Is Sarah Palin is going on another Evangelical mission, this time to Sudan? Franklin Graham's Samaritan's Purse is very active there, rebuilding churches, exactly what the people of Sudan need.
She started her Evangelical Circus career closer to home, in Western Alaska, where she dished out cookies and religious pamphlets to people who needed money, fuel and real food. She flew there in Franklin Graham's private jet.
Then she went to Haiti, one year after the earthquake that devastated the country, where she handed out toys and religious pamphlets to children who needed homes, food and health care. She went with Franklin Graham, off course.
Next, she managed to pray and feel blessed in Alabama, courtesy of Samaritan's Purse. She happened to be in the area, taking money from a special needs organization to spout her usual platitudes about Trig being the best thing that happened in her life.
It has not been confirmed that Sarah will be going to Southern Sudan with Franklin Graham, or what she's hoping to achieve with this trip, but something tells me they might be spotted together at some point.
Whether she goes with Graham or not, I join the chorus of the many people who, on hearing of Sarah Palin's visit to Sudan, reacted with a horrified "Haven't the Sudanese suffered enough?"
Sarah Palin found a novel way of helping victims of natural disasters. Practical help is good, but ultimately, what's most important is spiritual help. Showing people that they're loved and cared for to the point of being humbled really touches her heart.
I saw the Governor Palin tweet about the Bin Laden pics and tried to find her to see if she would go ON THE RECORD at 10pm and tell us why she disagrees with the President.
I could not find her ...but finally found some information as to where she is and what she is doing! She is with Reverend Franklin Graham and Samariatan's Purse [sic] and there is video to prove it!
Greta is promoting Sarah Palin's latest opportunistic photo-op. Did she listen to what Sarah had to say?
Here's a translation for you, Greta:
"I'm here for a photo-op with Franklin Graham and his chaplains to do what's really important, to show these people how much they're loved. Between practical help and spiritual help, I choose what touches my heart, as long as I don't have to touch my own purse."
"It feels great to be working out here. I hope more people sign up with Samaritan's Purse so they can be blessed like I am today."
There aren't any crises these opportunists won't exploit. Sarah Palin tagged along with Franklin Graham and his Evangelical Circus on his trips to Western Alaska, Haiti and now Alabama.
Western Alaska: Sarah took cookies and Evangelical pamphlets to help the villagersduring the energy crisis
Haiti: Sarah took her hair, Bristol and Todd Todd Todd for the photo-op
Sarah Palin is blessed with an unfailing ability to spot opportunities for self promotion. Blessed indeed...
UPDATE
Reader ToesInTheSand left this comment, which I think should be added to the post:
"My home was destroyed in Hurricane Ivan in Sep. 2004. When I returned to my "home" I stayed there to prevent looting and protect the few items I had left in a surviving room on the 2nd floor, with my dog at my side(and a shotgun). Since the house was gutted to the studs on the 1st floor I had to stay alert.
During DAYLIGHT hours many volunteers were there to help me remove debris (Pineles cnty. deputies, local people w/o damage, etc), the Red Cross came by in the morning and afternoon with food and water and I'll never forget the lone man who dropped off coffee every morning and dog treats too!
Only ONCE did some religious organization stop by, at DUSK mind you, I won't name them. 8 people climbed out of their van, 1 with a video camera, another with a still camera, 1st they stepped onto MY property and posed for pictures, the video guy began filming MY home. Their footage was to be shown later on their "show".
I was watching from a broken window upstairs, not sure what to think, they didn't have a U-Haul so I assumed they weren't there to haul "valuables" away. My dog and I went downstairs and I politely asked them to leave as we were hunkering down for a long night in the dark. They asked me why I was staying in this mess. I told them to protect my property and also, there was NOWHERE to go.
They formed a circle, held hands and asked me to join them in prayer and also wanted me to pose for a picture. I asked them to leave unless they wanted to help me move another stack of debris to the curb for pick up in the AM. [we had a timeline to adhere to] They looked at me like I was crazy.
As my dog and I backed them up to the road one woman in the group said that they would pray for me and that I SHOULD pray as well as God will be the one who will get me through this. One person with them was someone I would call a "well known wannabe political player". This was a photo op for him. "Look how much he's helping!" What a joke. And they all wore matching t-shirts too. As they left, I watched him grab part of a fallen tree, just a smaller branch, drag it to the "vegetation pile" and get his picture taken.
