America by Heart – Chapter 2, Why They Serve
SPOILER ALERT: It’s not to avoid the long arm of the law and to save your political family a lot of embarrassment, and yourself a stay at the Grey Bar Hotel. Just thought I’d throw that out there right off the bat.
So, why do “they” serve? A broad question that has no simple answer. The reasons that military men and women decide to enlist are many. In the past, many who served never had a choice. We may as well ask the question, “Why do They Teach?” “Why do They Fight Fires?” “Why do They Heal the Sick?” But the obvious purpose of this chapter is to tell us (in case we missed it) that Sarah Palin is actively courting the military vote. She is all about “supporting the troops,” and is going to dedicate a chapter to tell us so, and tell us why in her cookie cutter notion of the military, across all wars (but mostly WWII) they do what they do.
Prepare for the Platitudes! (Hey, that would be a great book in the Palin Bible!)
(Swinging a censer, and making some kind of hand gesture) Platitudes, Chapter 2, verses one through… too many.)
[Internal mutterings in my head in appear in red, quotes from the book in quotation marks, and the rest is my take]
Here we go.
Page 35
Her first born son Track enlisted in the army on September 11, 2007. Exactly one year later on September 11, 2008 he deployed to Iraq.
Page 36
September 11 is a significant date for Americans. It doesn’t surprise her that it just magically kept coming up with Track’s military stint.
He was scheduled to come home on September 11, 2009 but stayed behind so another soldier could come home instead. “Track, God bless him, gave up his seat.”
Track still does not want to talk about this. He does not want his mother to “crow about it in print” so of course she is crowing about it in print.
(Ah. A theme we ‘ve carried over from Going Rogue. We can add this to the list of things that Track has made her promise not to talk about, or that Track would be really embarrassed by, that she writes about in books.)
Page 37
Track wants a world that is safe for his sisters, and his baby brother. She finds that Americans are patriotic but not necessarily ideological. (Really? holds up mirror to book cover)
America is special. We are not defending just land, or our culture, but an idea. When men and women in the military fight, they are defending an idea.
Page 38
Americans are not eager for war. “Believe me, nobody is more demanding when it comes to good reasons for going to war than our military moms. If you’re going to send their sons and daughters into harm’s way, you’d better have a good reason.”
(That must be why Sarah Palin joined all those other military moms protesting the invasion of Iraq, and then once we found out that there were no weapons of mass destruction, she continued her crusade to bring the troops home, and to express her outrage… Oh, wait.)
Page 39
Quotes Alexis de Tocqueville who called liberty and freedom “habits of the heart.”
(Slams a $100 bill on the desk)
(Alexis de Tocqueville? That’s it. I’m giving one crisp Benjamin Franklin to anyone who has proof that Sarah Palin has ever actually read Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America. Seriously. I tried to make it through the whole thing twice and failed. She didn’t make it past page 3 if she even picked the thing up. Seriously. Alexis de Tocqueville…pfft.)
“America doesn’t go to war for big business or for oil or for the sake of imperial conquest. The reason, inevitably, is freedom.”
(That must be why we always seem to get involved in conflicts where there is no oil, no marketable natural resources, and no monetary or political advantage for conquest… Oh, wait.)
Page 40
Story about a Revolutionary War veteran who never saw any stamps or drank tea or read anything. The reason he fought in the Revolution?
“Captain Levi Preston replied, ‘what we meant in going for those Redcoats was this: we always had been free, and we meant to be free always. They didn’t mean we should.”
(At this point, I’d like to put forth a theory. Picture if you will Sarah Palin Googling “Liberty+Freedom” and coming up with a book called Liberty and Freedom by David Hackett Fischer. She clicks and goes to Amazon.com where pages of the book are visible for viewing. Behold, a story about an interview with Revolutionary War veteran Captain Levi Preston! You will also coincidentally discover in the pages available on line where the aforementioned Alexis de Tocqueville talks about liberty and freedom being “habits of the heart.” No, this book is not cited in the acknowledgments. I tuck the Ben Franklin back in my wallet.)
Why don’t Hollywood elites get it? Back in the day, Hollywood used to make war movies where we were the good guys. Hollywood used to admire the military. Even Hollywood celebrities used to be IN the military, like Jimmy Stewart in World War II (LEAVE HIM ALONE ALREADY!), and Henry Fonda in World War II and director John Ford filmed the Battle of Midway in World War II.
“Later Elvis Presley interrupted his career as the reigning king of rock and roll to be drafted into the army.”
(Wasn’t that amazing of Elvis? He put his career on hold to let himself be drafted. >>>Screechy brake noise<<< Now wait a second… they serve because they got DRAFTED? I mean I suppose he could have decided to go to jail instead of the army, just like someone else we know… *cough cough* But I know I cannot be the only one who caught that ridiculous example.)
Page 41
John Ford describing the Battle of Midway in World War II.
Page 42
Steven Spielberg is a Hollywood elite who is OK because he filmed Saving Private Ryan about WWII, and did a TV miniseries The Pacific about WWII. But can you imagine Hollywood elite actors joining the military today the way Stewart, Fonda and Ford did in WWII?
(She never mentions WWII, by the way. She just keeps using examples without mentioning which war she’s talking about.)
Now all the Hollywood elites want to do is make movies disparaging the military and saying how bad Iraq is, like Rendition and Green Zone. But luckily these movies bombed at the box office. That goes to show what happens when you’re elite and you have “reflexive anti-Americanism.” You would think they would make rah-rah movies because patriotism would be profitable for them, but they still don’t.
Page 43
“Hollywood stars like nothing better than to stand up on Oscar night and congratulate themselves for their courage in speaking truth to power.” But they refuse to acknowledge the people who have died for their freedom to be elite anti-Americans. “Dissent may be a form of patriotism, but it’s far from the highest form.”
(It is a low form of patriotism, not like the high form of churning out military pro-war propaganda movies about Iraq and Afghanistan and making lots of money.)
A copy of a poem her uncle emailed to her about veterans.
Page 44
Not everyone in pop culture is anti-American. She really likes Toby Keith’s song “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.” Her favorite part is this:
And you’ll be sorry that you messed with the U S of A,
Cause we’ll put a boot in your ass
It’s the American way
(Dang if that just don’t want to make you go eat some apple pie and hug your mom. *sniff*)
Page 45
A quote from Ronald Reagan speaking on the 40th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion of WWII.
We should celebrate the giants of America – like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan.
(I throw up in my mouth a little. No, it’s not because of Washington or Lincoln.)
Elaborate set up about how her mom used to keep piles of old Reader’s Digest magazines on a shelf, and the family took a trip to her Dad’s 25th high school reunion in Idaho. All they had to read in the car was a stack of ancient Reader’s Digests. They read stories of valor and military bravery in the Readers Digests.
Page 46
Why, she remembers one story in particular from Reader’s Digest about Sergeant Erwin who was flying missions in World War II and he burned himself with a phosphorous bomb that failed to fall out of the plane to save his buddies. (Readers Digest, 1965) Sally kept those Readers Digests for a long time, I guess.
Page 47
More about Sergeant Erwin story.
Page 48
She “remembers thinking” that the title of the article said it all: “Sergeant Erwin and the Blazing Bomb: A Story of a Night When the Congressional Medal of Honor Seemed to Be a Modest Award.” (Not only did Mrs. Heath save magazines for years and years, but that li’l Sarah Heath sure had one heckuva memory!)
Page 49
We are weary of war, but we don’t take it out on the men and women who serve.
Track and his buddies thank whoever mailed them cookies.
Page 50
People were mean to John McCain on the trail, and she thought “Do they know they are insulting a genuine American hero? Are they fit to tie his boots, much less take cheap shots at him?”
(*Note – She said the same thing about Joe Miller in a rally days before the 2010 Senate election. Just saying.)
Page 51-52
Retelling the story of John McCain in prisoner of war camp.
Page 53
Lots of people like John Kerry try to portray the military as being too stupid to know what’s good for them. He said if they didn’t get a good education, they could get “stuck in Iraq.” But our military men and women are tough, even tougher than people who bad-mouth them like John Kerry.
“I wonder if this irony ever dawns on the self-described truth tellers of Washington, the mainstream media, Hollywood, and academia: all of the values they hold dear – their ability to speak freely, to criticize and caricature the military, to demonize Christianity and America’s traditional values – mean nothing unless they are defended by these courageous men and women.”
(Ah, yes. The values we hold dear… like demonizing Christianity, and making fun of the troops.)
Page 54
She remembers in the early 70s, before her brother’s sixth grade choir was “taken over by the politically correct police,” they sang a song called Freedom isn’t Free.
Page 55-57
She went to military bases on her last book tour.
Her brother sent her a three-page email about the average enlisted man. It is reproduced in full.
“He has learned to use his hands as weapons, and weapons like his hands.”
“He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to “square away” those around him who haven’t bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking”
etc.
Page 58
She may be biased, but she knows, as the mother of a combat vet, that families also suffer.
The year Track deployed was really hard for her. She had a VP campaign, and then “came home to a transformed – and hyper-partisan – political environment in Alaska.”
(Gee. Imagine that. Well, now Republicans and Democrats dislike her evenly, so it’s all good. Off topic, but here’s a great piece in today’s Anchorage Daily News from conservative Republican Paul Jenkins.)
Page 59
During that year Track’s brigade lost many soldiers. Those who are left came back to Alaska and “like Track, they are figuring out how and where to finish their military obligations.”
(Obligations? Not privilege? I thought it was because he wanted the little children to be free? Is he going to stop? And doesn’t the government actually make those decisions for you?)
Lots more about how they die for our freedom. (Starting to sound creepily like “he died for our sins.”)
“If you ever have a chance to come to Washington, don’t miss visiting Arlington National Cemetery.”
