This need for selflessness - and the blessings that come with it - sharpened for me almost four years ago when I was given the gift of broader horizons, clarified priorities, and more commitment to justice and compassion for my fellow man who faces challenges and fears.

I was granted this through a gift that arrived in a tiny, six-pound, awe-inspiring bundle. We named him Trig.

I know America's potential for goodness, thus greatness, because I see it every day through my son.

Nothing makes me happier or prouder than to see America's good heart when someone smiles at my Trig. I notice it happens often in airports. Often a traveler passing by does a double-take when they see him, perhaps curious about the curious look on his face; perhaps my son momentarily exercises an uncontrollable motion that takes the passerby by surprise.

Perhaps, as an innocent and candid child announced when she first met Trig, they think "he's awkward."

But when that traveler pauses to look again and smile, and maybe tells me what a handsome boy I have, I swell with American pride. I am so thankful for their good heart. They represent the best in our country and their kindness shows the real hope we need today.

I am thankful that, as in so many areas of life, the bitter people who say bitter things about someone facing challenges are so outnumbered. There have been stinging criticisms, even from people still screaming that Trig should never have been born, but we know those critics may be the loudest and most malicious, but they're not the majority.

To me, when individuals reflect the greater societal acceptance of someone facing challenges, they show the best of humanity - even by offering a simple pat on Trig's head or a knowing smile shot our way.

Conversely, when a society works to eliminate the "weakest links" (as some would callously consider the disabled) or "the unproductive" (as some would callously consider the very young and the very old), it eliminates the very best of itself.

When a society seeks to destroy them, it also destroys any ability or need for sincere compassion, empathy, improvement, and even goodwill. And those are the very best qualities of humanity! Those are the characteristics of a country that understands and embraces true hope!

America can be compassionate and strong enough as a nation to be entrusted with those who some see as an "inconvenience," but who are really our greatest blessings.

Wherever she goes ... Whatever she ends up doing, I am thankful for Sarah Palin sharing her son Trig with us. We are the 10% of Mommies.

The lynching of Sarah Palin by the lying bastards in the media and the ignorant brain-dead assholes on the left, has had the result they wished for.

But I want you, our readers, to listen to her announcement on Mark Levin's show last night and tell me with a straight face that we haven't lost the best possible candidate we had. She's an American, through and through, a woman that embodies what we believe in. I maintain now, as I have for months now, that Sarah Palin was the best hope we had to stem the socialist tide that is overtaking us.

Do I sound pissed? I most certainly am.

Here is her written statement:

October 5, 2011
Wasilla, Alaska

After much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for President of the United States. As always, my family comes first and obviously Todd and I put great consideration into family life before making this decision. When we serve, we devote ourselves to God, family and country. My decision maintains this order.

My decision is based upon a review of what common sense Conservatives and Independents have accomplished, especially over the last year. I believe that at this time I can be more effective in a decisive role to help elect other true public servants to office – from the nation’s governors to Congressional seats and the Presidency. We need to continue to actively and aggressively help those who will stop the “fundamental transformation” of our nation and instead seek the restoration of our greatness, our goodness and our constitutional republic based on the rule of law.

From the bottom of my heart I thank those who have supported me and defended my record throughout the years, and encouraged me to run for President. Know that by working together we can bring this country back – and as I’ve always said, one doesn’t need a title to help do it.

I will continue driving the discussion for freedom and free markets, including in the race for President where our candidates must embrace immediate action toward energy independence through domestic resource developments of conventional energy sources, along with renewables. We must reduce tax burdens and onerous regulations that kill American industry, and our candidates must always push to minimize government to strengthen the economy and allow the private sector to create jobs.

Those will be our priorities so Americans can be confident that a smaller, smarter government that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people can better serve this most exceptional nation.

In the coming weeks I will help coordinate strategies to assist in replacing the President, re-taking the Senate, and maintaining the House.

Thank you again for all your support. Let’s unite to restore this country!

God bless America.

– Sarah Palin

A lot of speculation was building, right up until earlier today. Even a possible run as an independent, which would have been a disasterous split of the conservative/republican vote and gotten Obama a second term, in my opion. But it's a firm "NO" for Gov. Sarah Palin.

