Gov. Palin: Alaska Airlines’ Prayer Cards; It’s hip to be offended?

As posted today on Facebook:

It seems astonishing that someone would be offended by a simple prayer card placed on an airline’s meal tray, but I guess that’s the politically correct world we live in now. A few days ago, Rev. Franklin Graham gave me a heads up that Alaska Airlines may discontinue its nice, decades-long Alaskan tradition of including a little prayer card on flight meal trays. Rev. Graham is a frequent flyer to Alaska on Alaska Airlines because of his missionary work. Of course, as an Alaskan I’m also a frequent flyer on this airlines, which always seems to provide superb service. When I heard from Rev. Graham, I immediately sent the following letter to the CEO and President of Alaska Airlines.

It feels so odd that some may be offended by a little card with an encouraging non-denominational verse from the Psalms, but how often do we hear complaints about tawdry ads or billboard images flashing at us everywhere we turn? People of faith and common decency just shrug and move on from the constant assault on their sensibilities; we don’t call for censorship – at least I don’t. So, why in this day and age must every reference to faith in God be censored from the public square? Why must a private company buckle under pressure from a handful of people who find a little card saying “the Lord is my shepherd” offensive? I’m sure there are many more people who appreciate the cards, or at least are ambivalent about them.

Is it any wonder that people of faith feel their beliefs are constantly marginalized or even under outright attack when we hear reports like this and stories about Catholic institutions being forced to sue the Obama administration over their right to conscience objections? This Alaska Airlines story is just about a simple meal card, but for these Catholic institutions it’s about an issue that cuts to the heart of their deepest religious beliefs.

Here is the letter I sent to Alaska Airlines, and I encourage other customers to let their voices be heard. Granted, it’s hip to wage war on American traditions lately – especially anything faith-based – but for many of us it’s just not in our DNA to merely shrug off the nonsensical attacks on positive, inspiring, and (in my opinion) needed encouragement today.

Dear Mr. Ayer and Mr. Tilden:

Thank you for your tremendous service to Alaskans and so many others over all these years! We love Alaska Airlines. As I tell everyone, it is my favorite.

In my book “Going Rogue” I gave a special shout-out to airline employees because of the extraordinary customer service and good attitudes I witness on flights that my family and I take around this great country. It’s inspiring and impressive to see the sweet spirit of hard working airline employees shine, in spite of sometimes difficult people and circumstances dealt with everyday.

Also inspiring and impressive, and very encouraging, is the special touch Alaska Airlines has blessed fliers with for many years. Your small prayer cards that remind us of the beauty of thankfulness have never ceased to amaze me. In this tumultuous world, finding this little tangible reminder of such an important virtue is always uplifting! Thank you for providing the cards.

It’s come to my attention that the cards may be discontinued due to a few who are offended. I really hope this is just a rumor. Please remain strong and courageous in the face of a cultural trend that wants to wage war on any positive thing that a few may construe as offensive. The Alaska Airlines tradition should be looked upon as an all-American, hopeful, encouraging gesture. Please don’t discontinue the cards.

Thank you again for your service!

Sarah Palin and family

Quote of the Day (August 22, 2010)

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Alan Caruba at Warning Signs:

"How far from reality has [Maureen] Dowd wandered? The nation is irrational? Obama is high-minded? Being angry regarding the worst attack on America since Pearl Harbor is wrong? And surely the fearmongers she has in mind include Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin. In psychology, the term 'projection' is used to describe imputing one’s own emotions to others. 'The country is having some weird mass nervous breakdown, with the right spreading fear and disinformation that is amplified by the poisonous echo chamber that is the modern media environment.' The echo chamber to which she refers has been and is the liberal news media that sold us on Barack Obama, equating him with Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Engaging in what media pundit Bernie Goldberg called a 'slobbering love affair.' Dowd is looking in the mirror."

- JP

Paul Heise: Palin committed to gospel of Reagan

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Economics professor Paul Heise has read Going Rougue, and his conclusion is that "Sarah Palin believes that she has a mission from God to channel Ronald Reagan and his conservative message." In a Lebanon Daily News op-ed, Professor Heise writes:

It can hardly be a coincidence that An American Life is also the title of Ronald Reagan's own autobiography. Palin is presumptuous enough to put her American life and her book right up there on the pedestal with Reagan's. But she should have at least noted the use of the title of Reagan's book, just to avoid the charge of plagiarism. If it is a coincidence, she would claim it is just the hand of providence at work. As she says "I don't believe in coincidences."

But the good professor overlooks the fact that "An American Life" is a popular subtitle not limited to the two volumes by President Reagan and Governor Palin. There are any number of biographies, among them Walter Isaacson's Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (2003), Patricia Brady's Martha Washington: An American Life (2005), David Cannadine's Mellon: An American Life (2006), Elisabeth Bumiller's Condoleezza Rice: An American Life (2007), James Dodson's Ben Hogan: An American Life (2005), Kate Buford's Burt Lancaster: An American Life (2001), and Blair Jackson's Garcia: An American Life, just to name a baker's half dozen. On the autobiography shelf, you'll find Hallelujah Junction: Composing an American Life by John Adams (the contemporary composer, not the founding father) from 2008. There's even an ode to a musical instrument titled Guitar - An American Life by NPR commentator Tim Brookes.