(“Come” to Washington? Who is writing this and where are they? Last time I checked, Washington was about 4000 miles away from Wasilla.)
And we finish up with a poem for all soldiers who have fallen in battle. Well, the Christian ones, anyway, but whatever.
Underneath this wooden cross there lies
A Christian killed in battle. You who read
Remember that this stranger died in pain
And passing here, if you can lift your eyes
Upon a peace kept by human creed
Know that one soldier has not died in vain.
By the end, Sarah still seems to be confused that there is actually a difference between World War II and the invasion of Iraq. She fails to recognize that one had the support of the American people, and for the most part was considered a “just war” as far as wars go, and the other one was all about finding mythical weapons of mass destruction that never existed, and did not have the same level of support – at least once the truth got out. That war, justified by… wait for it… The Bush Doctrine, was based on a lie. (in THAT respect, Charlie)
Her “lamestream media” is as much at fault for that as anything. But perhaps she was too busy poring over the pages of Alexis de Tocqueville to notice.
Next Chapter – America the Exceptional
You cannot dis de Tocqueville! Especially when you are trying to discredit Palin. This is the man who explained why demagoguery is the biggest threat to democracy. Trust me when I say that “Democracy in America” is entertaining and enlightening reading (after you get through the interminable introduction). I have failed four times in 35 years to wade through more than half of “Tristram Shandy,” but I love “DiA.”
Not dissing AdT at all. For those who made it through, more power to you! Simply pointing out that there is no way SHE actually read it. AKM
“Believe me, nobody is more demanding when it comes to good reasons for going to war than our military moms. ” But military Dads … don’t care? Enlist the kids themselves? What?
Please, G-d, isn’t it time Sarah spontaneously self combusted from knownothingism?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10691072
Numbers range from 3 to 5 million US government personnel and soldiers, many extremely junior, that are cleared to have potential access to this material.
So, who, exactly, are we going to “use cyber tools” against?
Jesus, doesn’t she have a fact finder?
I would like to hear from one student or one professor/teacher that can confirm that $P has graduated from any college or University!!!!! Seriously!!!
I’m with you Califpat. Did the McCain machine quiet all those who might talk? I googled my own college experience and it was easily accessible. Records, (no grades) and proof that I was a student.
AKM, thanks for jumping into the swamp of Palin’s superficial and ghost written crap. Nobody does it better than you. I’ve read numerous reviews and recaps but you, my dear…..are the best. Humor, intellect and a pinch of snark with a big dose of knowledge, history and reality makes your review worth reading. I hope you can endure all the chapters. 🙂
it is a bit strange isn’t it? not one college or university has yet to comment on this illustrious alumna. (walking off and mumbling ” very strange indeed. yes. verrrrry straaange)
I agree – In 2008 I thought an institution would be proud to brag about her “being one of them,” but not one of the colleges mentioned their part in her education – not even the one in Alaska.
Makes me wonder what kind of student she might have been. Why were they not proud of her, or seeking her favor for development – money from rich and happy alumni is always sought after by these institutions.
$P reminds me of the Chatty Cathy doll that was popular when I was in elementary school. Child pulled a cord on its back, and the doll spouted some inanity. She doesn’t read, probably can’t, but she or her ghostwriter certainly knows how to google.
I have not had a chance to read all the comments but…. my daughter’s boyfriend is a Marine and has been deployed to Iraq and afghanistn the “normal” deployment is 7 months so why was he ther a year cause he gav up his seat?
My stepdaughter is an Army medic and was in Afghanistan and Iraq over 12 months (I think 13 or 14) because she joined her group late so she had to do the button-up when they left (not sure about any of this – couldn’t get an answer I understood from her dad) – anyway – her stint there was 12 months plus – she got home just over a month ago and she will soon be deployed overseas again. Her training was well over six months after boot camp – so Track’s four months training including boot camp was the very minimum. I don’t know the Army business because I worked for the Air Force for 12 years. After Bush started his war for Cheney then the revenge for his Daddy, the troops were being deployed over and over. Stop-loss was instituted. Troops would be deployed for eight to 12 months, return for a while, then deployed again. It was (is still, I’m sure) very difficult for all. Also, too, the National Guard troops were deployed as often and for as long as the regular troops. I always thought that was odd.
Similar to @ 66.1
Asked Retired Marine Drill Sergent neighbor.
He said, it depends on the rotation and zone activity among other things. Also, in low combat / non-combat areas, you have soldiers that are waiting for a chance to fight or that might not mind the job ( non draft or sent via say court alt/sentence to serve ), some times when rotations come around they will give up leave to stay….various reasons, he was clear that generally in high combat areas or stress zones you have little choice in the matter…aka take a decompression break. So in low stress zones you could sit out a rotation and stay in the war zone or in active duty on the ground. He also said, high rank military personnel are less likely to be given a rotation during active battle.
So I’d say he didn’t mind the work he was doing and maybe a friend wanted to go home but couldn’t / someone else might have needed a break more than him. Thus the extended stay until the next rotation ( months / year ) later.
Did someone point out this lie already?
…Page 58 She may be biased, but she knows, as the mother of a combat vet, that families also suffer. …
Track Palin’s DD-214 Discharge paper, shows no Combat Infantry Badge (CIB) therefore he is not a combat vet; he can be a veteran because he went oversees, but he was not in combat. He was in the non-combat zone as a personal driver to military officers.
Sorry if this one has been addressed – I’m just takin’ a break at work & trying to read the post but not the comments section. Thanks for your patience.
No, excellent. Thanks for that information, I was wondering about it myself. So we find that the mighty Palin first son did his stint in Iraq as “rear echlon”?
That is still fine and honorable unless you claim you did something more. I was kind of curious why the boy has not made any public statements. I think it is because he is aware his ultra-christian mother has turned him into a fraud by portraying him as if he was in combat, when he knows for a fact that he never was.
Thanks Bretta-
Bless her heart. Sarah’s FINALLY tripping over her own stupidity. For a dolt, she sure doesn’t think much.
Karmic blowback. It’s a b i t c h.
uh huh. sure is.
Seems to be some subliminal necrophilia involved in romanticizing fallen soldiers.
i can’t stop tearing my hair out about her failure to understand what the draft was.
By the way does anyone else notice the HUGE discrepancy in
teaparty/rightwing/SP attitudes about the military patrolling overseas ,and the Border patrol/National guard patrolling the US border?
they praise and gush over our overseas troops but condemn as ‘federal intrusion’ the ‘troops’ who patrol our own border. i think that is weird.
people in SE AZ have bumper stickers that say ‘welcome to occupied Arizona”
these are very confused people. on one hand they feel that Arizona is occupied by illegal immigrants and they are furious about that, but on the other hand they are furious that federal ‘troops’ are present as well.
in other words, they don’t want any Mexicans but they don’t want any border patrol either.
How come they don’t lavish praise on THESE soldiers for the ‘work they do’ protecting our nation? even if it’s BS , it is curious. i mean they really hate the federales down here, but love them in Afghanistan.
yeah, follow the logic on that one. If Bush had sent more border patrol they would have loved it.
that’s about as hypocritocal as you can get. not that it matters to them.
these folks hate Obama, liberals, and anyone who isn’t one of them, and they’ll wrap themselves in every manner of US flag, constitution and cross to glamorize it. and they love sarah , hypocrisy and all.
I say, Go for it Sarah! Write some more. Put out more books. Make more speeches. In the meantime, record it all. Save those websites, posts and tweets. Exposure is what did in Miller, Angle and O’Donnell. There will come a time………
For centuries, strip tease artists have known the value of playing “peek-a-boo”. Palin will keep up this political strip-tease “will she run?” for as long as she can. It sells books, it sells her. If she’s not a candidate, her stock drops. If she declares, people will start asking her real questions. It is so much better to keep that fan fluttering in front of her. Will she or won’t she?
Also, once she declares, the cushy Faux job and lots of her speaking engagements dry up, along with the nice little pots of money that accompany them.
And I suspect THAT’S the main reason she’s stringing everyone along with this ‘will she or won’t she?’ farce. More, more, more money on the Paylin coffers…
I can see her twirling those tassels in a good ole’ burlesque show! 😀
eeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwww ! eeeeeeewwwwww !
Even her tweet today criticizing President Obama and the wikileaks story, she also plugged her book. Sheesh.
Good points.
Barf.
I’m still reading, but I got to the bit about Toby Keith and wanted to toss something out there. He is very patriotic, but he’s not a Republican. He used to be a registered Democrat, but now is Independent. He has voiced support for Obama, particularly with regards to Afghanistan. He doesn’t say he’s pro-War, but he supports the troops all the way. She is going to try to hijack him for the tea-party, but that isn’t who he is.
From his Wikipedia Page (not the best source, but it’s still there, and documented!):
In April 2009, he voiced support for Obama on Afghanistan and other decisions: “He hired one of my best friends who I think should run for president someday…Gen. James Jones as a national security adviser. He’s sending troops into Afghanistan, help is on the way there. And I’m seeing some really good middle range stuff. I’m giving our commander in chief a chance before I start grabbing. So far, I’m cool with it.”
[[NOLA– I have trouble with any song that brags on kicking someone’s ass…and being specific about the part of the anatomy that’d have a “boot put in” it. Maybe I’m just showing my age, but [cue nostalgic soundtrack] in my day, polite company did *not* use such language…let alone sing it in a ‘patriotic’ song.
Also too, if I remember correctly, the Keith song came out at about the same time as Charlie Daniel’s song “This Ain’t No Rag, It’s A Flag” came out — leastwise ’em good o’l boys n’ gals (and kidlets) down here always play the two songs together [full volume!] when they’re in a ‘patriotic mood’, it seems. I find the Daniel’s song to be *highly* offensive and I’ve always thought of the Keith song as part and parcel of the anti-*Them* genre that cropped up post 9/11…*Them* being any non-white, non-Xian, non-‘Patriot.’ beth.
