas. And his replacement, Qatanani, actually was a member of Hamas. An ordinary politician might have been forgiven for not knowing this, but Christie was the US Attorney for New Jersey. It's absolutely impossible that he would not have known the background of the Islamic Center of Passaic County. Yet Christie attended a Ramadan dinner, in the same place where terrorists had fundraised, and kissed Qatanani on the cheek.

Now Christie has nominated Sohail Mohammed, Qatanan's former lawyer, to a Superior Court judgeship. Sohail Mohammed is a board member of the American Muslim Union, an organization that has interlocking leadership with groups that have fundraised for Hamas and hosted a Hamas speaker. The American Muslim Union is closely interlinked with Qatanani's Islamic Center of Passaic County....

There is much more. Read it all.

BareNakedIslam has even more:

What should raise a red flag about this appointee is his remarks following the arrest of the 6 Muslim men charged with plotting to slaughter scores of soldiers at Fort Dix, N.J. Their goal was "to kill as many American soldiers as possible" in attacks with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and guns, prosecutors said.

In January 2006, a store clerk in New Jersey saw something. A group of Muslim men had brought him a video showing them firing assault weapons and chanting, "God is Great!" in Arabic. They wanted him to transfer the footage onto a DVD.

Read the full story here.

New Jersey is a big state, population wise, one would think there would be good, qualified jurists that Christie could have appointed Superior Court that didn't have ties to radical Islam. We've been skeptical of Christie for a long time. His support for left wing politicians, and of course his support for legislation that would allow the state to confiscate private property at will, grabbing unused traveler's checks and gift cards to feed the government monster, has troubled us greatly. That said, this is incredibly troubling.

We are at war with radical Islam, and Chris Christie is appointing someone To New Jersey's Superior Court with ties to not one, but two Islamic terrorist groups.Worse than that, it seems Christie has many ties to the radical Islamic community as well.

It looks like Chris Christie is quite willing to not only sell out American values, but America's national security for votes. Votes from the very people who have declared war on the United States.

Unbelievable.

Sarah Palin: Obama Is Hell Bent On Weakening America

An strong interview that got lost in all of the insanity from the blood libel media after the Arizona shootings. Laura Ingraham interviews Sarah Palin, and as always, Sarah has some strong opinions on key issues.

@0:11 - On those who want to decide the 2012 Republican nominee before a vote is cast: "It's evidence of their lack of respect for the idea of competition....These elites don't understand the value of competition."

@1:21 - On McCain's comments on the TODAY Show that he is looking to compromise with the administration on comprehensive immigration reform: "I don't think the priority of the Republican Party should be capitulating or compromising when it comes to our principles and those time tested truths that help build our country."

@1:39 - On the GOP's need to stand firm: "What the American public wants to see right now...is not so much the idea of compromise but drawing some lines in the sand and warning these newly elected and re-elected Congressmen and women and Senators that we expect them to adhere to the will of the people, whether it comes to repealing ObamaCare, whether it comes to not raising the debt ceiling, whether it comes to securing our borders. We want some lines drawn in the sand and we want that done today."

@2:18 - Palin: "We keep giving some of these personalities in the GOP chance after chance to prove to the American public that it's the GOP's ideas and values and planks in the platform that should be implemented to provide solutions to America's challenges. But they've blown it too many times and this is to me kind of like their last chance. Draw some lines in the sand."

@2:49 - Palin: "Don't be talking about capitulation and compromise at this point."

Laura: "That's your former running mate. That's the guy who picked you on the ticket talking about comprehensive immigration reform."

Palin: "I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt that he's got some ideas that ultimately will result in no amnesty and securing our borders. Maybe that's what he's got in mind on this. Again, we've got to draw some lines in the sand."