When I saw that photo of Palin it brought back so many memories. If I am ever in this situation again and Palin appeared, I cannot be held responsible for my actions."
The day the world stood still: Sarah Palin is "there", proudly wearing her "Skinny Raven Sports" t-shirt, closely followed around exclusively by Greta "Cuda stalker" Van Susteren for Fox News and her husband John Coale - and Todd, Bristol and Franklin Graham and his daughter.
As a result, Sarah's foreign policy street cred rose dramatically: After visiting a military base in Kuwait, a military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, some hotel in Canada and spending several hours in Hong Kong, she now can tick Haiti off the list. Oh my God, is this unqualified black man still in the White House? The Cuda has seen Haiti! She herself, in person, breathed the air that very poor people breathe, and even touched some of these poor people "Mother Teresa style", while this schmuck Obama spends all his free time uselessly hanging around at golf courses! What else do you want, Americans? Love her NOW!
The holy mother of the North Star, does she look good or what:
Oh, no, look, the evil foreign press is picking on poor little Sarah again, despite her tireless and extensive efforts to fight poverty in Haiti! Can you believe it! What is wrong with these people? These Brits with their marxist, despicable free healthcare, what do they have to complain? LEAVE SARAH ALONE!
OK, snark aside: I am certain that Sarah Palin's photo-op in Haiti doesn't fool anyone, apart from Sarah's die-hard fans, who have a long and proud tradition of being fooled by the Quitter Queen.
Sarah's trip was already discussed on the Ed Show, and even the GOP-person finds it difficult to hide the fact that her trip was just an extended photo-op, designed to enhance Sarah's foreign policy credentials:
Let's now take a look at people who REALLY care about Haiti and who are not there for fancy photos and handshakes, but who are there to do real work, invest a lot of time and a lot of effort. People who made real sacrifices and went on a personal mission to help those people who are in a desperate situation. People like "leftist" Hollywood actor Sean Penn.
J/P HRO was founded less than a week after the earthquake when Sean Penn was on the ground in Haiti bringing much needed medical supplies and a team of medical and emergency relief volunteers. Our team immediately went to work treating patients, delivering medical supplies and equipment, and providing food to numerous camps and orphanages.
J/P HRO’s efforts have included managing a camp of 55,000 displaced Haitians, providing emergency medical and primary care services, delivering badly needed medical equipment and medicine, distributing food and setting up a K-8 school in the camp. Our community redevelopment efforts have included removing rubble from streets and neighborhoods and partnering with other organizations in rebuilding neighborhoods. Throughout the country we have distributed water filters, tents, and medical supplies; created mobile medical units for underserviced camps and neighborhoods; set up cholera treatment centers; and provided logistical and personnel support to other NGOs in response to the cholera epidemic.
The J/P Haitian Relief Organization have recently started clearing rubble, on average about 3,500 - 4,000 cubic meters of rubble a week. Each neighborhood has an average of 150,000 cubic meters of rubble which needs to be removed. The rubble clearing has encouraged Haitians to participate in spontaneous clearing efforts themselves. Each day, as they return to work sites, the J/P HRO volunteers can see evidence of people clearing rubble from their home sites by hand, almost doubling the effectiveness of their work. Town squares, now cleared of rubble, have quickly filled with children playing kickball. Teachers, police, nurses, and residents of local IDP camps have already settled into temporary shelters in their old home sites. The emotional, physical and spiritual impact of the rubble removal cannot be underestimated.
J/P HRO has quickly become a leader among Haitian relief organizations. We have been recognized by major international organizations for our camp management, camp resident relocations and rubble removal processes. As the next phase of work in Haiti unfolds, we strive to continue to be leaders—finding new and more efficient ways of bringing relief and empowerment to the people of Haiti.
Sean Penn, unlike Sarah "does my hair look pretty" Palin, is the "rill dill." Meet a real, sincere, grown-up person, a highly intelligent man who thinks deeply about personal responsibility and who is not in Haiti for cheap pictures and fame, but lived there for many months and built up his organization and "walks the walk."