Singling out Sarah Palin, labeling her as "presumptuous" and claiming that she puts her own memoir "right up there on the pedestal with Reagan's" autobiography is just professorial nonsense. Gov. Palin has frequently attributed Ronald Reagan, in her book, in op-eds and in speeches, so Helms' lecturing her for not noting Reagan's title in her book strikes us as petty and foolish. Should she have also noted the authors of biographies of founders, financial moguls, guitars and guitarists in her book for their similar subtitles? Of course not. This bit of academic foolishness dispensed with, let's get back to Heise's analysis:

The connection between Palin's God and Reagan's agenda is quite explicit. She says, "I believed - and still do - that every person has a destiny, a reason for being. So Reagan's sense of national purpose resonated with me."

She ties her reason for being to his sense of national purpose.

The professor jumps to another off-the-wall conclusion when he states:

Note that Palin's religion is not what we think of as Christian. There is no reference to Christianity in the references to God in the book. There is no sin, suffer and repent; no hell-fire and damnation or heavenly reward; no Jesus is Lord. This is strange because that is the tradition in which she was raised.

Just because the governor doesn't talk about Christ in her book is no reason for Heise to assume that her religion is not Christianity. Considering the attacks leveled at Sarah Palin by the secular left intended to paint her as some kind of fundamentalist zealot, we're not at all surprised that she would want to discuss her faith in terms that could be understood by a broad base of Christians, Jews and even some non-believers. Sarah Palin is no deist. She does not shy away from talking about her relationship with the Lord, but neither does she see any need to give more ammunition to her secularist critics by footnoting each and every article of her religion. That she has accepted Christ as her Savior, we have no doubt. Though she freely acknowledges how her faith has guided her life, she sees the task before her as one of spreading the philosophy of Ronald Reagan, not that of being a missionary for any religious denomination. As the professor notes:

Palin does not preach in the common sense of that word. She does not proselytize nor try to convince others to follow her and her commitment. However, Palin's religion is not passive. There is a call to God-directed action. We are supposed to go through the doors of opportunity that providence opens for us.

What she does preach is that those doors of opportunity are opened by individual initiative and the market system. They are opened by implementing and sticking to the commonsense conservatism of Reagan.

Throughout the book, Palin endlessly repeats, and blatantly preaches, the Reagan mantra of rugged individualism, free-market economics and a strong national defense. Her faith in Reagan and his policies is akin to her faith in God.

At the end of the book and after losing the election, Palin ends with the prayer and comment: "God, thank you. Thank you for your faithfulness ... always seeing us through. ... I don't know if this chapter is ending or just beginning, but you do, so I hand it over to you again. Thanks for letting me do that. ... Then I thank our Lord for every single thing we've been through that year. I believed there was purpose in it all."

That purpose is to spread the gospel of Ronald Reagan.

The full Paul Heise opinion piece can be digested here.

- JP

Quote of the Day (August 21, 2010)

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Sherman Frederick at the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

"So, as summer breaks into fall, the Angle/Reid race shapes up to have President Barack Obama in Reid's corner and Sarah Palin in Angle's corner. In the political parlor game of who helps who the most, it's not even close. One Sarah Palin equals three Barack Obamas when it comes to energizing and connecting with the Nevada voters."

- JP

Quote of the Day (August 20, 2010)

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C. Edmund Wright at American Thinker:

"We were told to fear Sarah Palin's devout faith -- and yet told to embrace Obama's professed Christian conversion. Every stone in Wasilla was overturned in hopes of finding some evidence of Palin's handling of snakes or casting out of demons -- while the entire "no no no -- G.D. America" tape collection available on the Trinity Church website was ignored for months and months."

- JP

Newsweek burns "Saint Sarah" at the stake

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Lisa Miller, Newsweek's anti-religion religion editor, has authored a profile of Sarah Palin for the leftist news magazine. Titled "Saint Sarah," the article has the elements of a hit piece:

"Palin has already overshared..."

"But while leftist critics continue to shred Palin as a cynical, shallow, ill-informed opportunist, and new polls show her unpopularity rating to be at an all-time high..."

"Many Christian women loathe Palin, of course..."

"It’s an emotional appeal, unfettered by loyalty to the broader policy agenda of traditional feminism."

"It is impossible to know what Palin really believes about God..."

"For all her apparent authenticity, though, Palin’s real motivations remain hidden. (She declined to be interviewed for this article.)"

"Palin’s lack of expertise on policy questions—and her apparent lack of curiosity—bothers not just her critics but even some of her most devoted fans."

