Palintology and Patriots

Palintology:  the study of the making and menacing of the public perception of Sarah Palin.

Sarah Palin has been Borked. Look up “Robert Bork” if you aren’t old enough to remember his time in the nation’s spotlight.

It is fascinating to me that when Sarah Palin first came on the scene, the initial response was one of admiration.  The conservative wing of the Republican party came alive, felt their hearts beating faster at the thought of the next manifestation of Ronald Reagan.  Even Reagan’s son, Michael, published a piece called “Welcome back, Dad.” That’s a pretty hefty endorsement, if you ask me, from a son who should know.

Then Sarah gave her convention speech.  I remember watching the post-speech spin.  There was silence, for a few moments, as the press was stunned by the natural and God-given skill of this novice from Alaska.

They took two beats, shook their heads to clear the amazement, then piled on Palin.  The blood-bath has not yet ended; nor will they let it die until they have done their best to destroy her.

The public loved Sarah, too.  What’s not to admire in a gutsy, warm woman who connects well with her audience?  She’s very American, very apple-pie and motherhood, very lovely.

We liked her, we wanted to like her, until we were told not to.

I have used the example of Sarah Palin to teach my children of the power of the spoken word, the written word, and of the press to frame the public’s mindset.  The savaging of Sarah and her family (and by connection Joe the Plumber) should raise a righteous protest in the hearts of fair-minded people.  Most of us don’t mind sincere objections or analysis.  Many of us do mind the obliteration of a person and her family.  We do mind the innuendo and the “not-subtle-at-all foul-mouthed” things that are said about Sarah and her family.  Liberal comedians and Hollywood’s “brightest minds” have accused Sarah’s family of everything from “bubble-headedness” to incest.

My heart hurts for Sarah and her family. But Sarah is nothing if she’s not thick-skinned.  Does God pick sides in politics?  I do not presume to know the answer to that, although I believe we should always support those people who support the things that God supports.  I will say that I believe that God has given Sarah the strength that she has to face the scalding onslaught and still remain loving.  Sarah credits her faith as giving her a solid foundation.

Our press has taught us to hate Sarah, to view her as stupid, incoherent, and dangerous.  I agree with them on one point, and that is the thought that Sarah Palin is dangerous.  She is dangerous to to the liberal utopian vision of socialism.  She has Reaganesque values at heart.

Because of this, coupled with her Christianity, the media is committed to destroy Sarah Palin.  They see that she is a danger to them not only now, but in the future.  They hope to kill her chances of future leadership like one grinds a bug beneath their heel.

Katie and Charlie aired their edited portions of Sarah’s interviews to make her look inept and ill-prepared.  Saturday Night Live has gripped the nation with their funny impersonations, news clips have been designed to capture the worst of Sarah and her family, not the best.  And generally, it has worked, because we have become a nation that values celebrity more than truth, entertainment more than liberty.

As liberty-minded people, we have our work cut out for us.  It will be a challenge to continue to find individuals who are willing to submit themselves to evisceration by our media.  We must learn to turn our faces from those who desire to tell us how to think, and learn to dig for truth in order to form our own opinions.  We must teach our children to do the same.  While we yet have freedom, we must continue to write and speak truth and justice.

Each era has some heroes, some Joshuas.  I want to be counted among those who are willing to stand strong, just like the Palin family has.  Their God-inspired faith has strengthened me, in spite of a concerted effort to do otherwise.  I have grown up during an easy time in America’s history, but I have watched her grievously decay from the inside out in the short span of my almost forty years.

I am unable to be quiet and go with the flow.  I cannot remain silent when I see good people savaged, when death speaks louder than life. This must be how patriots are born.

I believe it is time for the birth of a brand new batch of patriots.

Holly writes at her own blog, Seeking Faithfulness.