In the first half of the first hour of today's Mark Levin radio broadcast:

After long consideration, and discussions with her family and closest supporters, Sarah Palin will NOT be running for the 2012 Presidency

Will work hard to help GOP gain strong control over both houses of US Congress and grow TEA Party...

GOOD! When the GOP ticket wins in the 2012 POTUS election I want to see Sarah Palin be nominated as Energy Secretary and open drilling all over the nation.

Gov. Sarah Palin's statement:

October 5, 2011
Wasilla, Alaska

After much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for President of the United States. As always, my family comes first and obviously Todd and I put great consideration into family life before making this decision. When we serve, we devote ourselves to God, family and country. My decision maintains this order.

My decision is based upon a review of what common sense Conservatives and Independents have accomplished, especially over the last year. I believe that at this time I can be more effective in a decisive role to help elect other true public servants to office – from the nation’s governors to Congressional seats and the Presidency. We need to continue to actively and aggressively help those who will stop the “fundamental transformation” of our nation and instead seek the restoration of our greatness, our goodness and our constitutional republic based on the rule of law.

From the bottom of my heart I thank those who have supported me and defended my record throughout the years, and encouraged me to run for President. Know that by working together we can bring this country back – and as I’ve always said, one doesn’t need a title to help do it.

I will continue driving the discussion for freedom and free markets, including in the race for President where our candidates must embrace immediate action toward energy independence through domestic resource developments of conventional energy sources, along with renewables. We must reduce tax burdens and onerous regulations that kill American industry, and our candidates must always push to minimize government to strengthen the economy and allow the private sector to create jobs.

Those will be our priorities so Americans can be confident that a smaller, smarter government that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people can better serve this most exceptional nation.

In the coming weeks I will help coordinate strategies to assist in replacing the President, re-taking the Senate, and maintaining the House.

Thank you again for all your support. Let’s unite to restore this country!

God bless America.

– Sarah Palin

A few years ago I was informed you will find lots of conservatives working in Hollywood. They're either "in the closet", or working in that wide zone out of camera range. But we are seeing more and more come out of said closet. Your actors are a minority, yes, but when it comes down to it, while actors are the face and voice of Hollywood, directors, producers, and writers are the brains. As the saying goes, "There are no small parts. Only small actors."

I recently learned movie producer (Pirates of the Caribbean movies, National Treasure movies, Black Hawk Down, Remember the Titans) and one of TV's biggest producers, Jerry Bruckheimer (the CSI:shows, Cold Case, Amazing Race, any number of other highly rated/successful crime dramas) is a conservative...

Currently writer David Mamet is making the conservative talk rounds to discuss his new book laying out his conversion to conservatism. He's been interviewed on Glenn Beck's radio program, and on Limbaugh's...

And has also given a great interview to Slate (not a conservative publication in any sense), in which Mamet discusses his feelings about how this country is selling-out Israel, conservative common sense on economics, and how he is "crazy about Sarah Palin"...

What does he [Mamet] think of Barack Obama? “The question is can he run on his record in 2012 and the answer is no, because it’s abysmal. He took a trillion dollars and where it went, nobody knows. He dismantled health care, he weakened America around the world, he sold out the state of Israel. All he’s got to run on is being a Democrat and indicting the other fellow.”

So who would he prefer as president? He replies that he is “not current” with the Republican contenders until I mention Sarah Palin. “I am crazy about her,” he answers immediately. “Would she make a good candidate for president? I don’t know but she seems to have succeeded at everything she put her hand to.”

And if you missed it down the Babalu page, Ziva caught another great piece on Hollywood producer Lionel Chetwynd's scathing criticisms about the industry’s ideological bigotry.

About the media's mining expedition through the nearly 25,000 emails of Sarah Palin for "Gotcha!" gold ...

Well, a couple days in, and an army of agitated and eagerly duped stooges (readers) of the New York Times, WaPo, and various other MSM mental giant news organizations has offered-up some scathing Weiner-esque revelations against former Gov. Sarah Palin--- WHAT? No smoking guns? And the woman is a gun-toting, animal killin', Bible-thumpin', backwoods troglodyte to dumb to work in Washington DC? As predicted this, for the Palin-hating MSM, is like one of those roadside IEDs the enemy is in the process of setting up, but it goes off prematurely turning them into pink-smoke. But there are those who don't hate Sarah Palin that are doing their own digging to catalogue the leadership and policy skills of the woman. Conservatives4Palin and SarahPAC.com are enlisting readers to go into Palin’s emails and gather such evidence to the complete opposite of the PDS MSM.

