2008 in Photos and Verse

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times, but we all lived throught it!!!!

LOL



© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

Angry Democrats: IT'S NOT ABOUT RACE

Rod "caught red-handed with his hand in the cookie jar" Blagojevich continues his bizarre governorship of Illinois

Huffington Post Image Credit

Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), on CBS News' 'The Early Show': 'All these folks who are opposed to Governor Blagojevich, they need to take a chill pill.'


TOP STORY -- Chicago Tribune banner: 'A defiant pick,' by Rick Pearson and Ray Long: 'In a display of political bravado, disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Tuesday appointed former Illinois Atty. Gen. Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate, challenging national Democratic leaders to reject the appointment of an African-American to the seat that propelled Barack Obama to the White House. The defiant move tests the resolve of Senate Democrats who said they would not admit anyone appointed by Blagojevich, who is facing impeachment after being accused of trying to sell the Senate seat for personal gain. And it reveals to a nation celebrating Obama's victory the underbelly of Chicago's race-based political scene.'

Chicago Sun-Times cover: 'State of Disbelief.'

***Sun-Times editorial: 'The governor's defense now can argue that the governor never intended to sell the Senate seat. See for yourself -- he chose Burris. Nor does Burris' appointment hurt Blagojevich if there happen to be African Americans on Blagojevich's jury, according to traditional thinking among the defense bar.'

PUNDIT PREP – 1) If the appointment is certified, Senate Democratic leaders are likely to introduce a motion to withhold seating 'the gentleman from Illinois' until the outcome of an investigation by the Rules Committee, which will look into whether the choice was fair and proper, whether there was a quid pro quo, etc. 'That buys us 90 days,' an official said. That should be enough so they won't have to act. An official calls Blago's move 'a tantrum ... 'I am TOO the governor.' It inflamed Illinois legislators, speeding up the impeachment process. 'He will not be governor by Valentine's Day,' the official said.

cont. here:

http://www.politico.com/playbook/


UPDATE: http://radarsite.blogspot.com/2009/01/another-burris-memorial-in-chicago.html

© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

Who is Roland Burris?

by Janet Crain
Adding to the circus like atmosphere of 2008 politics, beleaguered and discredited Chicago governor, Blagojevich, has pulled a rabbit out of his hat.

Told that the senate body would reject anyone he attempted to appoint, he chose a man it will be very hard for Harry Reid to reject without being called a racist. JC

Politico

by Ryan Grim

On Election Day in November, Roland Burris walked alone to his polling place and was greeted by a local news team working on a historical piece about African-Americans elected statewide in Illinois.

Back in 1978, Burris had become the first. But on Election Day 2008, only the older folks at his polling place recognized him.

“How soon they forget,” Burris mused then. “You get pushed to the side, when you’re no longer in office, quite easily.”

He must not have been enjoying the anonymity. Within weeks of Barack Obama’s election as president, Burris stood in front of the cameras, with Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn behind him, to announce his interest in the president-elect’s Senate seat.

The nascent campaign for the seat went positively subterranean when Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested for allegedly attempting to sell it. Burris, though, kept hope alive.

He is a persistent man. After winning statewide races for comptroller and attorney general — which straddled a losing 1984 bid for U.S. Senate — he set a course for the governor’s mansion. He failed to win the Democratic primary in 1994, and he followed that with a failed bid for the Chicago mayor’s office in 1995 and two more unsuccessful runs for governor in 1998 and 2002.

Burris has two children: Roland and Rolanda.

He now runs the lobbying and consulting firm Burris & Lebed Consulting. That might make him ineligible to work in the Obama administration, but it doesn’t rule him out of the Senate. Blagojevich declared him to be a man of “unquestioned integrity” in announcing his appointment Tuesday.

Before the governor’s presser, however, the Illinois GOP released a collection of old reports that questioned Burris’ integrity, noting that he continued to raise money for Blagojevich even after the governor came under a dark ethical cloud.

