In defense of Sarah Palin

I think we were all stunned today when the governor of Alaska announced her resignation. Obviously under pressure, she outlined her accomplishments as governor and left a mystified Alaska press corps. What we do know is that she has been vilified beyond any public figure in recent memory by much lesser people than herself for no reason except that she was a threat to the established order.

It didn’t seem to matter whether it was from the right or left, the Beltway elite and their sycophants descended like carrion birds on Ms. Palin and her family. Even the Mafia doesn’t go after spouses and children. And despite this; despite the 50 ethics charges and the unprecedented legions of opposition researchers that descended on Alaska like dung beetles, nothing was found. And the vilification continued anyway. The most vile things were said by people who should certainly know better; television personalities, news anchors, politicians. It should be remembered that these kinds of things can have a funny way of biting you in the ass later on.

What ever happened to the American sense of fair play? What happened to our common decency? What happened to our respect for getting out there and getting involved and getting things done? Are we jackals simply ripping each other into bloody shreds now? For there are no lions left… only mangy, sadly twisted buffoons crawling out of their ratholes on the Upper East Side and Georgetown and most of the statehouses in the country conning the rest of us with a cacophony of lies.

As our president lies to us again and again… As our Congress’ approval rating descends below zero. As scandal after scandal bares the lies and venality and whoredom of Pelosi and Reid and Ensign and Sanford and Rangel  Congress has the gall to pass an$800 Billion stimulus bill overloaded beyond comprehension  with pork and a  multi Trillion dollar sham of a climate change bill without reading them and the press gives them a hall pass and then vilifies someone who actually gives a damn and steps up to do what she thinks is right.  It’s like having the country club set golf clapping as the looters carry off anything not nailed down. What the hell is the matter with us?

Those same values of Ms. Palin go back 10 generations and were the ones that got this country through a revolution and a civil war and the struggle for civil rights. She embodies the philosophy of “do the right thing”. Have our values skewed so badly?

Was Harry Truman brilliant? FDR didn’t think so. Grant was considered a drunk and a fool and a failure. Dwight Eisenhower was buried at the Pentagon in the shadows when his country called upon him. The United States Army was 10 million strong and great leaders arose from the ranks to carry us through our darkest days. It’s funny and it is exceptional that in this country leaders arise from the mundane to accomplish great things. It is what separates this country from all others.

Ms. Palin has done some great things already. Streamlining state government and cleaning out the detritus is not an easy thing. One automatically makes enemies in the bureaucracy and the gravy train. She stood up to some of the most powerful businessmen in the world and helped build a pipeline that would otherwise probably not have been built. In Alaska, environmentalism means making peace with the bears and the moose in your backyard. I have found people who are dealing with nature every day much more practical and solution oriented than theorists sitting behind desks 4,000 miles away. When you depend upon that environment for your livelihood, you respect it.

Taking up the gauntlet of a presidential campaign is a scary thing. As Truman said, ” if you can’t take the heat stay out of the kitchen”. But when is enough enough? I think we have reached a tipping point. I think we must all, regardless of our political beliefs, say “no more will we countenance the vile and disgraceful blood sport politics has become”. I may or may not vote for Ms. Palin if and when she  runs for office. But I will judge her on her actions and deeds, not some twisted propaganda.

But we must now hold all our leaders and ourselves to a higher standard. The nuclear warfare politics have to stop. We must say “enough’ to the jackals. As they say, “speak now, or forever hold your peace”.