Sarah Palin Rises Higher in Stepping Down

In a stunning announcement today, Governor Sarah Palin said she is not going to run for re-election and is resigning her Governorship as of July 26! After listening to her reasons, I can only applaud her for her choice.

CNN and other news outlets are questioning her motives. Is she resigning to concentrate on a run for the Presidency in 2012? Or perhaps to challenge Murkowski for the Senate in 2010? Could it be that she just can't take the heat dished out to her in the past ten months?

Well, let me add one more question to that mix. Could it be that she is resigning for the reasons that she said? I heard the news, heard the speculation, watched the Democrat strategists that came on and were just befuddled. Not one person said she is resigning for the reasons that she said she is. Most, like Paul Begala, said it was a dumb move because she's hurt her chances to run for President in 2012.

Those Democrats look only at life as if it were completely tied up to running the country. They just can't seem to understand that some people actually say what they mean and mean what they say and care more about the country than they do about party or themselves.

Palin said she was resigning because since she was tapped to be John McCain's running mate in the 2008 election, the press went digging into Alaska looking for dirt. They couldn't find any. They found two ethics charges that they played up, but they hadn't been decided at that point. It was convenient that they were settled after the election. In the past 10 months there have been 18 ethics complaints filed against Governor Palin. All but two have been dismissed. The two that have not been dismissed yet, are still pending.

Palin said herself that this has cost her over $500,000 to answer these complaints, but they have cost her accusers nothing. The Politics of Personal Destruction. However, regarding the ethics complaints, she didn't whine about the cost to her. Instead, she said it detracts from the state of Alaska and the cost to the taxpayer for those complaints is now over $2 million! Once again, Democrats causing a waste of taxpayers dollars for their own political gains. However, they have been unsuccessful at getting Palin. The only thing they have accomplished is to spend taxpayer money for their own personal vendetta against a governor that scares them to death.

Governor Palin gave another reason for leaving, which I find extremely interesting. She said first that she wouldn't be running for re-election. Then she talked about how lame duck elected officials just put in their time and collect a paycheck, while spending taxpayer dollars traveling. She did not want to be like that so she was going to resign effective July 26. She is absolutely right! For her to stand up and give this as one of her reasons for resigning, just has me even more impressed with her. She stated what she believes and what the rest of us know and she solved the problem by resigning and turning it over to her Lieutenant Governor.

How many governors travel around the world claiming to be working for their state when they are lame ducks? Look at Michigan. Governor Granholm is a lame duck. Yet she's traveling around the world claiming to be seeking jobs for Michigan. Yet, Michigan is the state in the worst financial shape of any state in the country with the highest unemployment rate in the nation.

When Granholm is not traveling the world, she's in Washington DC sitting at a table with Barack Obama. She is no doubt phishing for a job come January 2011 when she finally leaves office. She's collecting her paycheck while doing nothing. She's certainly not looking for jobs in Michigan talking to Obama. The only employment she's looking at for a Michigan citizen is one and that's her.

If you look back at my posts leading up to the election last year, you'll see that I did not like John McCain. I didn't want to vote for him, but I didn't want to be one of those that skipped the election and created a President Obama. When he named Sarah Palin as his running mate. I learned very quickly, along with much of the nation, that she was a Conservative. Not a John McCain wannabe Conservative, but her own Conservative. As strong a Conservative as Ronald Reagan and quite possibly even more Conservative. My decision was made listening to her speeches and reviewing her history (something that liberals and will never understand). When I went into the voting booth, I was casting my vote for Sarah Palin and John McCain was just lucky enough to be on the same ticket!

So while the pundits or idiots on the news programs that we all see are wondering what her strategy is, I'm taking Sarah Palin at her word. She has been put through the ringer more than any man that has run. She has had to dodge more vicious attacks during the campaign and after the campaign than anyone has had to put up with. She has always dealt with it with class and a smile on her face. She did it without the help of the National Organization of Women or any other group that claims to be for women, but are in fact, only there for liberals.

Even with the completely distasteful comments of David Letterman attacking her daughters, she still managed to handle it with grace and style. The NOW finally came out with a tepid statement in support of her, but it took them days to do so and then only after pressure by Conservative groups wondering where they were and questioning their motives and existance.