@3:38 - Palin: "We've got to be able to respect our politicians and trust what it is they are doing. Now, I don't personally trust what comes out of the White House....[Obama] is hell bent on weakening America and he has told us back in March of 2006 that it weakens America domestically and internationally to raise the debt ceiling. And he said it is a sign of failed leadership to support raising the debt ceiling. And now he is doing exactly that. So, what Obama is doing--purposefully weakening America, because he understood that debt weakens America domestically and internationally--and yet now he supports increasing debt."

Laura: "So his goal is to weaken America?"

Palin: "On this issue it has to be, otherwise, what did he mean back in March of 2006 when he said that he understood that increasing debt weakens America?"

@4:50 - On running for president: Laura: "Are you making a trip to New Hampshire any time soon? Because Romney is up there and he's doing pretty well in the polls."

Palin: "We're scheduling our year's calendar here in the next couple of days and we'll see when we get there...Hopefully those voters along with a whole lot of others around America are just hoping for no more status quo."

Audio courtesy of the IngrahamAngle

IOTW Reports: Paul McCartney Arrested For Murder

Breaking news from IOTW Reports:

Under the new bill passed by the left, called the Paul Krugman Connect The Dots Bill, Paul McCartney has been indicted for the murders of Steven Parent, Sharon Tate, Pasqualino LaBianca, Rosemary LaBianca, Gary Hinman, Jay Sebring, Wojciech Frykowski, Donald Shea, Abigail Folger and Sharon Tate’s unborn child.

Prosecutor, Vincent Bugliosi, in 1969, proved beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it was the song, Helter Skelter (Helter Skelter. She’s coming down fast, Yes she is, Yes she is coming down fast) and its call to overthrow our social structure in a haze of violence and anarchy, that directly influenced Charles Manson to conspire to commit murder.

Ironically, to date, not one dot connects Sarah Palin, the target of this bill, with Jared Loughner.

Complete details here.

Breaking: Fox News Hires Keith Olbermann

Further details at Gateway Pundit.

How Liberal Journalists Think

An aspiring liberal journalist tries to explain why she thinks the Tea Party is dangerous, etc.

The mind of the liberal journalist expertly illustrated.

H/T: Bardsmith

Dear Mr. Olbermann, Consider a Senate Run

schadenfreude: enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others

The world of left wing madness and foaming at the mouth hatred was dealt a serious blow on Friday when MSNBC announced that it had shown their very own Edward R Murrow wannabe the door. I guess spewing hatred at Sarah Palin 24/7 isn't the best game plan after all.

From P.J. Salvatore at Big Journalism:

The host, who has had a stormy relationship with the management of the network for some time, especially since he was suspended for two days last November, came to an agreement with NBC’s corporate management late this week to settle his contract and step down.

In a closing statement on his show, Mr. Olbermann said simply that it would be the last edition of the program. He offered no explanation other than on occasion, the show had become too much for him.

Too much indeed. Olbermann Watch and John Gibson hardest hit!

Read more and see the dramatic video here.

Folks took to Twitter to kindly offer Olby some new job suggestions.

Speaking of which, Sara R, a diarist over at the Daily Kos, offered this up:

Mr. Olbermann, Consider a Senate Run

I, like so many others, was astonished tonight by Keith Olbermann's announcement that "Countdown" was over.

When one door closes, another opens. The thought that came to my mind was, this man is being freed up for something else. And then I thought, Joe Lieberman's seat is going to open up...Connecticut...

Lest ye think Sara isn't serious ....

Keith Olbermann has:

* A first class intellect * Killer debating skills * Experience before cameras and microphones

...but most of all...

* A deep, heartfelt concern for the wellbeing of the American people.

It's a thought -- maybe Sen. Franken and Mr. Olbermann should have coffee and talk about the experience of running for the Senate and what it is like to serve there.

A girl can dream, can't she? I could not envision a finer public servant than a Senator Olbermann.

Oh PLEASE let this happen!!

Olbermann screaming and hollering like a banshee, as a senatorial candidate, during a presidential election year, would be a thing of beauty to behold.