Lyrics for Daniel’s [obnoxious!] song: http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/daniels-charlie/this-aint-no-rag-its-a-flag-10978.html ]]
I just think its funny that the likes of Palin think they own patriotism. I’m not a fan of that song, though I do like a few of his other songs. The harsh lyrics of tunes like that grab people’s attention, kind of like her ‘hater’ talk grabs the same. It’s low-brow, yes, but it gets their attention. I have a feeling if you asked any of the tea party who they thought he voted for, though, they’d say Palin/McCain with no doubt. Obviously I don’t know, but I have a feeling he leaned the other way 🙂
His actions on behalf of the troops, doing USO tours and such, also go to prove that the right can lay sole claim to neither patriotism nor troop support.
Accck! Sarah is coming to Lexington, KY to Joseph-Beth booksellers to sign books. No wonder they are having bankruptcy problems! This is her second time there. It used to be a good independent book store, now it looks more like a gift store. I will not be anywhere near.
“America is special. We are not defending just land, or our culture, but an idea. When men and women in the military fight, they are defending an idea.”
She thinks the whole country has only one idea? Speak for your self air head.
Surely she meant “ideals.” Or would that make too much sense?
Honest to Pete Sarah get a dictionary. You are embarrassing yourself in front of non native speakers. There are millions of grade school aged children around the world who speak, understand and write American English, as a second, third or even fourth language, better than you do.
I have to take exception to your – “Surely she meant “ideals.””
She could not have meant that because the word ideals has no meaning for her. If she has ever heard it.
Otherwise, spot on.
to hate someone they have to be worthy of thinking about . I have got time for the hate .
Are Sarah Palin’s books written anything like those famous words from her Quitter speech???
Denali, the great one, soaring under the midnight sun. And then the extremes. In the winter time it’s the frozen road that is competing with the view of ice fogged frigid beauty, the cold though, doesn’t it split the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs? And then in the summertime such extreme summertime about a hundred and fifty degrees hotter than just some months ago, than just some months from now, with fireweed blooming along the frost heaves and merciless rivers that are rushing and carving and reminding us that here, Mother Nature wins. It is as throughout all Alaska that big wild good life teeming along the road that is north to the future. That is what we get to see every day. Now what the rest of America gets to see along with us is in this last frontier there is hope and opportunity and there is country pride.
Oy! I read the transcript of this speech aloud to a group of friends the day she retired. To a person, they stared at me as if I were from another planet. A few actually thought I was making it up.
Did I say retired? I meant QUIT.
Sort of OT, but you reminded me of being present at that event (several other mudpups were, too.)
Transcripts capture what she said in a linear manner… reality doesn’t. Instead, the meaning gets suspended in the air as the words exit her mouth, and it just tumbles out of the sky like a lost soul without a parachute. Meanwhile certain words and phrases come through the suspended muddle with the force of a jet stream, which you can almost hear in her voice (some would call it enthusiasm; it also passes as vehemence). Those words and phrases ring through out of context, and trigger semi-conscious (or unconscious) reactions. And the entire time there is a carefully crafted sub-text coming at you of “See, you understand…it’s us against all those other people. You’re chosen. You understand.” It’s quite a barrage to be subjected to while standing in a crowd who is at least partially, temporarily, swept up in the stuff. The creep factor really is intense.
Uyy. My sympathies AKM– reading the book must be sort of like that, only it’s not over in a mere 20 minutes….
I sound like that after I drink too much wine. I think!!! Wink!!! 😉
I’m thinking about changing my name to “Merciless Rivers.”
Remember Shatner reading this on Conan?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgiqSNNuhQg
(You may want to start at about the 1:00 mark or risk bleeding from your ears….)
LOL. I remember that. Cute dog, love it!!!
Trying to figure out how her sales are going, I’ve checked Amazon off and on over the holiday weekend. The first time I checked, the book was in the #10 slot. It later moved up to 8. The last two times I checked it, however, it was 15 and then 20. I guess her PAC is going to have to start buying cartons of them to get those numbers up.
There are very few people showing up on her book tour this time around. The numbers are way down.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/11/29/sarah_palin_book_tour_dallas_open2010/index.html
Heh. I just had a funny vision… of a bunch of people huddled around a 55 gallon drum warming their hands from the fire inside the drum and a steady line of people dumping the new SP book in it to keep the flames going. I’ll bet those pages burn really well. (Not that I am advocating book burning of any sort)
Is this one a faux bus tour too? I have heard there is a signing in my area, but they didn’t mention whether it was by bus or luxury private jet.
Sorry have to vent:
The quotes and questions….errr…..ummmm…not sure where to start with how dimwitted her remarks were, so many in such a small article.
“Inexplicable: I recently won in court to stop my book ‘America by Heart’ from being leaked,” she wrote, “but US Govt can’t stop Wikileaks’ treasonous act?” “Why was he not pursued with the same urgency we pursue al Qaeda and Taliban leaders?” “What explains this strange lack of urgency on their part?” – said Moose
Sarah Palin blasts Obama administration for WikiLeaks ‘fiasco’
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/45686.html#ixzz16iAY0SOZ
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/45686.html
gens,
Think of it in this way, if she runs, she will have to put her money where her mouth is. I am not sure if she is going to run. I think she will interfere with her daughter’s budding career. I don’t know it is kind of interesting. I am hoping she just makes money and eats more fish head stew in Alaska.
No…I think she needs to be publicly called out on her deceptions by republicans who have some honor –deep in their being- that they need to PUBLICLY set her straight..
Put this oh another article but it was back aways as I did not get on here for a fewq days so here it is again for anyone who missed it. Went to amazon to read what was said about her book. Interesting In her acknowledgements section, Palin offers a “special thanks to the brilliant, independent self-starter who got her start in Alaska, Jessica Gavora. Thank you for your most important work on America by Heart.” Gavora is the wife of Jonah Goldberg; Goldberg recently tweeted that his wife “worked with Sarah Palin on her new book.”
Was Goldberg confessing or bragging that his wife worked with Palin?
Ewwwwwwwww
OK, this book sounds like it’s so full of crap that I don’t know how you can stand it. So, thanks for saving us all the trouble.
I did a simple wikipedia on Tocqueville, whose name rang a bell, but I haven’t read him either. She couldn’t have done more than a google quote. He didn’t believe anything she spouts – not about democracy or America or the melding of Christianity and government. Quite the opposite, it seems to me. Your Ben Franklin is definitely safe.
And then the song “Freedom Isn’t Free”. Another one that sounded remotely familiar. I don’t remember it from the more recent versions, but from the Up With People days. Now, that was in 1965, and I highly doubt that is the version that anyone Sarah’s age would know. So, if you look at the lyrics – no wonder the politically correct police made them stop singing it. That song is full of four letter words that aren’t allowed in most schools, let alone being sung be the school choir. Good grief.
Ref page 59
Saw this comment on Salon does anyone know the answer?
“It seemed like it was only two years ago that Track was shipping off to boot camp after his unfortunate and somewhat mysteriously undetailed brush with the law.
Now he is back from the service and ready to start his own business? How does that happen exactly? Ever since they ended the draft, the minimum service duty has been three years, and with the two wars going on and no draft, most hitches are a minimum of six years and with stop gap, most soldiers can’t even muster out at the end of their tour.
Track must have really really really screwed up to get booted out of the military before the end of his duty. I guess when you live in a quitter family, the first thing you learn is how to quit.”
Did Track quit or get booted out?
it is possible he is mentally unfit to continue his service. see above.
just curious & maybe OT, but has palin EVER fed the homeless or starving natives in icy winter with her famous moose stew? …or are cookies the only nourishing staple she knows?
Bwahahaha! That’s like asking if the Palin family has ever donated a speaking fee (by waiving it) to any of their “causes”. You know, like raising awareness for Down’s Syndrome? She made damn certain that HER son got the little tricycle, ’cause goodness knows she didn’t earn enough to buy one for him, right? You just know she never once thought, “Hmm, you know what, that’s very kind but there has to be another child who would be without one of these and needs it as much, if not more. Maybe another parent would be a better recipient.”
I bet it would be a cold day in hell before she ever once thought of parting with anything NICE.
She does realize that it is customary (but not required) for the POTUS and the vice-President to be very open with their earnings and charitable donations, right? Right?
yeah right! 🙂
I’m still waiting for her religious zealot followers to awaken to her self-centered, selfish self that goes against everything they claim to believe in! …sheeples!
If I remember correctly, gifts presented to the POTUS and VP are NOT theirs to keep, they accept them on behalf of the People of the US…chortle….. I can just imagine Sarah’s face the first time she’s presented some gaudy jewel encrusted keepsake, and finds out she can’t take it home to wasilla
she’ll change the rules like she always does…she never pays consequences! WTF…no way are we having this conversation of what if she were POTUS!!! ~ not in her lifetime!!!
Word is that she thinks the country’s kids should eat lots of twinkies.
Will there be anything in this book that cannot be found easily by googling? Silly question, excuse me – the lies of course.
The freepers had the story of Henry “Red” Erwin and his blazing phosphorus bomb online in March of this year.
Thank you AKM, we are all so grateful to be aware of the spewage she is selling, without having to pay and plod thru the tripe alone.
Your comments in red make it easier, and it does the heart good to know that she is’nt making a dime off of repulsed readers just trying to keep tabs on her illiterature as it is getting goobled up by the gullible and the wiilfully hateful. There is hope, esp. for the gullible! 🙂
Her wicked charm will wear, but I believe that $P will bring her own ship of mean down. She will overreact to something big, feeling she is beyond reproach and will become all undone in a spectacular-crazy fashion. Hopefully sooner then later.