It is too bad that the Democrats can't face an issue by discussing the issue and not getting personal. Sarah Palin has been treated like an abused spouse by the press and the comedians. Her children have been subjected to treatment that could only be called child abuse if done by an adult. Those doing the abuse are the Press, the Democrats, the liberal blogs and the comedians.

But once again, Sarah Palin has handled it with class and grace. She's taken stepping down from a high political office and turned it into a positive statement putting her state above any personal gains. That's just another thing that the Democrats will never be able to understand. Sarah Palin rose above politics and personal advantage and stood up for her beliefs and acted on her beliefs rather than making it a political strategy. The State of Alaska lost an honest woman as their governor. The country may well have lost what could have been a great leader.

You're welcome to comment.

Brett

BECKHAMS for Armani's New Underwear Campaign

David and Victoria Beckham shot together for Armani's Latest Underwear Campaign. You like?
.

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David Beckham's tattoeed arms doesn't? really entice me. But its good to see the duo shot together, showing their love chemistry in this campaign.
Your verdict?
(b.t.w. this question is not for David's fans)


The new Armani Underwear Campaign unveils at Selfridges, London:

Image Source

Related Posts:
Victoria Beckham's Airport Styles
.

BECKHAMS for Armani's New Underwear Campaign

David and Victoria Beckham shot together for Armani's Latest Underwear Campaign. You like?
.

.

.

David Beckham's tattoeed arms doesn't? really entice me. But its good to see the duo shot together, showing their love chemistry in this campaign.
Your verdict?
(b.t.w. this question is not for David's fans)


The new Armani Underwear Campaign unveils at Selfridges, London:

Image Source

Related Posts:
Victoria Beckham's Airport Styles
.

Sego Lily

June was second wetest June on record for the Front Range. This has resulted in a bummer crop of wildflowers, chest high grasses, and bugs. This week I went for a stroll on the Mesa Trail and took pictures of over 20 species of wildlfowers. There are some species I have never seen bloom in this area. One of these is the Sego or Mariposa Lily (Calochortus gunnisonii).

The Sego Lily blooms from May through August and is usually in the Foothills and Montane zones in open meadows and fields.

In this picture you can see the individual stems.

The open field filled with Sego Lilies

Acorn Creek

Distance: 2.6 miles one way to the Aspen grove above the "ridge with a view"
Elevation: 8,647 ft - 10,200 ft (by barometric GPS)/10,400 ft (by Summit Hiker)
Elevation Gain: 1,553 ft (by GPS), 1,768 ft (by Summit Hiker)

Our alfresco lunch spot on a high ridge overlooking the Gore Range

A hike up Acorn Creek north of Silverthorne will make you want to quit your job, sell your house, put your mother in a home, and move to Colorado! The views of the Gore Range from this moderate hike are stunning to say the least. Couple that with blankets of early season wildflowers and near solitude, and you have the makings for a life changing event.

The trailhead, looking west

The beginning of the trail starts out in a Sagebrush meadow, which in June is filled with Lupine.

The trailhead is located 10.7 miles north of Silverthorne (Highway 9) at Ute Pass Road. From this point, handy signs point the way to the trailhead where there is plentiful parking in a broad Sagebrush valley filled by mid-June with Lupine, a Sagebrush loving wildflower.

Walking through one of several Aspen Groves

Yet another climatic zone. This time another Sagebrush meadow

True to the guidebooks, the trail passes through several climatic zones that include the aforementioned Sagebrush, a lush riparian stream, Aspen forest, pine forest, and grass covered ridges. The trail climbs relentlessly, so a moderate level of fitness is required to get the best views. Turning around periodically one can see the Gore Range, but the best view by far is at the ridge.

Looking back down the trail at the Gore Range seen through towering Aspens

There is a long segment with logs sunk into the ground every yard or so. This is looking back down the trail in the early part of that segment.

Some of the distance milestones along this trail include a drop down to Acorn Creek within a half mile with a less than sturdy log bridge over the creek; the entrance to the Ptarmigan Wilderness at 1.8 miles (listed as 2.0 miles in the guide book), a wooden trail sign pointing to the right at 2.0 miles, a very short but steep up shortly thereafter, and a dead end into a a gully around (I did not mark it) 2.3 miles.

At the gully, turn left. Ahead is the "ridge with a view". At the top of the ridge is the small aspen grove where we turned around.