In more more considered commentary Rowley Birkin of the BBC explains the Olbermann firing [H/T: Iowahawk]



Good night, good luck, good riddance!

Bristol Palin Talks To Bob And Mark About Her New Home, Morning Radio, And Levi

On Friday Bristol Palin called in to the Bob and Mark show to address the false rumors surrounding her son Tripp and Levi, as well as her new home in Arizona, and a possible new career in morning radio. An interesting interview.

Sarah Palin Wins Free Republic 2012 Straw Poll Second Year In A Row With A Stunning 81.6% Blowout

Sarah Palin has once again won Free Republic's 2012 Presidential Straw Poll. It wasn't even close with 81.6 percent of Free Republic's registered members choosing Sarah over a large field of contenders for the GOP nod. Mike Pence came in second with 7.3 percent. Mike Huckabee and Rudy Giuliani received no votes from the Freepers.

Free Republic is a group of roughly 300,000 Conservative activists nationwide, with their website getting about 1 million hits a day.

While this polling is in no way scientific, it's a good judge of where people's heads are at when it comes to who they want to see as the Republican nominee in 2012. And with these numbers, there is little doubt of who that is.

Here's the complete run down:

Palin 81.6%

Pence 7.3%

Cain 4.8%

Bachman 2.1%

Barbour 1.5%

Gingrich .76%

Pawlenty .6%

Daniels .6%

Romney .6%

Santorum .14%

Giuliani and Huckabee had no votes

For more information, check out Free Republic here.

Photo courtesy Free Republic

Rush: Sarah Palin Would Wipe The Floor With Obama!

The Left is terrified of [Sarah Palin]. The Left knows that she would wipe the floor with Obama. Our intelligentsia on the Right-Wing know that she would wipe the floor with Obama. That’s what all of this means. …

The point of this is that if Republicans are going to sit by and watch Palin savaged, they’d better be prepared to sit by and watch the next one get savaged; and the next one because that’s what’s coming.

Rush was in great form today as he went off on squishy Republicans who don't have the backbone to stand for something. He's reading from a great piece posted at Legal Insurrection entitled We Just Witnessed The Media's Test-Run To Re-elect Obama that points out the over-the-top attacks on Sarah Palin are little more than an exercise, war games, if you will, for 2012. The article also takes down well known squish, and political dullard, David Frum.

The Right Scoop has video of El Rushbo's monologue here. It's a must watch.

Frum is one of the squishes who claims to be a "conservative" but attacks every real Conservative, especially Sarah Palin, and supports more "progressive" policies. His latest nonsense is we need to nominate someone like Bob Dole, not Sarah Palin, you know, because Bob Dole was such a powerhouse in 1996!

The Frummian wing of the Republican Party always wants to put up some squish that has absolutely zero chances of winning. Sad. Really sad.

Rush rips him a new one. He also touches on something that can't be said enough. If the left is successful in taking down Sarah Palin, then no Republican candidate will ever survive.

We see it all of the time. The squishes say Sarah has been savaged by the media so we need to put up someone the media will like. Someone they won't be so hard on.

We tried that in 2008. John McCain, bless his heart, was the left's "favorite Republican." He was the darling of the late night talk shows, and had lefties proclaiming that if only John McCain could be our nominee, THAT was a Republican they could get behind. And as the GOP is want to do, they fell for it, and those same people who were "in love" with John, savaged him after he was the nominee.

This is what the left does. They play nice with who they think are easy prey. They build them up, write glowing reviews, do a real sell job. Then once their choice of opponent is chosen, they open with both barrels.

Here's the thing, we've seen who has the real guts in the Republican Party. The one that never backs down. The one who is always on the offense. That's Sarah Palin. Lost in all of the hoopla about blood libel the left conducted against her, is the fact that the left also blood libeled the 30-40 million Americans who call themselves members of the Tea Party.

Only one person stood up and defended those millions of patriotic Americans, and that was Sarah Palin. She stood up and took all of the slings and arrows that she knew would come her way for doing so. Where were the rest?