So far we see Gov. Palin's email box was barraged by death threats. That she felt the humbling awesomeness just weeks prior to giving birth to her Down Syndrome son Trig. That, scandalously, her staff was excited when Sen. John McCain called on her to be his 2008 VP running mate. That she really isn't the mindless, blood-thirsty, animal hater, but a highly responsible hunter and conservative environmentalist. Anyhow, you get the politically pornographic picture here on the Palin exposure...

So, what's the Palin deranged MSM to do in order to cover their arses? Why, insinuate the Palin we see now is a mere fading shadow of the wonderful Alaska landlocked Palin of three years ago ...

She was hands-on and averse to partisan politics. She championed openness in government and had normal relations with the media. She was a little starstruck by her interactions with national politicians but unafraid to do battle with the chief executives of the world’s largest oil companies.

The emails from her governorship, released Friday, brought back the memory of a long-lost Palin: the popular, charismatic, competent woman of the people.

This was the vice presidential candidate John McCain’s team thought they were getting, before her darker tendencies — defensiveness, thin skin, grudge-keeping — hardened into tics. Together with the newly released, pro-Palin documentary “The Undefeated,” which focuses on her rise to the spotlight, the emails are reminders of a sympathetic figure who was not yet the brittle, divisive caricature Palin has become. [...]

The comments at the Politico link have not been kind to the writer, or the MSM. The writer is lamenting a lost wonderful Palin, and that the woman we see now is a nasty bag of griping, annoyed hotair. This is the PDS universe the MSM has created for itself with the phantom ignorant, dumb, and evil "Sarah Palin". THAT "Sarah Pali" simply doesn't exist. The 2011 Sarah Palin is the same 2007-8 Palin that sat at the Alaska governor's computer writing the emails. Well, perhaps a slight change. She has learned how to handle these idiots, and when to pick her fights with them. And they really are too ignorant, stupid and evil to figure that out. And as an added measure at least one Palin-hater has figured out this is a major can of worms that has been opened for everybody, and very well could be a "Dangerous Precedent" for other politicians, and should be investigated by the FEC. Perhaps he's been reading the comments, on various news sites carrying-on with this Palin witch hunt, that are demanding the emails of Obama during his time in the Illinois Senate, ACORN, the US Senate, and the White House (Hell, his Blackberry obsession alone would make for some interesting "Gotchas!").

Poor MSM ... The Sarah Palin emails aren't turning out to be the massive fig leaf they were hoping for to block the exposure of the face--- er, Weiner of the democrat party.

Cross-posted @ CW

The American media is slobbering over the about to be released truck-load of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's emails while in office. Since the electrifying political firebrand lives rent-free inside the American media's dense bone-domes two of the bigger news publications (The New York Times and The Washington Post) are reaching out to readers to help them sift through said emails to find whatever perceived 'damning' evidence they can twist and craft from the correspondences NOT meant for public consumption.

Remember, these are the same people looking to ease and buffer the current Weinergate as no big deal. The same people who always run to the defense of emails and wire communications of this nation's enemies, outside and within. They are the very same people who refused to seriously and completely vet then candidate Obama in 2008 whose various sealed records and documents have been successfully denied FOIA, and continue to look the other way with his current un-Constitutional abrogations, not to mention his continuation and escalation of national security practices that Pres. Bush was damned for. Oh, and how about those 'other' wars he has started.

It is also the same media that refused to put any effort into sifting through the damning ClimateGate emails of the U.K.'s University of East Anglia. Instead, bloggers were blasted for 'hacking' into the contents of these emails. Never mind the planned world restructuring based on the university's science fiction would greatly impact American freedoms/rights, and our economy more than anyone else's in the world.

I would bet my house they will not be finding any sexually explicate self-portraits, or illicit correspondences between Palin and under-age staffers. Or bookkeeping for a prostitution ring being run out of her basement.