..Or maybe one of her kids will revolt & get a great book deal.
goobled..gobbled..gobstoppers:~)
“It is above all in the present democratic age that the true friends of liberty and human grandeur must remain constantly vigilant and ready to prevent the social power from lightly sacrificing the particular rights of a few individuals to the general execution of its designs. In such times there is no citizen so obscure that it is not very dangerous to allow him to be oppressed, and there are no individual rights so unimportant that they can be sacrificed to arbitrariness with impunity.”
— Alexis de Tocqueville
Maybe she should have read him completely, instead lifting quotes-
Maybe she should have read him at all!
The use of de Tocqueville by the Far Right in general is interesting.
I read him, as best I could, not long after I came to the US. As with any book or other experience, one tends to remember that which makes the greatest impression, depending on one’s ideas and concerns at the time.
Having come from what was then a very poor country, I was reeling at the amount of “stuff” people had, stuff they seemed to feel they couldn’t live without. For this reason, what I remember most is de Tocqueville’s insistence that if a democracy with a capitalist system is not to slide into despotism, self-interest must be enlightened self-interest.
The greatest danger is greed and selfishness, an overwhelming taste for material things, concern only for ourselves and our family and a lack of concern for the well-being of others.
Now, who does that sound like?
Jeanne -Another wonderful insight into life as we know it by Sarah.Did anyone else catch Salon’s beauiful takedown of the latest television installment on TLC of Sarah and life in Alaska. The part about her eldest son is devastating-very sad. Has she no conscience at all.
Ruth thanks, great article here’s the link:
http://www.salon.com/entertainment/tv/2010/11/29/sarah_palin_s_alaska_recap_episode_3_open2010/index.html
this is just sad….and wrong
********************************************************************************************************************
This episode also featured the return of Track — Todd and Sarah’s eldest. We learned that Todd thinks Track is dumb, and he may be right. Track is taking over the family fishing business and he can’t seem to do anything right. He breaks the trailer. He leaves the fishing shack a mess. He sleeps late. He can’t even seem to catch fish, even when it appears that the only thing one needs to do to catch fish in Alaska is roll out a net, wait a day, and drag the net back into the boat. He’s off-Track.
Alex De Tocqueville:
“All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.”
Unlike Palin, I did read/study Tocqueville in high school and college.
Well done!
Not to put too fine a point on it, touche’ .
brilliant!! heh heh.
This is the rill Palin:
http://dh1976.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/palin_pimp3.jpg
How did trackP make Spec4(E4) in such short time, with no extra training, no CIB.
He had no college, would have gone in as E1.
What-TH does this mean:
““like Track, they are figuring out how and where to finish their military obligations.”
Since when, does the MiL let grunts ‘figure out’ how and where?
Im betting big, that track is on a TDRL…temporary duty retirement list.
His body appears to be fine; its not about his body.
Well, Track know a lot about mechanics . . .. brake lines on school busses, for example.
To repeat what I said on the Chapter 1, Part 2 thread:
The incident with which Track’s name is linked is the following:
http://frontiersman.com/articles/2005/12/06/news/news2.txt
“The boys are suspected of deflating tires in 44 First Student buses, breaking mirrors and unplugging 110 buses from their engine-block heaters, which caused the buses not to start in subzero weather on Nov. 29.”
He was supposedly the 16-year-old.
********************************************************
Oh, and AKM, thanks so much for subjecting yourself to this swill so we don’t have to do it ourselves. Even reading your recaps makes me want to wash my eyes out with bleach.
TDRL??? Is that the same as “nerves”??? I hope it’s not the same medical problem that this video is about…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZJcAeJ8YRo
yea… I was wondering that as well. Also, why did he get a $20K enlistment bonus?? Usually that is reserved for people who can bring something to the service IE: IT experience, electronics ect.
TDRL would be in his separation code somewhere.
There’s some unanswered questions here. No wonder Traque doesn’t want any limelight.
VernD
uh huh.
Track’s separation papers from the military:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_d4ad6QlLNEE/TPLCjEmyFcI/AAAAAAAAAu4/iNxp4D8u-20/s1600/track_palin_discharge.jpg
“Mama Grizzly” must be so proud …….she has successfully taught her offspring to forage …out of the garbage dump. About Bristol and the “Haters” and Dancing With the Stars… Soooo B’s appearance on the show was a direct result of her being Sarah P’s daughter… Her continued presence (even though her lack of talent evidently was obvious compared to other contestants) was undoubtedly due to her being Sarah P’s daughter, and her eventual elimination from the competition was, of course, due to the haters hating Sarah P and had nothing to do with lack of talent – this was after all supposed to be a COMPETITION…. We are to be inflicted with another generation of whining paranoid, self promoting undereducated greedy and entitled Palins… Oh joy.
I read some weird rumor that had Bristol doing a duet on a Michael Jackson tribute album. But for so many reasons that cannot be true.
Thanks for reading that book. Your eyes must be bleeding after each chapter!
About the Revolutionary War: One third of the people were for maintaining the status quo, didn’t want war and wanted to keep on being British subjects. One third were inspired by the writings of Thomas Payne, and the profits of their rich enterprises and did not want to be subjected to British taxes. One third didn’t care either way. As for the “taxation without representation,” there were British colonies that did have representation in Parliament. Sugar plantations in the British West Indies literally bought seats in Parliament that would vote their interests, low taxes on sugar. What the American colonists objected to was being taxed when they bought molasses from French colonies, who wanted to protect their brandy business at home. In Boston, they turned the molasses into rum which was traded for more slaves who went to the West Indies, completing a terrible triangle trade. The Revolution was about Freedom and the right to make money.
In one of Michael Moore’s movies, he pointed out that for many kids just out of high school, the army was a good way to earn money, and then have their education paid for when they left the service. There were no jobs available where they lived; the volunteer army was their best choice to get ahead. And, there were kids whose lives were in turmoil and they regularly got into trouble. The army was a good place to clean up their act and straighten out.
Big Thanks to Jean for slogging through the drivel. I also give thanks to those who comment: many times as I read a mudpup comment it will crystalize in my head into a nice little image, which sometimes becomes actualized into something I can share.
I have a knot in my stomach from thinking about the blatant BS the woman slings about her appreciation for “those who served”…I served in the Air Force from 1968-1972. The VA tells me that Alaska has more Viet Nam era vets per capita than any other state, and the Kenai Peninsula has more Vets than any other area within Alaska.
Politicians love to tout their support of the troops to prove how patriotic they are, but are quite content to ignore the reality of helping those who serve after their service ends. If Palin, like so many others before her, is now using the troops as a campaign prop I’d love to know how she helped vets in “her” state while she was briefly our Governor.
One last thing: McCain was indeed a POW, but members of POW/MIA families don’t think he’s much of a hero for shutting down investigation into finding out if there any surviving POW’s that continue to be held prisoner.
I read an article that claimed he sold out and agreed to close down the MIA search if they would hide his POW records.To bad someone can’t get close to them and find out the truth of the matter.
McCain would not have wanted any others to be found, they might have told a different story about him.
That alone is evil—shutting down the investigation: WHY..? What a sham & fraud..
Oooh-mah-gah that “(in THAT respect Charlie)” was awesome. Big LOL. Sounds like a finishing line for Lewis Black – – jeez now I hear it only in his voice.
Lkg fwd to each installment. 🙂
Anyone who reads this book and can make out heads or tails from it, has got to be a magician!
All of our family members have served in the armed forces. My father in law served in WW1 and WW11, but never talked about his experience until he was quite old——-even though he was shot up in WW1 and even more shot up in WW11. He was the only officer who lived after being attact in the desert while fighting Gen Rommel——-as he and three other officers rode in their jeep . Their driver, and two officers were killed. My father in law survived.
The man never complained——as when I became his daugher-in-law, I drove him to all the vets hospitals in the State of Iowa to get treatment.
He told our children things that happened that made them laugh. Like the time his troops marched for the Queen of England.(Mother queen) She invited him for tea—–and gave him the cup and saucer. He gave it to his driver, and my mother-in-law (kids grandmother) never forgave him.
He took our kids camping and fishing and told them how he lived in a tent during the war & etc.
He always said he was NO hero—–the heros were dead and never got to come home.
Or at least very few did
“But can you imagine Hollywood elite actors joining the military today the way Stewart, Fonda and Ford did in WWII?”
Does she mention that Reagan avoided service by making films in Hollywood? Does she mention that Cheney avoid service? That GW Bush skipped out on finishing his Air Guard service? Or that Limbaugh, Beck, and her pals all didn’t serve?
John Wayne and all his sons…no one served. And the list now of GOPers and their pundits, is almost devoid of service for any of them.
If there were a war that needed to be fought, many would enlist.
Iraq and Afghanistan are illegal and immoral, no wonder no one wants to go!.
John Wayne ducked out too. Glenn Greenwald did a book dealing with the chicken hawks. Alas, reality has no effect on these people
Here is a good link, http://www.awolbush.com/whoserved.html. Although some of it is dated, it does have links indicating those who have passed away or retired. Isn’t it interesting how most of the Republican leadership, who have no problem sending our kids to war, are all of Vietnam era age (Boehner, Kyle, McConnel) but nobody served. Check out the whole page because at the bottom it lists others on both sides, nambie pambies like George McGovern, one of the youngest bomber pilots and who was awarded the Silver Star and DFC. Maybe liberals are hesitant to send our children to war because they actually went themselves. Tip of the hat to Bob Dole, Chuck Hagle and Duke Cunningham, yes that Duke Cunningham who was awarded the Navy Cross, an award second only to the MOH.
I’m going to beat my little drum again.
I think we should treat the reading of this…screed…as a fund-raising opportunity for our beloved MudFlats.
Every blog post on this waste of paper and ink is more money donated to keep the site up and going.