In fairness, Mike Huckabee made a short statement, but the rest, Romney, Daniels, and so forth, hid under their desks. Establishment hacks like Newt Gingrich, Charles Krauthammer, and others, basically told Sarah to sit down, shut up, and take her beating. They actually thought she was wrong to defend herself after being accused of mass murder!

The reason why the left fears her, and Rush rightly points out that Sarah will wipe the floor with Obama, is the fact she is fearless. She doesn't care about what the chattering class has to say. She's more interested in saving the Republic.

That, and unlike the rest, I don't think Sarah Palin is impressed by Barack Obama in any way shape or form.

The attacks against her are without a doubt some of the most vile in our nation's history. The only thing I've seen close is the way the left attacked Ronald Reagan. They feared him as well. So did the GOP elites.

Like Reagan before her, Sarah Palin represents the end of business as usual in Washington. She's even more of a problem for the Ruling Class than Reagan, because she is an experienced reformer with a solid reputation of cleaning up corruption at every level. Both the left, and the GOP elites, lose big time if Sarah is elected.

Rush's last point though is the most important. And the people who support someone else, rather than Sarah need to remember this. While those who hope someone besides Sarah is our nominee sit back and enjoy the attacks on her, they need to remember one thing. Sarah Palin is probably the toughest candidate the GOP has ever had. She's certainly the toughest in my life time. She never backs down.

If somehow the left is successful at stopping Sarah Palin, a woman of extraordinary courage and strength, the rest of the Republican Party is done. They will never have a chance, because none of them could stand up to what Sarah Palin stands up to on a daily basis. And if the left is able to make this work, they will use it on every other Republican until the end of time.

The good news is this: The left have thrown absolutely everything they have at Sarah Palin, and she's still standing. Still fighting. Still moving forward. That's what true leaders do.

Despicable: Obama Played Politics With Virginia Tech Tragedy, Arizona Shooting

On April 16, 2007, the day of the Virginia Tech massacre, then-Presidential candidate, Barack Obama, spoke at a campaign rally in Milwaukee WI, where he cunningly associated the tragic act of violence to a host of unrelated political issues, thereby politicizing the tragedy, as he did last week, during memorial services for the victims of the Arizona shootings.

This is just breathtaking. This nimrod, while campaigning in Milwaukee, the day of the Virginia Tech massacre, a horrific event that saw 33 people slaughtered, had the gall to compare that violent act to someone who has lost their job! He calls this the "violence we do to each other." This may very well be the most asinine thing I have heard in my life.

Forget the fact this guy is lost without a teleprompter feeding him the words, and stutters around, he's telling you who he really is. A cold and calculating man who can use the slaughter of 33 innocent college students, and turn it into a Marxist rant about social justice and job loss. Again, this is simply the most breathtaking thing I have seen in quite some time.

Then we get to the pep rally in Arizona last week. The Wellstone Memorial on steroids.

What kind of man would use tragedies like these for political gain? Even worse, what kind of people would want to associate with a man that would?

H/T: Canopfor

Uh Oh: Even James Carville’s Polling Firm Can't Get Obama to 50% Against Governor Palin

Ian Lazaran over at Conservatives4Palin put up a short blurb on the democrat's latest push polling:

Even James Carville’s polling firm cannot get Obama to get 50% against Governor Palin. She trails him by a reasonable ten points considering that it’s Carville’s firm (go ask re-elected Governor Corzine about how left-leaning Carville’s polling group is) and that this poll was taken at the same time that Governor Palin was being blood libeled. It’s quite amazing that Obama can only beat someone the Democrat Party effectively claims is an accessory to murder by ten points.

This poll also shows that Governor Palin has room to grow among her base. Only 83% of Republicans have decided who they are going to vote for her in a hypothetical Palin-Obama match-up while 98% of Democrats have decided. So she can close the margin pretty easily just by winning over undecided Republicans while Obama does not have any more room to grow among his Democrat Party base.