The questioning goes back further.

“He decries pinstripe patronage, but Burris' terms as comptroller and attorney general have been rife with contracts for contributors,” wrote a Chicago Tribune columnist in 1994 as Burris was running for governor. “In a petty complaint, he criticizes [an opponent’s] use of significant campaign loans from her husband, yet Burris accepts questionable contributions from nursing home operators regulated by the state and once sweetened his state pension with a loan from his own political fund.”

But Burris’ persistence paid off Tuesday with a Senate appointment. He beamed as Blagojevich trumpeted him and asked that he not be found guilty by his association with the embattled governor. When Blagojevich mentioned that the pair had previously been political opponents, Burris smiled wider.

Blagojevich, too, seemed to be making the most of the show. He told reporters that he had enjoyed his recent time in the limelight, but wanted to defer to Burris. Later, when Burris turned to Blagojevich to see if the governor wanted to answer a question, Blagojevich smirked, “You’re the senator.”



Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston Welcome a Son

Alaskan governor Sarah Palin’s 18-year-old daughter Bristol Palin has given birth to a baby boy. Bristol and fiancé Levi Johnston welcomed Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston on Sunday in Palmer, Alaska. Tripp weighed in at 7 lbs, 4 oz. “We think it’s wonderful. The baby is fine and Bristol is doing well.

"We think it's wonderful," said Colleen Jones, the sister of Bristol's grandmother Sally Heath, who confirmed the news to People. "The baby is fine and Bristol is doing well. Everyone is excited."

The baby’s father, Levi Johnston is an apprentice electrician and has been dating Bristol for three years.

Congrats to the happy couple!

© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

Newsweek Uses Year-End Edition to SMEAR Sarah Palin

by Janet Crain
I have been so disappointed in Newsweek for so long. This past year has been one issue after another with nothing to offer but effusive gushing over Obama.

I think it is a sad day for journalism when a national news magazine of Newsweek's former stature sinks so low as to mock teen aged girls (Bristol Palin and Jamie Lynn Spears). Especially when Obama himself told the media to lay off.

I am a long time subscriber to the magazine but won't be renewing my subscription.

Here is a look at the last issue:

Newsweek Uses Year-End Edition to Take
Potshots at Palin

Newsweek sprinkled throughout its year-end double issue, with Barack Obama on the cover as the #1 member of "The New Global Elite," a bunch of potshots at Sarah Palin -- and even derided teen daughter Bristol too. In a list of those who committed "low behavior" during 2008 (which did at least also highlight John Edwards), the magazine accused Sarah Palin of a "smear" against Barack Obama, on another page Newsweek described her as an "ill-informed, inarticulate shopaholic" (while on the same page hailing MSNBC's Rachel Maddow as a "brilliant" woman who "gives libs a happy new voice") and deep in the December 29/January 5 edition the magazine ridiculed Bristol Palin: "For 30 years, the Moral Majority has promoted 'abstinence only.' Jamie Lynn Spears, Bristol Palin...how's that working out?" The specifics:

# Page 21, a list of "The Biggest Losers" of 2008 "who set the high-water mark for low behavior in 2008," featured Palin: "In a smear that sounds even worse in retrospect, Sarah Palin goes rogue and stirs up prejudice by accusing Barack Obama of 'palling around with terrorists.'"

# Ten pages later, in a full-page year in review version of the "Conventional Wisdom Watch" (not yet online in the posted CW), the newsweekly hit her and McCain, but admired Maddow:

- "Sarah Palin: Ill-informed, inarticulate shopaholic has ego bigger than Alaska -- and she's still the darling of the GOP."

- "John McCain: Hard to forgive the nasty end-game, and Palin pick was irresponsible. But classy concession speech and Letterman gig."

- "Rachel Maddow: Brilliant, ebullient, lefty lesbian gives libs a happy new voice. Will MSNBC be Obama's Fox?"