If you are interested to hear more about Sean Penn and his efforts in Haiti and his general thoughts about the situation and the responsibility of richer countries, then please take a look at the long and very interesting interview with Sean Penn on "Democracy Now!" It has several parts, here is the first part:
The other parts of the interview can be watched here:
So what exactly is at stake? Does Palin really want to be President and assume the burdens that go with the job? Or is she just teasing the Grand Old Party while she lays the foundations for a more comfortable life as a public provocateur, doing TV, writing books, making speeches and dabbling in politics as it serves her greater goals? The former scenario is what many in the Republican Party are dreading; the latter one is freezing the likely GOP presidential field until she clarifies her plans. And Palin, naturally, wisely and consistently, is coy about the answer. "I would run because the country is more important than my ease, though I'm not necessarily living a life of ease," says Palin, who answered questions from TIME via e-mail. And in a shot at Obama's habit of playing golf during the "recovery summer," she added, "I'm very busy helping people and causes. So busy, in fact, I haven't had time to hit the links in quite a few years."
That's what Lawrence O'Donnell had to say about this remark:
When I searched for this quote, I also found another remark by Sarah Palin which I had missed so far. Another "mean girl" remark about Obama playing golf, but this time, with a different angle. MSNBC reported it like that:
In a joking reference, she predicted defeat for Obama in the 2012 presidential election, saying her TV show would be followed by a sequel called "Barack Obama's Golf Courses", which she said would start up "sometime November 2012".
Speaking about her upcoming reality television series, "Sarah Palin's Alaska," Palin joked that the producers of her show are thinking about a sequel called "Barack Obama's golf courses," implying the commander in chief will have plenty of time on his hands after the 2012 elections.
Sarah Palin loves to dish out. But don't pick on her! That would be mean, wouldn't it.
Sarah, you hair looked good in Haiti. Mission accomplished. You can be proud of yourself.
Sarah Palin at the RGA conference on April 17, 2008 (video)
Guest post by kilob
Is Sarah Palin the quintessential frontier woman or just laying claim to the biggest hoax in American history where ignorance and intelligence have collided head on, or is she someone with a special calling that a majority of the population either doesn’t care to listen to or refuse to board the SS Palin into the abyss? After following the near daily escapades of the former governor, former mayor and current talking head for the real people of the United States, Sarah Palin has shown versatility unseen before in American politics. She’s the Republicans leading rock star, but how long can they survive relying on the one woman band whose past 3 years was built on a huge fabricated lie?
Sarah Palin demands all America to suspend common sense when it deals with her life and family, whilst at the same time preaching common sense conservatism, with no proof she knows what it means beyond the daily briefings she receives via Blackberry. Such new findings are then relayed to her enthusiastic followers on Twitter and Facebook. Since being chosen by John McCain to complete his ticket for the 2008 National election, Sarah’s rise to fame and now mega fortune must now be looked at with common sense and rational thought. As the first female Governor in the state of Alaska, Palin parlayed her position as elected leader of a state to national prominence. The sheer amount of coincidences that had to come into play for that to happen is mind boggling. Are they just coincidences or a planned pattern of deception played against the citizens of the US for a larger objective?
By news accounts available, John McCain first met Sarah Palin in February 2008 at the National Governors Association meeting. What they may have discussed is unknown, but something evidently caught John’s wandering eye. On March 4, 2008 McCain clinched a majority of Republican National Convention delegates to lockup his party’s nomination for President. Was it by sheer coincidence that the following day March 5th, Sarah Palin, the little known Governor of Alaska announced that she was pregnant with a child who it was revealed days after his birth had special needs. While it is known that children born with Trisomy 21 are more likely to be born to older mothers than younger, one has to wonder whether Palin’s pregnancy with who we now know as Trig, God’s will or a well orchestrated plan to gobble up pro-life votes ahead of the 2008 election, and to lure pro-life voters away from the Democratic party in an attempt to defeat Barack Obama for the US Presidency.
John McCain meets Billy and Franklin Graham in June 2008
In June of 2008, John McCain flew to Asheville, North Carolina to meet with Billy Graham and his son, Franklin,to discuss the Graham’s assistance in lining up the evangelical vote leading up to the election. Franklin Graham’s ties to Alaska are well known through his leadership of Samaritan’s Purse. Samaritan’s Purse is an international relief organization which has provided food aid around the globe, but ironically to Alaskan natives during their harsh winters and extreme remote locales with their large fleet of fixed and rotary aircraft that contain everything from small single engine aircraft, helicopters and even a corporate Dassault Falcon 50 jet for long range travel. The ties of Franklin Graham and Sarah Palin revolve around Samaritan’s Purse and Sarah PAC donation drives in the lower Yukon, but Franklin Graham also owns property in Alaska. The Palin / Graham connection is of prime importance because the United States has never had a poster child for the pro-life movement like, Sarah Palin, who was chosen by John McCain to be his Vice President nominee over more highly qualified candidates both male and female.