C’mon folks, she’s reading it so WE don’t have to–let’s make it semi-worthwhile.
😎
good idea, we’ve got to make sure she can replenish her gin supply 🙂
yes indeed.
Speaking of stupid, get her latest tweet:
Inexplicable: I recently won in court to stop my book “America by Heart” from being leaked,but US Govt can’t stop Wikileaks’ treasonous act?
Where does one start?
I know, huh? teh stoopid it really, really hurts!
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/11/sarah-palin-and-wikileaks-fail
thanks for doing this..it is really a great public service..so glad I dont have to read her dribble..look forward to the rest of the cliff notes
I have often felt that Meghan quit to write this book. She is as spiteful as the Quitter and I figured the Harper’s contract had a multi-book clause. We know Sarah can never finish a job she starts and Meghan is the one who did the research and wrote most of this book.
at first i thought you were talking about mccain – then i realized you meant that meghan who used to be a journalist, right? i always thought she was somewhere raising her kid and waiting for the confidentiality agreement to expire so she could write a book of her own. or at least that’s what i wished.
Adding my thanks to you AKM, this is the ONLY way I could suffer through her crap. Reading your last few installments, my blood pressure would start to rise and then a comment in red would help lower it back down. At this point, I think I’m on the farside – it’s just too absurd. Alexis de Tocqueville? C’mon! Your Benjamin is safe! Between this book and her campaign infomercial, I mean ‘reality’ show it’s Northern (Southern, Eastern and Western) OVER Exposure!
She didn’t cite the poet? The name of the poem? It is Carl Shapiro’s “Elegy for a Dead Soldier” and it is a pretty good condemnation of war. It is a quote mine. Typical drivel. She should have someone read to her (too many big words) William Manchester’s “Goodbye Darkness”.
This woman is revolting.
Not to mention astoundingly, resoundingly and stubbornly ignorant.
She’s so intellectually lazy and proud of it–is this really what makes her appealing to so many people? Or is it her big, broad mean streak that they celebrate and emulate?
Clearly the children have learned their manners from their parents–as evidenced by Track’s comments about his sister, the Palin child “confronting” a teacher, and Bristol’s braying on national television (DWTS)!
*shudders*
Can you imagine these people in the White House? Hosting heads of state?
only as a skit on SNL
Here’s the full poem — hardly, to my way of thinking, the ‘rah, rah, join the military, young lad’ that $P would have it be from her selective offering.
Shapiro, himself, was a southern Jew. beth.
[his bio: http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/stadler_center/shapiro/bio.htm ] ““““““““““““““““
Elegy for a Dead Soldier
WHITE sheet on the tail-gate of a truck
Becomes an altar; two small candlesticks
Sputter at each side of the crucifix
Laid round with flowers brighter than the blood,
Red as the red of our apocalypse,
Hibiscus that a marching man will pluck
To stick into his rifle or his hat,
And great blue morning-glories pale as lips
That shall no longer taste or kiss or swear.
The wind begins a low magnificat,
The chaplain chats, the palmtrecs swirl their hair,
The columns come together through the mud.
ii
We too are ashes as we watch and hear
The psalm, the sorrow, and the simple praise
Of one whose promised thoughts of other days
Were such as ours, but now wholly destroyed,
The service record of his youth wiped out,
His dream dispersed by shot, must disappear.
What can we feel but wonder at a loss
That seems to point at nothing but the doubt
Which flirts our sense of luck into the ditch?
Reader of Paul who prays beside this fosse,
Shall we believe our eyes or legends rich
With glory and rebirth beyond the void?
For this comrade is dead, dead in the war,
A young man out of millions yet to live,
One cut away from all that war can give,
Freedom of self and peace to wander free.
Who mourns in all this sober multitude
Who did not feel the bite of it before
The bullet found its aim? This worthy flesh,
This boy laid in a coffin and reviewed
Who has not wrapped himself in this same flag,
Heard the light fall of dirt, his wound still fresh,
Felt his eyes closed, and heard the distant brag
Of the last volley of humanity?
IV
By chance I saw him die, stretched on the ground,
A tattooed arm lifted to take the blood
Of someone else sealed in a tin. I stood
During the last delirium that stays
The intelligence a tiny moment more,
And then the strangulation, the last sound.
The end was sudden, like a foolish play,
A stupid fool slamming a foolish door.
The absurd catastrophe, half-prearranged,
And all the decisive things still left to say.
So we disbanded, angrier and unchanged,
Sick with the utter silence of dispraise.
We ask for no statistics of the killed,
For nothing political impinges on
This single casualty, or all those gone,
Missing or healing, sinking or dispersed,
Hundreds of thousands counted, millions lost.
More than an accident and less than willed
Is every fall, and this one like the rest.
However others calculate the cost,
To us the final aggregate is one^
One with a name, one transferred to the blest;
And though anothei stoops and takes the gun,
We cannot add the second to the first.
VI
I would not speak for him who could not speak
Unless my fear were true: he was not wronged,
He knew to which decision he belonged
But let it choose itself. Ripe in instinct,
Neither the victim nor the volunteer,
He followed, and the leaders could not seek
Beyond the followers. Much of this he knew;
The journey was a detour that would steer
Into the Lincoln Highway of a land
Remorselessly improved, excited, new,
And that was what he wanted. He had planned
To earn and drive. He and the world had winked,
VII
No history deceived him, for he knew
Little of times and armies not his own;
He never felt that peace was but a loan,
Had never questioned the idea of gain.
Beyond the headlines once or twice he saw
The gathering of a power by the few
But could not tell their names; he cast his vote,
Distrusting all the elected but not the law.
He laughed at socialism j on mourrait
Pour les industrials? He shed his coat
And not for brotherhood, but for his pay.
To him the red flag marked the sewer main.
VIII
Above all else he loathed the homily,
The slogan and the ad. He paid his bill
But not for Congressmen at Bunker Hill.
Ideals were few and those there were not made
For conversation. He belonged to church
But never spoke of God. The Christmas tree,
The Easter egg, baptism, he observed.
Never denied the preacher on his perch,
And would not sign Resolved That or Whereas.
Softness he had and hours and nights reserved
For thinking, dressing, dancing to the jazz.
His laugh was real, his manners were home made.
IX
Of all men poverty pursued him least;
He was ashamed of all the down and out,
Spurned the panhandler like an uneasy doubt,
And saw the unemployed as a vague mass
Incapable of hunger or revolt.
He hated other races, south or east,
And shoved them to the margin of his mind.
He could recall the justice of the Colt,
Take interest in a gang-war like a game.
His ancestry was somewhere far behind
And left him only his peculiar name.
Doors opened, and he recognized no class.
His children would have known a heritage,
Just or unjust, the richest in the world,
The quantum of all art and science curled
In the horn of plenty, bursting from the horn,
A people bathed in honey, Paris come,
Vienna transferred with the highest wage,
A World’s Fair spread to Phoenix, Jacksonville,
Earth’s capitol, the new Byzantium,
Kingdom of man who knows? Hollow or firm,
No man can ever prophesy until
Out of our death some undiscovered germ.
Whole toleration or pure peace is born.
XI
The time to mourn is short that best becomes
The military dead. We lift and fold the flag,
Lay bare the coffin with its written tag,
And march away. Behind, four others wait
To lift the box, the heaviest of loads.
The anesthetic afternoon benumbs,
Sickens our senses, forces back our talk.
We know that others on tomorrow’s roads
Will fall, ourselves perhaps, the man beside,
Over the world the threatened, all who walk:
And could we mark the grave of him who died
We would write this beneath his name and date:
EPITAPH
Underneath this wooden cross there lies
A Christian killed in battle. You who read,
Remember that this stranger died in pain;
And passing here, if you can lift your eyes
Upon a peace kept by a human creed,
Know that one soldier has not died in vain.
KARL SHAPIRO.
July 18, 1943,
Somewhere South-west Pacific.
http://www.archive.org/stream/oxfordbookofamer030093mbp/oxfordbookofamer030093mbp_djvu.txt
Thanks for finding that Beth, I didn’t have time to look it up. Must be 30 years since I last read it hence also the failure to spell the poet’s name right. I have no idea what the context is of plugging this into the seething heap of dung that this book sounds to be, but I have the feeling that it would result in another melted irony meter. The fact is, passing there, passing through Arlington or any battlefield cemetary anywhere in the world right now, you cannot lift your eyes upon a peace kept by a human creed. So – is she saying that soldier, all soldiers, died in vain?
Another of Shapiro’s poems she ought to have read to her is “Litany for Dictatorships”. Making sure that whoever reads it explains what the big words mean.
It would be interesting if someone could find a statistic showing how many Iraq – Af/Pak veterans are currently unemployed. I would wager a Benjamin along with AKM that the percentage is fairly high, one of the reasons people enlist in the “all volunteer military” is because they can’t find a job and can’t afford to continue their education.
Interestingly enough I came across a list of Saint Reagan’s most egregious lies recently, and I recall that among them was the claim he made that he had made films of the death camps in Poland and Germany at the end of WW II. He never left the US. He also falsely denounced several of his screen actor’s guild colleagues before the House Un-American Activities Committee, ruining several people’s lives.
I also find it slightly beyond credible that out of the nearly 500 medals of honor awarded in WW II this pumped up moron would remember the obscure story of H.E. Erwin. What about Audy Murphy? Oh wait, he sold out to Hollywood. Also he wasn’t maimed. She should have picked him. Someone who lives near a long established library needs to go and look up the Reader’s Digest contents for 1965 and see if in fact they ever published a story on H.E. Erwin. It might also be worthy of some small effort to compare the account in this “book” with the wikipedia article on Erwin.
I have to stop now, the temptation to go Godwin is too strong.
You can read the whole 3-page Erwin article by Corey Ford [surprise, surprise!] online. I’m still hunting a publication date for it. beth.
