Happy New Year, Sarah Palin!

Let me start by saying that I can’t think of any politician in my lifetime that I have admired any more than Sarah Palin. From the moment she exploded on the national political scene on August 29 of last year, I have felt a connection with the Governor that has only grown stronger as the election has faded. What a woman! A drop-dead gorgeous mother of 5, with an equally gorgeous husband, smart as a whip with political skills that we haven’t seen in decades, and a faithful servant of Jesus Christ! She is tough, self-reliant, and when I see her in action, every fiber in my being screams: "You go, girl!"

Initially, I think what was most compelling about the Governor was her Christian faith—unlike so many other politicians, Sarah walks the walk. I will never forget how she was viciously bombarded before the Republican Convention with those disgusting lies about her infant son, Trig, who was born last April with Down’s Syndrome. The same networks who waited over a year to investigate Barack Obama’s racist, hate-mongering pastor were drooling over extreme left-wing bloggers abhorrently claiming that Trig was in fact the child of Bristol Palin, the teenage daughter of Sarah and Todd Palin. I cannot even begin to comprehend what this lady did to trigger the vitriolic, mean-spirited reaction by the mainstream media and the liberal elite, but I am convinced that they will stop at nothing to destroy her not only politically, but personally as well. I suppose she committed the cardinal sin of daring to challenge Barack Obama’s rightful ascendancy as Our Leader—just look at the virulent attacks on Hillary Clinton and Joe the Plumber. Try Googling Jack Ryan—Barack Obama probably wouldn’t even have been elected to the Senate in 2004 if he hadn’t shamelessly fought to have Ryan’s sealed divorce records opened. Obama’s rise in politics is frightening for two reasons—the associations that have helped his career, and the utter lack of scrutiny that he enjoys even today. As the campaigns progressed after the conventions, the Obama Nation was terrified at John McCain’s rising poll numbers with his selection of Governor Palin, and even when it was clear that the economic crisis was helping Obama politically, Sarah was still a threat to be destroyed.

Case in point—Obama’s statement that "you can put lipstick on a pig, and it’s still a pig" was no accidental or innocent remark. He knew exactly what he was saying and why, and the video shows every member of his audience cheering and applauding those words; he was practically given a standing ovation. This remark was made only days after Sarah Palin joked at the Republican National Convention that the difference between a pit bull and a hockey mom is "lipstick". The Obama faithful knew exactly who their Messiah was referring to, and Obama is the product of the corrupt Chicago political machine. He mastered the art of cut-throat politics—he is no novice at dirty tricks (see above Jack Ryan). And if Obama doesn’t have the discretion to realize that the connection might, and probably would, be made, then he needs to practice what he preaches and understand that his words have meaning. He doesn’t understand that he needs to choose his words carefully as President? I shudder to think what the reaction would have been if John McCain had made such a statement about Obama that could have been perceived as racist.

The media’s double standards throughout the primaries and the election are astounding. I am sure that the bias of the liberal media in 2008 will be explored and analyzed for years, but no matter what they try, Sarah Palin will remain one of my biggest heroes.

I wonder how many Americans realize that out of the babies that are diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome in the womb, 9 out of 10 of those children are aborted. This is America post-Roe vs. Wade—and our country is going to pay for condoning this culture of death. Abortion, euthanasia, cloning—what has happened to this hard-working, self-reliant, God-fearing nation?! To me, Sarah Palin represents what is still right about America. I am proud to be an evangelical Christian myself, and I am strongly pro-life. Both Todd and Sarah Palin did learn of Trig’s diagnosis while she was pregnant, but for them, aborting their son was not an option. Trig Palin was not a choice to his Mom and Dad; he was their child, regardless of any obstacles he would face. I firmly believe that life can be precious and wonderful under any circumstances, and my 25 years as a quadriplegic have convinced me that one person’s disability can be the greatest blessing of another person’s life. Sarah Palin gets that—and she has never needed a political consultant to demonstrate her understanding, compassionate nature.

But I love the Mama Grizzly in her too… In her recent interview with John Ziegler, Sarah fires back at the "entertainers" who exploited her teenage daughter’s pregnancy, saying that those digs brought out the Mama Grizzly in her. I was raised by a Mama Grizzly myself, and I know what my Mama would do today if anyone went out to savage her young’un. I cannot think of any public official whose children were dissected the way Sarah Palin’s were. Even now, after Bristol has already had her little boy, the media just keeps on meddling. It was reported that both Bristol and Levi, her fiance, had quit high school, when Bristol is still enrolled, and Levi is taking correspondence courses to complete his degree. Levi started working as an apprentice to an electrician with ASRC Energy Services, Inc., on an oil field job. I don’t understand how that apprentice offended anyone, but some hard-hitting journalists started writing articles questioning whether Levi was eligible to work as an apprentice in that field without a high-school diploma. So Levi quit his job. I hope these reporters, bloggers, or whatever they call themselves, are proud of their exposure of the deep, dark corruption involved in Levi Johnston trying to support his family by earning a living.