The boundary of the wilderness area is up ahead in the trees

Heartleaf Arnica blanketed the forest floor in the pine forests

Directly above the Aspen grove where we turned around is a very obvious avalanche chute coming down from the Lower Ute Peak. We don't own a topographic map of the area and assumed the trail continued up the side of Lower Ute Peak. This is not true. After the Aspen grove, the trail heads south along the ridge and actually ascends to the pass to the right of the peak. Had we known this, we might have continued on. The journey to the pass adds an additional 900 ft of elevation gain in 0.9 miles. From the looks of it, that elevation gain occurs within last 0.5 miles, so it is very steep but not too daunting.

This is a short ridge walk right after the very steep segment. We were thinking this might be the destination but it is another 0.3 miles beyond and up and to the left.

Looking down into the gully. With all the Aspens, this trail will be spectacular in the fall. The final destination of the trail is to the right of the peak in the middle of the picture.

We only saw two other groups on the trail, one of whom ended up sharing our ridge as we ate our peanut butter sandwiches. Had I had a barka lounger, you would have never dragged me off the ridge. As it was, the slightly lumpy, slightly prickly plot of earth I chose for my alfresco dining spot was luring me into complacency despite the building clouds. Just in time, I pulled my body up and headed back down. By the time we reached civilization, the storms had arrived and our plans for an outdoor meal in Silverthorne were squashed in a sea of moody and rumbling clouds.

Elaine is standing a little lower than where we ended up eating. We actually went all the way up the ridge and through the Aspen Grove you see in the distance.

The upper Aspen grove

In an attempt at fair disclosure, be advised that the houses near the Acorn Creek trailhead sell in the millions, so perhaps it is better to bring Mom and her Social Security check along when you drop everything and move here. Either way, Acorn Creek awaits you.

Governor Sanford: Days of our Lives

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford disappeared for a period of four days in June. First it was reported that nobody knew where he was. Not his wife, nor his staff. Then he was supposedly hiking, but then, he appeared. Immediately upon his arrival, he admitted that he'd been having an affair with a young lady in Argentina. This began the usual mess by the press of vilifying him for daring to have an affair with another woman. It led the news, and the news crawl on the liberal media, and it led the news even on Fox News for two days.

That was followed up by the announcement that he and his wife were going to get away with their children for a few days and try to reconcile and heal their marriage. To his wife's credit, she did not stand with him during his press conference, as many of the wives do when their husbands are caught in the midst of an affair.

Let's stop there for a second. Affairs are a way of life. We have a divorce rate in this country of over 50%. They are not all due to affairs. It's easy to get married and easy to get divorced. If children are involved, it's a little more difficult, but still fairly easy to get a divorce over and done with within a matter of months. Even if caused by an affair, it doesn't generate much attention unless it's a politician, and then the differences in reporting are only based on which party the unfaithful one is a part.

Affairs and other marital problems are common in all professions. We don't hear about it when it's a person that works on the assembly line at a car company, or if it's the owner of the corner drug store, or if it's your insurance agent, or the operator for the phone company. In Hollywood, it's expected and not much of a story.

Politicians are treated differently however. It becomes a scandal. In addition, they are treated differently based on parties. The best known is Bill Clinton. But beyond the initial reporting, the common sentiment among the press was, "everybody does it". Republicans are treated differently. When Senator Vitter is mentioned, there is the descriptive "who had an affair".

There are exceptions. Governor Spitzer was reported on heavily because he prosecuted prostitutes and went after prostitution rings, then we caught with prostitutes. But little mention was made when he replacement, Dave Patterson admitted he'd had an affair.

Mark Sanford, however, is breaking new ground. The Press, the Party and even the opposing party don't quite know how to handle this. Sanford is not just talking about the affair, but he's giving descriptions of how his girlfriend was his "soulmate".

Sanford's three day run on the news for his disappearance and revelations of an affair were nearly over. In addition, it was knocked off the news with the death of Farrah Fawcett, then later in the day the drama surrounding Michael Jackson and his ultimate death. But he brought himself back in the news by talking about his soulmate.

The news now is discussing what his strategy might be. Perhaps it's not a strategy. Perhaps it is. It could also be that he's torn. But do we need to know this? This is for him deal with and his wife and his girlfriend. If it's interfering with him doing his job, he should resign. But, when your co-worker at your job is caught having an affair, do they lose their job? Do people call for their resignation?

The difference is that the politicians are holding the public trust. If they are not doing their job because their personal life is interfering, they do need to resign. If Sanford doesn't get his mess cleared up at least in the public view, within the next couple of days, he should resign in my opinion.