Page 1 –
http://content.lib.ua.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/1939-1950&CISOPTR=1903&CISOSHOW=1882&REC=1
Page 2 –
http://content.lib.ua.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/1939-1950&CISOPTR=1903&CISOSHOW=1883&REC=2
Page 3 –
http://content.lib.ua.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/1939-1950&CISOPTR=1903&CISOSHOW=1884&REC=3
[Apparently, $P also gives credit for a block quote about SGT H. E. Erwin in the Appendix as: “18.Captain Tony Simeral on Sergeant Henry Erwin (46)”. — why she’s quoting Simeral when Corey ( the author of the RD article she ‘read’ ) is the one who wrote up the citation for Erwin’s Medal of Honor, is beyond me, but then again, this is $P we’re talking about, here. b.]
Beth – thanks for finding those…
Jingoism 101
Well, she may have Googled Alexis de Tocqueville, but she’s been eating Alice B. Toklas’ brownies.
heh
Yukon, Excellent snarkiness. As in, “I am in Curious Yellow”.
Page 39… Alexis de Tocqueville quote…. looks like Palin’s been to the quote garden again…
As for: “America doesn’t go to war for big business or for oil or for the sake of imperial conquest.”
Palin must have missed it when Bush said: “Sometimes money trumps….er… peace.”
I guess she missed the story of how the missionaries and cane growers caused the military to overthrow the Hawaiian rulers and take over.
Her latest tweet.
Inexplicable: I recently won in court to stop my book “America by Heart” from being leaked,but US Govt can’t stop Wikileaks’ treasonous act?
As David Corn says:
“This latest WikiLeaks episode could cause some, including Palin, to argue that in these post-9/11 days the prior restraint rule is a luxury that cannot be afforded. But that’s where the law stands. With her tweet tying this important and historical issue to her own (less consequential) book, Palin demonstrates that for her simplistic analysis is the best analysis and that the best way to understand anything is to view that topic from Planet Sarah.”
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/11/sarah-palin-and-wikileaks-fail
I agree, but I would have said “less than consequetial” regarding her book.
Honestly though, I find myself thinking she should stick “writing” the kinds of books she can understand. Pop-up books come to mind.
They’re loads of fun and difficult to make, but not necessarily difficult to read and understand.
Maybe we could do it for her…and include the “secret decoder glasses” whenever she uses her favourite pet phrases/insinuations! Jeanne’s comments would be visible!
Inexplicably, $arah Palin continues to make comments and pronouncements on incredibly complex issues about which she knows very little, if anything at all. beth.
Additionally, last I checked, the count/accusation of “treason” [to the US] is ‘reserved’ for citizens OF the US…not for Australian dudes {Julian Assange} OR for off-shore entities with ‘fluid’ locations {moveable/changeable IP addresses and/or hosts}.
Mayhap $P should investigate, bone up on, and/or otherwise explore ideas and/or issues *before* she shares her ‘expert opinion’ on them. Just sayin’. beth.
“““““““““““““““““““““
TREASON
This word imports a betraying, treachery, or breach of allegiance.
The Constitution of the United States, Art. III, defines treason against the United States to consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid or comfort. This offence is punished with death. By the same article of the Constitution, no person shall be convicted of treason, unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.
[from: http://www.lectlaw.com/def2/t103.htm ]
“““““““““““““““““““““`
Hmmmm…but Sarah, your book WAS leaked! You did not stop the leak, the judge simply insisted that the leak be plugged but only after all that lovely leaked stuff was all over the media and the web.
Treason was committed in the Wikileaks episode but it wasn’t by them (since they are not US citizens nor is Wikileaks a US company), it was sadly done by a member of the US military. Blast away Sar.
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=463364218434
Sarah knows more about USA then I do. Apparently there are now 57 states she says.
Is this a joke? Is she serious? Is someone spoofing her?
She is taking a dig at President Obama with this reference to Obama’s mispeak during the campaign trail. She is also creating a false equivalency between her comment about N. Korea and Obama’s gaffe during a campaign.
Sitkajo – on the campaign trail, POTUS said he’d been traveling all over the nation and had been to –or would go to– “all fifty-seven states” [or something to that effect.] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpGH02DtIws
The RighteousRighties and Palin-types jumped all over this: ‘Ha, ha, ha! Obama wants to be president and he doesn’t even know how many states there are! Ha, ha, ha! Community Organizers are so dumb — he’s too dumb to be president — he thinks there are 57 states. Ha, ha, ha!’
The Fb writer took verbal gaffes by POTUS and strung them together for $P. ‘Her’ Fb page for Thanksgiving was in response to people jumping on her for saying North Korea was our ally…instead of admitting she misspoke and letting it go, she pointed to misspeakings of *POTUS* by way of saying: ‘Yeah, I did it, but the media *must* stop picking on me for my totally innocent slip-up — it’s not fair!; they didn’t pick on *him* and *he* did it more and worse!’ beth.
Sarah spent Thanksgiving Day Googling Obama’s gaffes and then writing a na-na-na-na-na post on Facebook. This false equivalence doesn’t explain the fact that slips of the tongue (something we’ve all done) aren’t the same as blatant ignorance and stupidity. Clearly, Sarah knows nothing about North or South Korea and had no clue they were two separate countries, according to the book “Game Change.” That Fox News participates in this demagoguery is the height of cynicism and hypocrisy.
How come we never hear about Toad’s selfless military experience? Too busy cashing in on the benefits of his infinestimal Native ancestry? or did he follow the Dick Cheney model? If S & T were high school sweethearts, what was he doing while she spent 6 years getting her 4 yr degree? Peace Corps? Vista? Spending time at the library reading all of Sarah’s recommendations?
Thanks for bringing up the Peace Corps and VISTA, Evelyn. I am an old hippie with progressive leanings, which makes me quite a leftist in my corner of the world. I did a year with VISTA after college, two years in the Peace Corps a few years after that, and another year in VISTA on top of that. Although at the time I said it was all about fun and adventure, I served my time because I believed in trying to give back something to my country and to the world at large. I’m very proud of my 4 years of national service, and I give the same praise and respect to people who are teachers, nurses, and PTA moms. I can’t see any sign of “public service” in what Ms. Palin and her ilk have done.
My son joined the Peace Corps and went to Africa to teach children. Sarah Palin is not fit to kneel before him and velcro his sandals.
Thank you, Mag the Mick, for your service to the country, and to slipstream’s son as well.
People like Sarah forget that there are many ways to serve our country. In fact, I’d love to see mandatory service – military or civilian for all young people. After all, one of Sarah’s idolized countries, Israel, requires military service of all able-bodied young people. I prefer to have many civilian options like the Peace Corps, VISTA, the Teacher Corps and the like – if we had more options, the kids could serve close to home which would help many because the stipends for civilian service are even worse than the abysmally low military pay.
Again, thank you and everyone who has done their part (even in community volunteering) to make this country a better place.
I would really, really like someone to ask Sarah why, considering those strong patriotic feelings she claims to have felt early-on, she has never seen fit to serve this country without a big paycheck.
Thank you for your wonderful service…
Yes, what was the Toad doing during those years to prepare for his role as the shadow governor? I too am curious about his background. It just PO’d me to learn that he sat in the governor’s office and governed without Alaskans’ votes. I am still angry.
or her ghostwriter????
Well she does know who Alex is… I would sure like to her a little bit more about what she does know of American Exceptionalism. Does she discuss this more?
I just have to add because, I have never read “Democracy in America.” I just remember when the “Eighteen Acres” author discussed giving her the materials on American Exceptionalism to SP. Why Nicolle, why? Now, we have to hear her theories and listen to this c_ _p. Makes me wonder if these people actually feel bad about un-leashing the roguester.
Did you watch McCain, just watched a clip? Oh dear, it was like watching an old mafia move where the guy has to pretend he hasn’t sold out. I use to appreciate the reach across the isle stuff. Those were the days.
I think she’s confused him with Alex Trebeck.
I just have to say, Thanks for taking this bullet. We all owe you, AKM.
Yes, we owe you. And please have Spouse remove all the rusty forks from the house before you read one more page.
Dear whatzername-
I’m hoping someday you listen to your son -if he really said any of the things you attribute to him-
and I would yet again caution you to take care of this problem you have with hasty-generalization and similar fallacies you employ to make arguments for your POV.
All human institutions, including the American military , need constant attention between the idea which built them and the what-we have-made of that idea. If we do not level full criticism at our institutions we have abdicated our most fully human power … the power to make an idea a reality.
We constantly teeter on the edge of allowing our institutions to become things in and of themselves and holding them above ourselves and wrestling around making them serve us.
I’m thinking you have trouble with this notion what with you becoming the national poster child for abdication of responsibility and all .
They serve for many, many reasons- some mundane, some high-flown…
Some with honor we can all recognize, some not…
Skipping by the turmoil of the Viet Nam years in your lil exposition, except to slap at Mr Kerry, you missed a rather large example of Americans duking it out over what we should or should not be doing… what we should or should not be asking our military to do in our names… you know the IDEAs which propelled us in those years . There is a lot of shame to share around from those years… asking our young people to die in service of the domino theory, young people at home taking their anger and frustration at a government which didn’t value them out on those who did serve ( mostly in a forced draft- do you even know what the draft was?) even the VFW refusing to acknowledge the need for help and in many cases the actual veteran status of VN vets because they didn’t/couldn’t cope with the fact so many vets came home angry at their government and country…
To keep up the across-the-board claptrap that all who serve protect my rights is just beyond anything which makes sense and dishonors what is good about the miltary and those who serve for sensible reasons.
Come talk to my cousin about some of this foolishness you spout.
Come sit by me at his grave and talk with his bones..