I am not certain who is worse ... The NY Times or WaPo, or their readers that will feverishly and eagerly oblige the publications this free legwork on this unending trashing and witch hunt of Gov. Sarah Palin.

Cross-posted @ CW

HT and Thanks to marc in calgary for the full version of the video with Andrew Breitbart introducing Sarah Palin ... Breitbart was on his game too.

Game on!

The WaPo is joining the call for 'news' readers to boycott news on/of/about Sarah Palin for the month of February. Let me get this straight ... The MSM and leftist blogs make it their mission to not only cover and then ridicule every bit of news (and non-news) about this woman, even to the point of a full-fledged week of fabricating a pathological conspiracy of her trying to assassinate a democrat Congresswoman via a 'programmed' insane-dolt-bot, and now they want readers to simply ignore her. They're calling it "Take The Palin Pledge".

We here in the conservative blog world have a saying about the relationship between Gov. Palin and the MSM/liberals/left ... She lives "rent free" in their heads. Now they want to evict her? Not really sure the MSM and the libs/left will be successful at evacuating that demented valley of 'Disturbia' they themselves have created for Sarah Palin over the last two years in the cloistered elitist media world. I mean, the woman is like 'crack' in their pipes.

So, good luck with that, MSM. Perhaps this will now free up some of your time/space for news on climbing food shortages and prices, gas/oil prices, the actual seriousness of the unemployment rate, and political trouble spots around the world. Meanwhile Mrs. Palin will continue to mingle with people and voice her opinions and views on the issues.

Here's an idea for the MSM and lib-blogs ... Give us a daily update in February on the pledge campaign, and how it's affecting Palin's public (and of course private) life (snark).

Hmmmmm UPDATE:

I've been pondering this a bit since posting. Reports of increased death threats on Sarah Palin (and her family) have been noted in the last couple weeks since the media assault on her, post-AZ shootings. Maybe the left-leaning PDS media are pouring that bitter rhetoric coffee they brewed into the saucer to let it cool so they can't be blamed should any 'spillage' arise. In other words, in all their vilifying and convicting the woman for a crime she did not commit they have pretty much done exactly what they accused her of doing (see: crosshairs political map) and might well have put her in the same irresponsible 'targeted' danger they concluded her 'map' put Rep. Giffords in ... hmmm? After all, I am certain more crazy people watch the MSM offerings on a daily basis than saw some obscure political map on a blog ... That is until the MSM dragged it out and waved it around over the fallen in Tucson like some self-righteous victory flag.

Editing note: I linked to "Outside The Beltway" for a full, but simple, explanation on "Take The Palin Pledge". I am not implying the writer therein is part of the 'leftist/liberal' media. His summation (and non-vitriolic) thoughts on the matter read best to me. Sorry for any misunderstanding there, Dodd ... You could still use a shower. ;^)

Cross-posted @ CW

You know, something occurred to me today ... We all know Barack Obama was/is a complete media invention. And for the last two years the media has tried its damnedest to invent a Sarah Palin the American people would loathe. Funny, I don't think that's working out too well for the MSM this time. Doesn't help their first invention, Obama, is proving to be an empty paper mache character.

Now comes Palin's reality TV program, "Sarah Palin's Alaska", and her unapologetic lifestyle in the nation's last best wilderness. Yes, the woman fishes, hunts and kills to eat (something our own intransigent Humberto can respect and appreciate). However, seems the left just is so verklempt over Palin's graphic displays of clubbing fish and shooting caribou they can't seem to roll out of their morning beds under their usual high-maintenance degree of vitriol and vile venom for the world not created in their image(s). Manhattan Ivory Tower Midge continually scowls over "Caribou Barbie" ... The disdainful New York Times columnist probably thinks anything done to an animal is just plain wrong ... outside of sacrificing its unborn eggs for a glob of caviar on the top of an onion cracker or it's liver for a wedge of stale toast ... Oh yes! Or it's hide for that fab pair of 4.5 inch strappy red stilettos with matching $1500 Coach bag to wear while munching on said ovum and detoxifying organs of animals, dumping down apple martinis and griping about Sarah Palin with other intestionally redacted, metro-cranial, brow-beaters. I guess it doesn't help Manhattan Midge that "Caribou Barbie" looks better in those red stilettos than she does, and can smile while wearing them. Oh, and you'd NEVER catch Sarah Palin dressed in this.