What attraction did Sarah Palin have for John McCain as his Vice President? It certainly wasn’t her record as governor of Alaska as she had very few accomplishments in her short tenure in the position. With the assistance of both Alaskan Senators Murkowski and Stevens, Palin politicked for a bridge to link Gravina Island to the town of Ketchikan. Remember the infamous Bridge to Nowhere? When it wasn’t politically acceptable for her conservative values, she finally rejected the project, but kept the money for other Alaskan uses. One other glowing accomplishment on Palin’s resume was to raise the taxes on oil companies doing business in Alaska to order to increase her citizen’s annual Alaskan Permanent Fund payout which clearly raised her poll numbers. The people in the lower 48 thank you for their higher gas prices, Mrs. Palin.
Was John McCain awestruck that he had a chance to win an election by placing all his high roller chips on a pro-life woman who just coincidently had recently given birth to a special needs baby, or were there other factors brought to bear during his visit with the Graham’s in North Carolina? Was Sarah Palin’s pregnancy of the child, Trig, a gift from God to allow her to be placed into the second highest political office or was the pregnancy a ruse born out of a political need to further mutual causes? From the first day she was introduced by John McCain at the 2008 Republican National Convention, Sarah Palin proudly displayed her pro-life ideology for all to see and hear. It’s clear now, in hindsight, that her pro-life / anti abortion stance played a large part to motivate like minded voters to cast their votes for the McCain / Palin ticket.
The announcement that Sarah Palin was pregnant came in her 7th month in March 2008. Her own staff were stunned by the news, and many Alaskan’s themselves were left scratching their heads because Palin didn’t look naturally pregnant. There are few pictures of a pregnant Sarah other than staged photos of her wearing oversized clothing accessorized with decorative scarves. One would think there would be at least one photograph of her in traditional pregnancy clothing uncoated within the warm confines of the Governor’s office or AK department head meetings. However, there are none whatsoever that have been released or can be found on the internet besides one photo that after investigation which suggests that Palin was wearing a similar sort of padded empathy belly used in Hollywood television shows and movies to make fans believe that an actress was pregnant.
Trig Paxson Van Palin was supposedly born on April 18, 2008, one month early after enduring a heroic trans-continental journey which his mother Sarah decided was more important than her own baby’s health concerns which included issues common to premature babies afflicted with Trisomy 21. Much has been written about Sarah Palin’s wild ride just prior to Trig’s miraculous delivery to the Palin Family. Sarah’s father Chuck Heath provided commentary that his daughter had amniotic leakage prior to her speech to the Texas Governors Forum in Dallas on April 17, 2008. Prior to her flight from Anchorage to Seattle and then to Dallas, Palin dismissed her Alaskan Trooper security detail for the trip as an unnecessary cost to the state of Alaska, explaining that her husband, Todd, could provide her with any necessary security in Dallas. If Alaskan Troopers were present and aware their Governor was in pre-delivery distress, they would have forced her to immediately travel to the nearest Dallas hospital equipped to handle a high risk pregnancy. The lack of AK Troopers to provide even minimal security efforts in Dallas lends credence to the Trig birth cover up. Clearly it was more important for the Palin’s to return to Wasilla via a flight from Dallas, a stopover and plane change in Seattle and on to Anchorage, then a drive to a small town hospital not equipped to handle Trig’s high risk delivery.
The excuse we’ve been told by none other than Sarah’s own husband was “we couldn’t have a fish picker born in Texas”. That statement causes great concern because they placed the final location of Trig’s birth above his own health and wellbeing. Within days of his delivery, photos of Trig appeared in the Anchorage Daily News, the daily newspaper serving the southern area of Alaska. What is telling of the ADN photos was the baby offered for publication was neither a pre-mature infant nor one suffering the known breathing maladies seen in pre-mature Trisomy 21 children. Even after some people in Alaska questioned the validity of the Sarah Palin pregnancy, no documentary proof has been offered. Why is that? Could it be that the “gift from God” is a convenient lie to promote the agenda of a group within the Republican Party?