Governor Palin is also outperforming Mitt Romney among suburban voters in the match up with Barack Obama.

Ian makes a great point, here's the President of the United States, and he can't get even break 50% against an unemployed housewife from Alaska, who had the entire left wing media accuse her of mass murder just 11 days ago!

There's more to it than that though.

Carville's outfit polled 1000 likely voters. Out of these 1000 likely voters they over-sample youth voters by 200, unmarried women voters by 200 and non-white voters by 80. All three of these groups are more likely to vote democrat rather than Republican. And while it may not matter, as Obama's popularity slides further down .... in this poll .... people who voted for Obama in 2008 vs John McCain are oversampled four points: 47 to 43 percent respectively.

For the presidential match-up only 500 were sampled, with no breakdown of political affiliation given.

For the record, among these 500 likely voters, it's Obama 49 to Palin's 39. However, among those who actually voted in 2010, the numbers tighten up 47 Obama, 41 Palin. In either sample, 6% would like someone else at this point.

To put that into perspective, here we have Obama, someone who has a fawning media that actively works to put him in the very best light possible, and he is only six points ahead of a woman who is vilified in the media daily, accused of all but pulling the trigger in Arizona two Saturdays ago, and currently holds no office, nor is running for any.

And this is a heavily skewed poll that wildly favors the democrat position!

No wonder the left is so worried about Sarah Palin!

There's other bad news for the Obama regime as well. His approval rating is at 47 %, including 25% who strongly approve and 34% who strongly disapprove of his job performance. For a poll this heavily weighted in his favor that isn't good.

Also, when asked the "right track"-"wrong track" question about the nation, 58% think America is on the wrong track while only 33% feel things are going well.

Ian references a memo from the above poll that shows Sarah does better than Mitt Romney among his supposed base of support, suburban voters. Among suburban voters, Barack Obama leads Mitt Romney by 18 points (56 to 37) and Sarah Palin by 14 points (51 to 36).

Carville resurrects his old Clinton era meme "It's Jobs, Stupid" for his memo. Not sure how well that is going to work for Obama with near record high unemployment in many areas of the country!

There are three areas where Obama is really in trouble White non-college voters, white seniors, and rural non-South white voters.

Obama is losing white non-college voters by 22 points to Sarah Palin and Obama loses white seniors by 8 points to Sarah.

Among rural non-South white voters Obama trails Sarah Palin 42 to 48 percent.

All three are significant groups.

One other thing that is interesting. It looks like Carville's group REALLY hopes Mitt Romney is the Republican nominee, going by the wording they choose:

He is marginally ahead of Mitt Romney and dramatically ahead of Sarah Palin in the 2012 race.

I know James is known for his trash talkin', but come on now. You have a guy that some democrats have literally called a messiah, and he's only up six points against someone who is portrayed by the lamestream media as the most evil person who ever breathed, and this is a poll that skews democrat very heavily!

And this is before Sarah Palin has made one campaign stop, one policy speech, or for that matter even declared her intentions for 2012!

The only thing dramatic about this deal is just how strong Sarah shows, against all odds!

I was talking with a good friend tonight and the subject of polling came up. To put all of this in perspective, in March of 1980, the year of the Presidential election, Ronald Reagan was down 25 points to Jimmy Carter.

As they always do, the lamestream media was trying their darnedest to push a squishy unelectable moderate on the Republicans by saying that former President Gerald Ford [who Carter beat handily in 1976] was by far a better choice. Reagan beat Carter in one of the biggest electoral landslides in history: 489 votes to 49, winning 44 of 50 states.

Here we are two years out from a presidential election and Sarah Palin is only six points down to the current President of the United States.

Put another way, even with all of the glowing press Obama gets, the American people aren't pleased with him as President. He has nowhere to go but down. On the other hand, Sarah Palin has nowhere to go but up.

One would be quite foolish to count her out.