A black tie crowd greeted Sarah Palin with a prolonged ovation as the first woman to be the Republican Party's vice presidential candidate entered the room where she spoke tonight:
After a brief introduction from University President Hamid Shirvani, who termed Palin a “great American,” she took the stage to chants of “Sarah” and a standing ovation.- JP
Sarah Palin discussed civic education, freedom of speech and the infamous "bendable straws" demand at California State University, Stanislaus Friday night.
Palin poked fun at the controversy sparked by the announcement she would appear and the outcry over her confidential contract, a portion of which students said they found in a university Dumpster.
"Do I have my straws?" she said, adding that she felt sorry for the Washington Speakers Bureau, which on her behalf negotiated "with the entire state of California."
And she took a shot at those who have launched an investigation into the university Foundation's finances in response to the contract. "Attorney General Jerry Brown and friends, this is California, do you really not have anything better to do?"
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Palin said she was happy the foundation stuck with her through the controversy, though, because California has always been a special place to her. It’s Reagan country, she said.
Palin quickly delved into thanking the local community for hosting her with great hospitality. She said she appreciated meeting local farmers, who taught her a thing or two about pronunciation.
“I’ll never call an almond an almond again,” Palin joked.
The remainder of Palin’s speech centered on the topic of civic education for America’s next generation, a problem she singled out as the biggest challenge facing the country.
“My biggest fear is that we’re not passing on what it means to be an American to the next generation,” Palin said.
Being an American, Palin said, is about a constitutional right to free speech. It’s about people working hard to make something of themselves, she said. It’s about a love of freedom and free market associations.
It’s these things, Palin said, that make America the strongest, most generous country on earth.
She focused on the subject of American exceptionalism, stating that while most countries are the result of accidents of history America is the only country founded on an ideal – liberty.
But the strong will of our founders and our lasting reminders of their impact – the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence – aren’t enough to secure the success of liberty and of a nation, Palin said.
“It’s in the striving,” Palin said.
Palin referenced Weimar Republic Germany, which she termed as one of the most democratic countries in the world at the time. But Adolf Hitler was able to turn the country to an authoritarian state because residents didn’t stand against it, she said.
Palin lauded those around the world who stand up for liberty, praising the men and women who brought down the Berlin Wall, faced down tanks in Tiananmen Square, and recently stood against an unjust election in Tehran, Iraq.
Palin compared those great individuals to the two CSU Stanislaus students who dug through Dumpsters to find her draft contract, arguing that the students would be better off pursuing a different tactic to achieve change. She suggested that, instead of “trying to tell people to sit down and shut up,” they should choose to hold America’s leadership to higher ideals.
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