"Will"?

[This item, by the MRC's Brent Baker, was posted Friday on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]

Finally, page 79 has "The Power Index" (also seemingly not online) with a list of the magazine's arguments for whether figures in the news in 2008 were a "player or pretender?" Under "pretender," Newsweek discredited the Christian Right and Palin:

- "Christian Right: For 30 years, the Moral Majority has promoted 'abstinence only.' Jamie Lynn Spears, Bristol Palin...how's that working out?"

- "Sarah Palin: She seemed like McCain's silver bullet...until she opened her mouth. A 2012 contender if she starts boning up on issues. Now."

The "Biggest Losers" list: www.newsweek.com

Newsweek's "Conventional Wisdom" page: www.newsweek.com

The December 29/January 5 edition of the magazine: www.newsweek.com

© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

Why is Obama's House in Someone Else's Name?

Hat Tip: The Obama Report

Rezko attorney 'owns' Obama mansion
Lawyer at firm where Democrat worked receives tax bill

---

Posted: December 25, 2008
11:40 pm Eastern

By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2008 WorldNetDaily

William Miceli

An attorney for convicted fundraiser Tony Rezko is listed as the owner and taxpayer for Barack Obama's Chicago mansion, according to records obtained by WND.

William Miceli is a lawyer at the Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill & Galland, which also formerly employed Obama.

The controversy began when a website called News and Commentary for Thinking People published a 48-page document that lists Miceli as the owner of the Obama home at 5046 S. Greenwood.

Miner, Barnhill & Galland was Obama's employer when he did extensive legal work for Rezko, who awaits sentencing after he was convicted in June of fraud, money laundering and bribery-related counts.

Miceli, as a senior attorney at the firm, supervised Obama when the future president wrote letters on behalf of Rezko urging public authorities to award him new public properties to rehabilitate, notes the "Barack Book" website maintained by GOP.com.

WND asked for comment from Obama's transition team and the Democratic National Committee but did not receive a response.

http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=84101

© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

Sarah Palin Calendar is number one best seller

Sarah Palin Calendar is the number one best selling office product at Amazon.com

Some pictures from her calendar:

*****Update: Readers are encouraged to persuse the hate-filled customer reviews at Amazon. Honestly, why does this woman scare liberals so much?

© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

Country Mouse or City Mouse?

Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a nationally syndicated columnist and a member of the editorial board of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Read his column here

Ruben Navarrette says Sarah Palin's critics challenged her because of prejudices about small-town values.

SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) -- During the presidential election, some Democrats demanded to know how I could defend Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Simply put, Palin is my people. She's small-town folk who wound up in the big leagues.
Because I grew up in a small town with a population of less than 15,000 people, I was disgusted by the insults and condescension coming from those who think of themselves as the enlightened elite. Meanwhile, in small towns, I detected great affection for Palin. People talked about how she was "a real person" who "reflected their values."
The most significant divide in America isn't Red State vs. Blue State, it's rural vs. urban. The country mouse and the city mouse are still slugging it out.
In 1982, New York Mayor Ed Koch ran unsuccessfully for governor of New York. Some say the deciding factor was when Koch described life in upstate New York as "sterile" and said he dreaded living in the "small town" of Albany, if elected. That didn't play well in rural areas.


Now comes Colin Powell. During a recent appearance on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS," Powell attempted an autopsy on the Republican Party's failed presidential bid. He went after Palin, accusing her of pushing the party so far to the right that it went over a cliff.

Cont. here:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/24/navarrette.palin.smalltown/

© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

The Slimmest of Resumes

Caroline Kennedy apparently thinks that she is entitled to be appointed as the next junior senator from New York.

She shouldn’t be. Think about it.

Her qualifications? Her name is Kennedy and she can raise a lot of fat-cat money for herself and for New York Democrats who support her.