He was the closest thing I had to having a brother… he taught me to ride a bike, to pick myself up after any kind of fall and go on, to look at others for what they brought to the table, not what they took away…
As the child of blue-collar workers he knew he was likely to be drafted so he figured he would sign up and keep some choice as to what branch he would serve in. As the child of a father and family of WWII vets it never dawned on him to question whether and what his country was doing in Viet Nam was good or bad. He knew it would be awful, he knew he could die, but he thought it was obvious that he owed his country his time.
After 3 months in Viet Nam , he could no longer make sense of what his government was doing getting involved in a civil war. He kept saying the domino theory thingy’s holey underpants were so obvious and it was bizarre to be asked to pretend it was a pair of silk drawers.
By 6 months he was in such a horrible battle with himself over what to do about the complete disconnect in his mind between what he saw as reality in Viet Nam and what the military/government said was reality that he flirted with desertion as a way to flee his pain.
He was deeply ashamed at that impulse and decided he could survive the disconnect and do the best he could to walk a fine line between what made sense and what didn’t.
At 7 months he died in his tent, the back of his head blown off, in a surprise night raid.
His death was merciful in itself, his last months were hell on earth.
His death was a sacrifice at the altar of uninspected, unexamined ideas .
The ideas were stupid.
He did not secure blessings of liberty and freedom for me by the mere fact of his service.
His death did and has made me question what we are doing whenever we start the military saber rattling thing.
His death has made me suspicious of fruitloops like you…
You’re the very type who sent him there , you know.
Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you for echoing the sentiments of my husband and me. He served a brief time on small subs in Vietnam, and later on nuclear subs with six-month tours. He and his best friend had to stand duty on top of the sub one night when it couldn’t continue up a Vietnamese river while the officers tried to contact the base to see how to handle the remainder of their mission.
His best friend’s face was blown off and my husband was wounded. Almost forty years later, he still wakes up with nightmares. To what point? The hawks making the decision were, then as now, people who had never served in military or if they had, never served in active combat. How easy it is to send other people’s children to war, to suffer and die, to kill and maim and suffer the psychological consequences all because you want to “hang tough,” “kick a$$,” or never question the reasons for a particular conflict. True patriotism is risking our people’s lives and the nation’s assets only as a last resort. It’s not the movies, Sarah. Real life has real consequences.
If Sarah Palin believes in war so wholeheartedly, why doesn’t she get her daughters to volunteer? Why didn’t she herself serve? After all, there are mothers with kids in the military whose husbands are in the war zone and get shipped off themselves, leaving their kids alone with relatives or strangers. Yeah, Sarah, we get it. You want to be a cheerleader, but don’t want to get in the game. Useless hag. Almost as useless as that fraud John McCain. They deserved each other and went down together as they deserved.
The men and woman who serve, whose families live each day wondering if they will see their loves return in a body bag, crippled or brain damaged deserve better than Sarah Palin’s cheers. They deserve men and women in government who make sure they don’t get sent to war for the wrong reasons, they deserve to get compensated for their willingness to serve, get the best health care, get backing for education once they return, and get decent retirement for time served. After all, our elected officials only have to serve a short time before they get invested in lifetime retirement and benefits – wouldn’t it be better to grant our troops that? They don’t need Sarah’s empty and ignorant cheers, they need tangible rewards for their service.
Shut up, Sarah. Your cheers are empty symbols of your own vanity, your own ambition. You views endanger our troops by ginning up the risks. Shut up, Sarah, shut up.
Sunflower,
Great post. I do believe as well that one of the reasons behind the Rethugs and their not worrying about the unemployed is that they hope they will have Americans so desperate for money they will join the military to pay their bills and eat — this is not far-fetched if you actually think about it – all their warmongering never ceases — this new North Korean attention-grabbing BS along with the current state of the Iranian political climate excites the neocons for more wars — two or four (depending on if you count Yemen and Somalia and perhaps other places) they COWARDS cannot kill enough.
From another member of the Viet Nam generation, thank you, AlaskaPi and KSSunflower.
ks sunflower I have said the same thing on blogs in articles I have read about insurance.Why can’t our reps give up theirs and pay out of pocket like we do instead of taxes paying their insurance,Give it to our service people.And I agree palin does endanger our troops.
Alaski Pi, I forgot to say how moved I was by your cousin’s story and how much he meant to you.
I also wanted to say that your eloquent words will stay with me, and I thank you for sharing the following:
“All human institutions, including the American military , need constant attention between the idea which built them and the what-we have-made of that idea. If we do not level full criticism at our institutions we have abdicated our most fully human power … the power to make an idea a reality.”
Freedom does, indeed, require constant vigilance because that balance between the ideal and the reality can slip into corruption all too easily.
I am so sorry about your cousin. 🙁
Hugs to you
PI,
Thank you foe your eloquent words of TRUTH and including the thoughts of MOST of the Viet Nam generation. Beautifully written and thoughtful.
((hugs))
Alaska Pi Could not have said it better Thank you for putting what many from that time felt.I think people forget how our people were treated when they came home,except for Mr McCain the so called hero
beautifully spoken. thank you.
Thank you. I am humbled.
OK, so it’s ok to kneel in front of a war veteran who is a John McCain but not a John Kerry! OK , and it’s ok to send your son to war if the Mothers agree it’s just, but only if you are — what? on the side of your favorite president? OK, and it’s ok to feel that you’re weary of war but not ok to say it — hmmm! OK, and it’s ok to create a movie about war as long as it supports the conflict?
Holes, BIG holes!
I gotta say my peace on one thing here. I really dislike anyone, ANYONE highlighting a mother’s pain when losing a child. This is a family/friend issue, not just a mother’s! The father, the sister, the brother, the cousin, the grandparents, the close friend all feel the death of a soldier who has been killed. This is one of $P’s greatest platitudes, in my mind.
DF, as a bereaved mother i can tell you that for the mother, the father, the grandparents the loss is felt more keenly, the devastation digs deeper, the dysfunction endures longer when a child is killed. i believe that this is true because the loss disrupts the natural order of things. we all know that in our lives we will bury our parents, our aunts and uncles, our friends and neighbors, but our children? no. no. no. the experience of losing a child is so horrific that it cannot be understood by those who have never experienced it. i would not wish it on my worst enemy.
Thank you for your comments. One I forgot, however, is the Spouse — omg.
Bereavement is simply not confined to Mothers, thus, my concern for leaving out those others who can also be devastated by death and loss. By highlighting one person’s pain we, subtlely perhaps, lose perspective.
Dangerous simple mind. WWII had to be fought and we knew who the enemy was and why and where they were. Hitler had to be stopped.
Vietnam and Iraq were/are wars of choice and so, many didn’t know why they were there, who were they fighting, what is the goal?
All wars are not the same in their reasons or goals. She just ignores Vietnam except to slam a DEM Vet, Kerry.
No only were they wars of choice, but also disasters, in terms of human and financial cost, distrust of government… and, unlike WWII and Vietnam, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are fought on credit, the only wars in our country’s history that don’t have a dedicated tax revenue. Even the Revolutionary War had a tax- Thoreau spent time in jail to protest.
And Super-P rails at our government for the huge federal debt.(Banging head on desk)
thanks akm for another installment of the stupid’s fake ramblings. some family members wonder why i follow what she is up to through blogs and various news sources, and i always tell them that even though she is stupid and comical, she is dangerous for what she represents, the moneyed interests backing her, and her disruption of rational, vital discussion of issues in this country. you make following her very hilarious and bearable, though.
and yes, for god sake, please make her stop mentioning jimmy stewart!!!! the poor man’s bones are probably rattling in his resting place.
And Jimmy Stewart actually flew combat missions unlike the Gipper who served in the military making movies.
Yes, the Gipper — who later actually believed he served in the war.
The Paul Jenkins piece made me laugh out loud! And he’s a conservative Republican? Wow. He also laid out the significance of the “hater” strategy very clearly. I’m encouraged.
That was great!
The comments are also very funny.
Palin’s ludicrous assertion in her book that life is the same as it was during the founding years debunked:
http://www.frumforum.com/a-history-lesson-for-palin
Women had no say in any government or religious matter at all.
Bingo. I kind of think she is an advocate of going backwards.
I would like to hear her understanding of women’s rights back then?????
Why? Would you really believe her? Of course not.
I wouldn’t believe her (SP) if she said it were raining outside. I’d simply HAVE to go to the window and see for myself.
Right. This is a woman who lied about the temperature outside — although even if she wasn’t in Wasilla, she could have checked the temperature on the internet in under two minutes. Getting anything right just isn’t worth the bother.
I am questioning her new feminism concept. Differs from mine.
Boots on the ground in NOLA – drove by the Barnes & Noble at 7:50am and the parking lot (which is not very big anyway) was full. People were standing in line which went exactly half way around the building. I would estimate between 150 to 175 people though I didn’t drive slow enough to count.
Thanks, Crayons (I guess). Don’t know why her books draw such big crowds, just don’t know why. This one doesn’t seem to have all the hype that the last one did, though.
Let me guess, 150 to 175 middle aged or old white folks, and I say that as a middle aged white folk. I was at the BX in Anchorage last year for her book signing, (not to buy the book) and the only persons of color were the MP’s there for crowd control.
That would be an affirmative – definitely middle to later aged white folks.
Palin is just mad Katie Couric asked her what she reads, so she is going to pretend to read by having someone, who has read, write a book for her and call it her book. More proof how thin-skinned she is–except she & Bristol keep referencing their “thick skin” ever since Rove said “I hope she(Palin) isn’t so thin skinned she can’t” .deal with criticism.