There are teenagers all over this country who are forced to quit school to support their children, their parents, or other family members, and for these pathetic media types, the implication that Bristol and Levi’s life choices are somehow shameful or contemptible shows that Sarah Palin connects with the real world more than the media elite ever will. When will we hear any stories about Joe Biden’s children? Or Barack Obama’s family? No surprise here—many of the political pundits are blasting Sarah Palin for fighting back in the John Ziegler interview, but I believe that the attacks on her have been profoundly unprecedented, and if I were in her shoes, I would defend myself and my family vociferously. I wouldn’t worry about what the media thinks anyway—the American people know when someone has been wronged. Sarah needs to trust her instincts, and if that means reminding the American people what the mainstream media did to her, then, "You go, girl!" Once the Obama magic has faded, people will take another look at Sarah and realize that she is a natural leader.

My favorite Sarah Palin quote: "…[S]omeone called me a ‘Redneck Woman’ once and you know what I said back? I said, ‘Why, thank you!’" I am proud of my redneck roots myself, and no matter what, we strong, independent women don’t change. But why would so many women in the media turn against Sarah? I believe that many of these so-called "feminists" have a deep-seeded resentment of Governor Palin. I am probably correct in presuming that many of these women have had at least one abortion in their lifetime, and Sarah’s motherhood makes them more guilty every time they see her with her children. The pro-life position is as alien to them as a plate of grits with red-eye gravy, and the only responses they can muster are personal attacks on Sarah Palin and Hitleresque condemnations of people with disabilities. Take a look at this posting by the blogger Diana Hsieh entitled "The Worship of Retardation". She just cannot understand why parents would "saddle themselves with a perpetually dependent child". Oh, really? I was paralyzed in a car accident when I was a 16-year-old child, and I wouldn’t change one minute of my life. My entire family bonded together to make sure that I maximized every ability I had, and my Mama still lives with me today to help with my attendant care. And I have a wonderful husband too! He married me over 10 years ago, and he loves me more today than when we met. Ms. Hsieh must not understand the power of love, or maybe she doesn’t have anyone in her life who would love her if she were, God forbid, disabled. God might be getting ready to give her a wake-up call, especially if she doesn’t think that something that bad will happen to her. But Diana, don’t you dare presume that you know if someone else’s life is miserable. I read where you are basing your opinions on your experience helping a man with Down’s Syndrome, where you conclude that you "regard his life as inherently tragic and likely quite miserable". Who gives you the authority to decide these things? Don’t you know that those decisions are up to God? This unbelievable blog entry is one of the scariest pieces of opinion that I have ever encountered, and the comments are even more frightening. Would it surprise anyone to know that before the Nazis ever killed one Jew in the Holocaust, they killed those persons with mental and physical disabilities first? That’s why Sarah Palin’s advocacy for special needs children is so important to me.

But in addition to the resentment that her critics harbor, I believe that many of her critics are jealous of her. Governor Palin has it all—a wonderful marriage; a supportive, handsome, husband; a promising career; 5 great children, and she is a success! There are so many stories about single women in New York City who are aging and cannot find a husband, and Maureen Dowd of the New York Times personifies these unhappy old maids. Sarah is beautiful and she keeps her husband happy, while Ms. Dowd likely hasn’t been close to a man since undergrad. Her columns about Governor Palin spew such venom and mean-spirited insults that it has to be motivated by more than political differences. Envy and resentment—how petty. And before I am attacked as another dumb female conservative, I will say that I am a licensed attorney for the State of South Carolina, and I have practiced family law and real estate for over 12 years. My world could have been destroyed when I was 16, but with the help of the Lord and my family, I have succeeded. When I was injured, I was told by some that I was wasting time fixing my hair and putting on makeup, that I was going to have to work on the substantial things to succeed in this chair. Well, I showed them—in this woman’s world, you can be smart, attractive, and successful! I am married to an amazing man too, and I don’t know why the feminists don’t understand that there is nothing more feminine than being a happy wife and a loving mother. We all don’t fit into one category; there is no litmus test for womanhood.

Happy New Year, Sarah Palin, and whenever you feel down about the trials that you have endured with the media, please know that I thank God for you and I pray for you daily. Our country needs you desperately. May the joy of the Lord be your strength!