Newsweek, you see, is in Miller's mind not the shrunken shell of its former self which its owners have up for sale to cut their massive losses. No, if Sarah Palin doesn't grant the leftist magazine an interview, then she's somehow inauthentic and hides her obviously nefarious motivations. The appeal of Gov. Palin to Christians is entirely emotional, and the ungrateful wretch hasn't paid her dues to the "real" feminists. She is "loathed" by many "Christian" women for whom the grisly practice of vacuuming out the brains of unborn infants so their skulls can be crushed, reducing their once-developing heads to a size small enough to pulled out of their inconvenienced mothers' wombs. As for Sarah Palin's alleged "lack of expertise on policy questions," Miller should educate herself by reading the governor's Facebook posts, where she will find some well-argued commentary on a variety of issues. The president could use some of that Palin expertise on the matter of offshore drilling right now, as his executive inexperience is becoming painfully evident to a growing number of Americans. And if Miller actually bothered to read Going Rogue, her use of the "lack of curiosity" meme is pure intellectual dishonesty.

Miller also doles out a few morsels of begrudging admiration:

"To millions of women, Palin’s authenticity makes her a sister in arms... a beautiful, fearless, principled fighter who shares their struggles. To a smaller number, she is a prophet, ordained by God for a special role in the cosmic battle against the forces of evil."

"... her pro-woman rallying cry, articulated in the evangelical vernacular, together with the potent pro-life example of her own family, puts Palin in a position to reshape and reinvigorate the religious right, one of the most powerful forces in American politics."

"Already Palin has shown herself to be a kingmaker (as well as a queenmaker)."

"Palin refers often to Ronald Reagan in her speeches, and even critics concede there’s something Reaganesque about the way she approaches faith."

Finally, the author sprinkles in a teaspoon of leftist self-flagellation of the "woe is we for creating this monster" variety:

"With her new faith-based message, Palin gathers up the Christian women that traditional feminism has left behind."

"Palin has her faults, but the left is partially to blame for her ascent. Its native mistrust of religion, of conservative believers in particular, left the gap that Palin now fills."

The best that we say about Miller's article is that it will be read by fewer people than watch Fox News in prime time, as circulation figures for the troubled magazine have dropped to 1966 levels, according to the NY Times. Written by a religion editor who represents the "cafeteria Christian" views of the religious left, it's a homily delivered to a mostly secularist choir. To say that Miller doesn't "get it" would be a gross understatement. The appeal of Sarah Palin to people of faith is not, as one would gather from this article, limited to the evangelical right. An increasing number of Catholics, more mainstream Protestants and even religious Jews are finding themselves on the same chapter and verse as "Saint Sarah."

- JP

Recovering Liberal on Sarah Palin's Support for Israel

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At Recovering Liberal, an interesting rejoinder to the hysterical Left's Palinophobia, more specifically their obsession with her religious views and ridiculous assertions that of every elected president, she would be driven by some allegedly overpowering end times philosophy to hasten the Savior's return by initiating Armageddon in the Holy Land. Here's an abstract:

Sarah Palin's support for Israel is unquestioned, abiding and deep.

[...]

It is ridiculous to hold, even for one second, that Palin could not separate her support for the legitimacy and security of Israel as a political entity from her support of Israel in biblical prophesy. Kissinger and Albright managed to keep faith and heritage apart from their politics. Why then should Palin be any less capable than JFK was to keep his beliefs in the Pope separate from his constitutional oath of office?

[...]

Judge Palin on her oath to the constitution and her defending America's security at home and abroad against real threats from those who would destroy our values.

 It is often said that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. The failure of the secular Left to learn even the most rudimentary basics of Christian belief make them more dangerous than that which they fear. When Christ returns, it will be at a time of The Father's own choosing, and no bible-believing Christian would dare play God, especially if it meant hastening the day of judgment on which they would be condemned for interfering with God's plan.

They said the same thing about Reagan, of course -- that he would initiate a nuclear war in the Middle East as a shortcut to the timeline for the rapture. Guess what? Didn't happen. And Palin's record as governor of Alaska proves that she did not govern as the theocrat they claim she is. But since when have liberals let facts get in the way of one of their smears?

- JP

The Political Power in Billy Graham's Blessing

Rob Christensen of the Raleigh News & Observer, argues that Sarah Palin's recent dinner with the Rev. Billy Graham -- whom the writer says is like the Southern equivalent of the "Protestant pope" -- was a more significant event, at least in North Carolina, than her book signing at Fort Bragg:

For decades, presidents and presidential wannabes have sought the blessing of the nation's best-known preacher.

The evangelist, 91, doesn't endorse any more, having been burned by his close relationship with President Richard Nixon, who was Graham's idea of a Christian statesman until Graham listened to the Watergate tapes.

Graham, a registered Democrat, has befriended presidents of both parties. In many ways, his role in American life has transcended politics.

Religion, says Christensen, remains a powerful force in American politics:

Sometimes people ask me to explain Palin's political appeal - she is among the leading candidates for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012. It is not so much about issues and ideology. She was a fairly pragmatic governor of Alaska.

It is about going rogue, as her book title suggests, about class politics, and about the power of religion.

Which is why approving comments from Billy Graham are far more important to her supporters than questions pundits raise about her presidential credentials.

What Christensen and his McClatchy Newspaper colleagues fail to understand is that Sarah Palin's supporters are quite familiar with the former governor's presidential credentials. We compared them with those of Barack Obama over a year ago, noted his lack of executive experience and found hers to be the more impressive resume.

The full op-ed is here.