Includes footage with Sarah Palin at the RGA conference on April 17, 2008
Once Sarah Palin was introduced by John McCain at the Republican National Convention, questions swirled regarding the persisting rumors that Trig Palin wasn’t Sarah and Todd Palin’s natural born child. As if on command, a news release announced that Bristol Palin, Sarah’s eldest daughter was pregnant and delivery was expected in January 2009. This was followed by what would become the ultimate embarrassing situation for their lovely daughter as Bristol was marched out on stage in blooming pregnancy for the world to see. This was followed by the well scripted press releases that Bristol was pro-life, and abortion was out of the question. We also learned the unwed Bristol and her baby’s father planned on getting married. It made for great television and rallied the evangelical right for their expected rise in after convention poll numbers. From the time the RNC convention ended to the final hours of the election, American heard a steady stream of pro-life / anti abortion rhetoric from both John McCain as well as Sarah Palin. One segment of America awaited the release of Sarah Palin’s medical information. They waited patiently day after day, but no such release occurred until four hours before the November national election was to begin. What was released was a letter which adopted typical boiler plate medical terminology from Sarah Palin’s personal physician, Cathy Baldwin-Johnson. Included in the medical release was a statement that Sarah Palin gave birth to five live children. From that release, America was led to believe Trig Palin was naturally born to Sarah and her husband. Not so fast, Mrs. Palin!
Sarah Palin on April 14, 2008 - Part of the published MSNBC-Crivella emails - fek9wnr@yahoo.com was Todd's email address
When questions continued regarding the birth of Trig Palin kept being asked, Dr. Cathy Baldwin-Johnson met with staff of the Anchorage Daily News for a possible news story on the subject. Was Dr. Baldwin-Johnson carrying proof approved by Sarah Palin to refute the birth lie allegations? No, instead she brought along her personal attorney and answered “No comment” when asked if she had delivered Trig. Is this the proverbial smoking gun? No, it’s just another bullet. One other bullet that now has been revealed is Bristol Palin was actively trying to get pregnant leading up to the 2008 RNC convention, which she clearly succeeded in accomplishing. Was Bristol Palin’s pregnancy a planned production to first cover up the fact Sarah’s pregnancy with Trig was a lie of epic proportions, by trying to cover up rampant Alaskan rumors that Bristol was previously pregnant during the Summer and Fall of 2007? There is photographic proof Bristol was in fact pregnant with Tripp but is, Trig, also her natural born son? At this time the odds are 50/50. It is rather distressing to know that a huge lie has been told to the American populous and the tale continues to this day.
It is crystal clear Sarah Palin would never have been chosen by John McCain as his running mate without the existence of a special needs child to rally the evangelical base of the Republican Party and the pro-life movement at large. Palin’s now universally known ignorance to national and world issues is tabloid fodder. What was John McCain’s real motivation and who was driving the bus? The connections to Franklin Graham also cannot be dismissed. It is clear that the “gift from God” didn’t come from Sarah’s womb, but was a human prop with Down Syndrome used to help win an election? Prove me wrong, Mrs. Palin. Release an authentic copy of Trig’s birth certificate, or tell America the truth and reveal where he came from.
I would like to add another item to the post. This is what Todd Palin wrote to the Governor's top staff (I almost said to "his" staff) on April 17, 2008 at 11:13 AM:
"Her speech kicked ass...."
Well, great! That's all Todd had to say about his wife on April 17, 2008 who was supposedly suffering at this point already with leaking amniotic fluid, big contractions and who was incredibly concerned for the safety of her unborn baby (according to "Going Rogue")?
Not surprising - because there was never an unborn baby in Sarah Palin's tummy on April 17, 2008.
The Alaskan citizen John Carlile met Sarah and Todd Palin at Seattle airport on the evening of April 17, 2008, when Sarah and Todd were heading back to Anchorage. John also didn't notice that Sarah Palin was in labor - despite the fact that her water had already broken many hours earlier, according to her own account given in the press conference on April 22, 2008.
John Carlile wrote:
"Little did I know that you were in labor at the time."
Well, John is in good company: The staff of Alaska airlines also had no idea that Sarah Palin was in labor, nor did they realize that she was highly pregnant.