I'm thinking all these mouthy-folk are just avoiding writing substantial words about this overreaching government, the creeping evil of a culture/religion/ideology that will come for them first, or the ironic display of Obama's reaching back for "Sputnik" to make a point about American innovation the other day, while in less than two years knocking our own 21st century space program back to said era while 'transforming' it into some Muslim outreach program. They also see Sarah Palin as a threat. No ... Not because she's "stupid". Because she's wise about things they haven't a clue about. And because they are outnumbered by like-minded people ... Us. They want the unwashed bourgeois envious and breathless over their shallow eliteness.

Big Hollywood's John Nolte takes one of these Palin scourging elites (Hollywood's Aaron Sorkin) to the woodshed:

What’s worse for society? People throughout the world who enjoy the sport of hunting animals and have since the beginning of time. Or people who enjoy, say, years-long Hollywood binges on the same illegal drugs that fund the same murderers who spread their poison on to our children’s playgrounds and schools? Has Sorkin ever lashed out so viciously at illegal drug abusers? I’m gonna go out on a Google-less limb and say no.

I tend to look at people as "Is that someone I'd want in a foxhole beside me?" The way I see it, I'd have to say "No" to those people who are consumed with their self-appointment as "Official Sarah Palin Bashers" ... And "Yes" to Sarah Palin. After two years of this in the world media, and now watching Palin's reality TV show (the left is labeling 'snuff'), which do you think the observant North Koreans think is a more worthy adversary?

(Cross-posted @ Chandler's Watch)

Say what you will about her, like Reagan, she embodies the American spirit and connects with main street U.S.A. If she's on the ticket 2012, she has my vote.
Posted in its entirety:

After all the rhetoric is put aside, one principle ran through President Obama’s speech tonight: that increased government involvement in health care can solve its problems.

Many Americans fundamentally disagree with this idea. We know from long experience that the creation of a massive new bureaucracy will not provide us with “more stability and security,” but just the opposite. It's hard to believe the President when he says that this time he and his team of bureaucrats have finally figured out how to do things right if only we’ll take them at their word.

Our objections to the Democrats’ health care proposals are not mere “bickering” or “games.” They are not an attempt to “score short term political points.” And it’s hard to listen to the President lecture us not to use “scare tactics” when in the next breath he says that “more will die” if his proposals do not pass.

In his speech the President directly responded to concerns I’ve raised about unelected bureaucrats being given power to make decisions affecting life or death health care matters. He called these concerns “bogus,” “irresponsible,” and “a lie” -- so much for civility. After all the name-calling, though, what he did not do is respond to the arguments we’ve made, arguments even some of his own supporters have agreed have merit.

In fact, after promising to “make sure that no government bureaucrat .... gets between you and the health care you need,” the President repeated his call for an Independent Medicare Advisory Council -- an unelected, largely unaccountable group of bureaucrats charged with containing Medicare costs. He did not disavow his own statement that such a group, working outside of “normal political channels,” should guide decisions regarding that “huge driver of cost ... the chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives....” He did not disavow the statements of his health care advisor, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, and continuing to pay his salary with taxpayer dollars proves a commitment to his beliefs. The President can keep making unsupported assertions, but until he directly responds to the arguments I’ve made, I’m going to call him out too.

It was heartening to hear the President finally recognize that tort reform is an important part of any solution. But this concession shouldn’t lead us to take our eye off the ball: the Democrats’ proposals will not reduce costs, and they will not deliver better health care. It’s this kind of “healthy skepticism of government” that truly reflects a “concern and regard for the plight of others.” We can’t wait to hear the details on that; we look forward to working with you on tort reform.

Finally, President Obama delivered an offhand applause line tonight about the cost of the war. As we approach the anniversary of the September 11th attacks and honor those who died that day and those who have died since in the War on Terror, in order to secure our freedoms, we need to remember their sacrifices and not demonize them as having had too high a price tag.

Remember, Mr. President, elected officials work for the people. Forcing a conclusion in order to claim a “victory” is not healthy for our country. We hear you say government isn’t always the answer; now hear us -- that’s what we’ve been saying all along.