He was right in my opinion on his stance with refusing the so-called stimulus money. That should not be part of this story. It is possible for a man to be right on one topic while making a mess of himself in another area. But his actions in his personal life are taking away from his very good argument on another topic. If this continues, the state of South Carolina is not served well by the attention he is generating.

People are divorced everyday for various reasons including extra-marital affairs. However, they are not required to surrender their jobs because of their extra-curricular activities. It's how their reaction to those activities affects their jobs that should determine their further employment. The people of South Carolina don't need the leader of their state playing Days of our Lives every day.

You're welcome to comment.

Brett

A New Government Program: For Government

In six months this year, spending has quadrupled the deficit and doubled the debt. Those $500,000,000 deficits that the Democrats whined and complained about is now chump change. The $11 Trillion debt? Those were the good old days.

The day after Presidents Day in February, Barack Obama flew to Denver to sign the so-called stimulus package. Remember, this is the bill that not one Congressman read before voting on it. One claimed he did, but he didn't read it. It was physically impossible for him to read it.

In this past week, the United States House of Representativess has again voted on a bill without reading it. This most recent bill will increase our taxes at a rate never before seen in this country. Again, not one Congressman read the bill. There was even a dispute as to whether the bill was in the chamber when the House debated the bill they hadn't read. At 3:09 a.m. on the day that the bill was voted on, an additional 300 pages was dumped into the bill in the form of an amendment. Again, nobody read the amendment.

I think it would be wise, since we're spending all of this money anyway, that we should create a new federal program. We have Head Start for children to help them learn to read. I think we shold appropriate billions of dollars for a Head Start program for the United States House of Reprensentatives. Why billions? The answer is simple. We also have to teach, as part of this Head Start Program for Congress, how to not lie about it.

This is particularly interesting to me because my Representative in the House is someone named Mark Schauer. Mr. Schauer is a Freshman Representative in my district. To his credit, I have not heard him say that he read the entire bill this time before voting on it. This is important because of what happened in February.

Mr. Schauer put on little town hall meetings in February leading up to the so-called stimulus package. He called them "Congress on your Corner". From the first day through the last of his town hall style meetings, he claimed he had read the entire bill. He is the only member of Congress that claimed to have read the entire bill. Not one person believed him. Yet he continued to say that he read the entire bill before voting on it. It defied logic since the bill was put out near midnight, was over 1,300 pages long and it was voted on the following day around noon.

So, if we're going to have people representing us in the Congress of the United States, I believe that they should be required to learn to read before taking office. This will not be easy. These are stubborn men and women. They vote on global warming legislation claiming they are saving the world from global warming, but global warming doesn't exist. We need to teach these people how to read, so that they are up to date on the facts rather than falling for Al Gore's words just because he speaks louder and slower and doesn't use big words (which I find to be good since Congress people don't understand the English language). We need to teach these people to read so that they at least can stop lying about reading things that they haven't read.

We'll also have to include comprehension in these classes. Letting them read the global warming bill is not enough. They must also comprehend that there is no global warming. The must learn that saying "You don't raise taxes in a recession" is not just a slogan. They must learn to read and comprehend that that "slogan" is actually something they should live by, understand why you don't raise taxes during hard times and quite possibly let them learn that reduced taxes improves the economy, and creates more tax revenue for the federal government. They will never learn this until they learn to comprehend what they read.

This will not be an easy task. Therefore, we should probably spend extra money hiring second and third grade students to teach these Congress people to read and comprehension. This is what we learn from Congress. The government education system is failing. It's dropping worldwide and it's the least productive form of education in this country. They keep throwing money at it and it gets continually worse. So it's only right that we throw money at these illiterate Congress people that don't have the common sense nor the brains of a bug heading for the headlights on a car doing 70 mph on the expressway at night.

There is a simpler solution. We could vote people into office that have half a brain, but there must be something wrong with the American voter too because we keep putting these dimwits in office. So, since we can't seem to find people to put in office that can walk alone in public without supervision, then I suggest we start a new government program to teach reading and comprehension to these elected people. We can't call it head start because that's already taken for the children that are learning to read as they enter school at an early age. Maybe we could call it "Congressional Reading and Comprehension: The Final Frontier". I nominate as the first student, Representative Mark Schauer.

You're welcome to comment.

Brett