Good Monday Morning from the other American Heartland where us Un-real Americans reside. I so love the story hour and this should be required reading for everyone. In my hometown-Cherokee,Iowa there is a nice,well kept complex of brick buildings that is used to house the criminally insane. They have vacancies at present ,and you gentle folks sound like you may have a candidate for immediate long term reservations. If I can be of assistance please notify me sooner rather than later.
lol! are you sure you want her in your town? she could lead a revolt f the criminally insane!
Here’s the thing about Tocqueville, you can dip into almost any page a pluck out a bon mot that serves your political purpose. Indeed, Newt Gingrich and Michael Moore could use the same quote from Tocqueville to make their point. Example? Sarah’s use of “Habits of the Heart” serves her cultural/political purpose, but it also was the title of a book by Robert Bellah wherein this elite pointy-headed academic explores the inherent tension between the individual and the community (and ultimately comes down on the side of communitarian habits). Of course, it’s easier to browse through David Hackett Fischer’s writing and appropriate what you want (without attribution) than to actually do any real work. Ugh.
we never fought for business or big oil or Imperilism??? ah-hem… Revolutionary war – Tea Tax..Tea party ?
Spanish American War..Cuba, business again, Imperilism- Phillipines, Iraq 1&2 – big Oil. Vietnam had a # of reasons, one of which was the raw resources, Domino theory was hyped. A friend of mine was asked why they were there by a guy in his platoon, he pointed to the Shell station in Da Nang…
Civil War – Northern business against Southern Cotton – Slavery as a recognized reason didn’t enter into it until midway thru the war…
I served in the late 70’s also too. I did not see combat, and objected to having my pic taken for Veteran’s Day with the guys who did … I didn’t fit the definition…
all great examples of american imperialism and the misuse of the military for big business.
Here’s a better example. These are the words of Marine Gen. Smedley D. Butler one of the most decorated military men in U. S. history:
I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class thug for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902–1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smedley_Butler
wow!! how could people not have known all this? the truth is that America did know. the people were told that we were doing good things in the world.
Thank you…..Horrifying…!
All I can say is: My ears are buzzing and my brain is on fire…
Central America was often made “safe” for American business through Regime Change.
benlomond, The domino theory? Wasn’t that why we overthrew the legitimate Hawaiin government because the sugar companies wanted free reign? And LilyBart, your comment about Regime Change sparked a thought. There is an excellent book out there called “Overthrow – America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq: by Stephen Kinzer. Its been a while since I read it but I recall he broke it down as imperial (Hawaii, Cuba, Phillipines, Nicaragua etc) and covert, mostly after WWII, Iran (putting the Shah in power) Vietnam, Guatamemala (when Johnson sent troops in) and Chile, when Salvador Allende was overthrown and General Pinochet was put in power with the aid of the CIA and we all know how well that worked out for the Chilean people. Not only does Kinzer do a great job in explaining why we got involved but he also explains how that involvement affects us in those countries to this very day.
Shell is a Dutch company. There are better examples of US imperialism.
Yes, but Americans are very accustomed to having heavily subsidized (read: cheap in relation to the rest of the world!) oil available and we go to great lengths to protect our access to it.
She just happened to forget that John Kerry is a decorated Viet Nam vet.
Because he happened to think the war was an unnecessary evil that part of his story wasn’t told.
If palin can’t wrap her little mind around something it doesn’t exist. Therefore the large gaps in her knowledge and her disdain for anybody that doesn’t act the way she thinks they should.
So is Palin fit to even tie Kerry’s boots? No.
Sarah’s right. John Kerry was disrespectful to the troops. Remember at that one Washington press corps dinner where he did the skit showing him looking around the oval office for the weapons of mass destruction while our troops were dying in Iraq? Oh wait……..
Oy, vey!
and to think that DH Happy, who is so far left that…well, he’s not a part of the “radical fringe” but you can see it from where he stands…DH Happy volunteered for the US Army in 1974, shortly after the draft was lifted. He served as an operating room tech at Fort Sam Houston, then at Fort Rucker, fighting to keep “the stupid” from taking over the South…but it appears his mission was Not Accomplished and the stupid is now ubiquitous nation-wide.
Hey, whatzername! My college-educated (elite) leftie liberal husband served to protect your freedom to speak the stupid. You’re welcome. Don’t send cookies. You have the right to remain silent. Use it!!
*shaking head, rolling eyes, sucking teeth, sighing heavily*
*shudder*shudder*shaking it off*
Off to the library, where anything and everything is possible. 🙂
thatcrowwoman
Thank you to DH Happy for his service and to thatcrowwoman for my favorite line in all these comments – “You have the right to remain silent. Use it!” Perfect.
Thanks AKM for taking the hit on her “book” once again. I can’t bear listen to her and I couldn’t bear to read her (ghost-written) words and I thank you for the information on her book, because we do have to be informed about this hate-filled woman, even if we would rather just pretend she doesn’t exist. I feel the need for fortification just to read about her book, never mind actually reading it!! You have great strength.
AKM – that headline was enough to make me always fall of my chair laughing! Made my morning, that’s for sure. “Hating haters cost Bristol ‘likers,’ her Mom dignity.”
Thanks for the link!
Okay, I want a T-shirt that repeats Paul Jenkin’s comment: “I’m more of a cranky disliker [not a hater].”
Yep, yep, I am certainly a cranky “disliker” of Sarah’s lies and constant presence.
I read that the other day and was appalled at what Bristol said..I had thought she would be better than that.Bristol and Willow no one actually hates you or your family or at least most people don’t.Most just do not agree with the lies told and the family being so hypocritical.Just because people have different opinions does not mean they hate.Are these girls and the family saying this because they hate everyone who thinks different from them?If that is so,how can their mother be a governor of any state much less a VP or anything else .Anyone who has that much hate is not fit for any office.
You know, I’d expect Palin not to be smart enough to cover her tracks when plagiarizing other people’s real literary work, but why wouldn’t her ghostwriter or the editors at Harper-Collins try to mask her lack of intellectual honesty and integrity. She should have at least given credit to those whose work she ripped-off.
So, how much of this book is she donating to the those who served? How much of her babble is going towards helping those dear men and women who served and their families? Nada, zilch? I figured as much. Let’s see, yesterday we learned that President Obama is donating all of the profits of his new book, a children’s book, to the families of the troops who have fallen.
Way to go, Sarah, prove how much you care by taking every penny and shoving it in your own pocket. Nothing says care and concern about the troops like profiting from their sacrifices. Gawd, Sarah, you make me embarrassed and ashamed that you don’t feel shame for your hypocrisy and greed.
AKM, without your wit and humor, I couldn’t take this, but I know I need to be aware of what this crazoid is doing, so I owe you for making it as palatable an experience as you can. To me, your blogging about this woman’s warped sense of patriotism is in and of itself an act of patriotism because you are keeping us alert to her real and present danger. Thank you.
Sunflower,
Superior post. Thank you for posting what I feel regarding AKM. I’ve read this blog for a long while and have rarely posted – it is wonderful to read the blogs from REAL Alaskans who actually know what is going on in Alaska rather than the BS from the mouth of the Snowbilly Grifter and her illiterate groupies.
To use one horrid person’s expression-Ditto to both 5 and 5.1 … I am still chuckling over the ” de Tocqueville pfft”. Unfortunately I was drinking coffee when I read it. Gotta go clean my keyboard now.
And yet even those who should know better because they lived near or in Wasilla defend her and what she says and does even when she outright lies.
Ha, good catch with Alexis de Tocqueville! 🙂
Palin and Limbaugh’s new campaign “Let them eat Twinkies”
http://www.frumforum.com/let-them-eat-twinkies
OMG,
Just read that. HA!!! Check out the other Palin http://www.frumforum.com/we-watch-sarah-palins-alaska-so-you-dont-have-to and you have to check this out.
http://margaretandhelen.wordpress.com/
That’s disgusting….she and limbaugh are both disgraceful in their crass treatment of our First Lady, who rises above the garbage…..
She left out the park about Track’s little problems in the valley. The military has long been a “last chance” for many a wayword youth.
Way back in the day………I grew up in Big D and graduated high school in 1971 – it was the policy of the local DA to give “boys” a choice if they were busted with as much as one joint — they could serve 40 years in Huntsville, the state pen, or have a one-way ticket to Viet Nam. It is true. Just as it is also TRUE that the very same DA was named Henry Wade. The SAME DA Wade named in Roe v. Wade. Henry Wade was DA in Dallas for nearly 40 years — too bad he was not around to insure Track did some real service.
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington, Virginia 22211
On another blog, discussion was interesting about the fact that no CIB was awarded to Track. The CIB is given to all men and women who actively participate in combat. He does not have one, ergo he did not actively participate in combat. I wish his mother would leave him alone.
Indeed. Isn’t Track in the Alaska National Guard? Don’t they have to remain in the guard for more than two years?
I think he is.
jimzmum, the three basic requirements for the CIB are you must be an infantryman performing infantry duties, be assigned with a unit who is involved in ground combat and be actively participating in the actions. So even though he was an infantryman and his unit was involved in ground combat, he must have been in a position where he was not directly involved in combat, just like a lot of other people. The Army has really gotten stingy when it comes to the CIB after Vietnam where some staff officers would go into a hot dz in a chopper get out, get back in and fly back to base and pin one on for being under fire. There is now also the Combat Action Badge for non-infantry personnel who find themselves in the thick of it.
Used to be and probably still is. It takes 10 non combatants to support 1 combatant. So most “soldiers” never fight anybody but a greasy engine or filling out a bureaucratic form, or load and unloading all the of the transport necessary to support the supporters who support the on guy in the field.
Track’s DD214 has been published IM Blogsite. No combat duty – his so called mother has lied again to enhance her position. This info needs to get out. The document can be obtained from the government..Sarah cannot stop that…as she stopped anyone being able to access Trig’s birth certificate on file w/the State of Alaska. Her administation as ‘half-governor’ and now Parnell won’t allow people to view it.