Her strategy? Ignore the voters and the press and meet with the political bosses behind closed doors to persuade them to pressure Gov. David Paterson to appoint her to Hillary Clinton’s seat.

Is there a more cynical message in the Age of Obama?

Her position on issues that will face the next senator? She won’t tell you.

She has refused adamantly to speak about any issues. Now, SHE WON’T DISCLOSE HER PERSONAL FINANCES OR PROVIDE A LIST OF COMPANIES THAT SHE HAS A STAKE IN!

Sound like the good old days? Is this woman kidding?

Her involvement in politics? Not much.

She campaigned for Obama and worked on his committee that recommended the vice-presidential candidate.

She’s never been active in New York politics and she hasn’t even voted in about half the contested elections in New York since 1988. During the past 15 years, she’s contributed to her uncle, Sen. Ted Kennedy; her cousin Rep. Patrick Kennedy; Barack Obama; Hillary Clinton; John Kerry; Al Gore; Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd and Connecticut wanna-be Ned Lamont; and former Pennsylvania Sen. Harris Wofford (1991). Not much interest in New York’s candidates or issues!

Her experience?

She is a longtime patron of the American Ballet Theatre.

She is active in her father’s presidential library.

She was a part-time volunteer fund raiser for the NYC schools for less than two years.

She’s co-authored two books on civil liberties.

By: Dick Morris & Eileen McGann

http://www.newsmax.com/morris/morris_caroline_kennedy/2008/12/23/164770.html



© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

Santa Asks for a Bailout

© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

Belated Service Held for Madelyn Dunham

Obama pays tribute to late grandmother

By CAROL E. LEE 12/24/08 10:29 AM EST

HONOLULU - President-elect Barack Obama paid tribute to his grandmother, one of the central figures in his life, in a private church service Tuesday afternoon, before scattering her ashes in the Pacific.

Madelyn Dunham died at age 86 just two days before her grandson won the election. Tuesday was the first time Obama has been able to formally mourn her death, surrounded by friends and family in his home state.

He attended the hourlong service at the First Unitarian Church, a converted light-tan, two-story home, with his wife, Michelle, his daughters, Malia and Sasha, and his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng.

After the service, Obama's motorcade drove an alcove off the highway along the Pacific Ocean that some locals said was called Lanai Lookout. There, more than a dozen friends and family joined Obama, who was dressed casually and wearing sunglasses, along a rocky shoreline as he scattered his grandmother's remains.

A no-nonsense woman who took a job on a bomber assembly line while her husband fought in World War II, Dunham had been the lone survivor of those who had raised Obama. During her grandson's rise in national politics she humbly reflected on her influence.

"I suppose I provided stability in his life," Dunham told the Chicago Tribune in a 2004.

Obama often spoke of his grandmother during the campaign."She's where I get my practical streak," he liked to say.

He told the story about how she had started as a secretary and worked her way up to be vice president of a bank."

She's the one who taught me about hard work," Obama said in his speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. '"She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight and that tonight is her night as well.

"Dunham, a white woman from Kansas, was also a cornerstone into her grandson's speech on race in Philadelphia. Obama described her as "a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street."

Obama lived with his grandparents in Honolulu throughout his teenage years. His Kenyan father abandoned him at a young age. He lived on and off with his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, who died of ovarian cancer in 1995. Obama's grandfather, Stanley Dunham, died in 1992 and is buried at Punchbowl National Cemetery, known as the Arlington of the Pacific, in Honolulu.Asked in late September for his most iconic memory of his grandmother, Obama told ABC's Diane Sawyer about how she would home from work, slip on a muumuu and a pair of slippers and have a drink and a smoke.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16833.html

Madelyn Dunham's genealogy here:

http://www.wargs.com/political/obama.html

© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

Winter Wishes

'Twas the night before Christmas & out on the ranch

The pond was froze over & so was the branch.

The snow was piled up belly-deep to a mule.

The kids were all home on vacation from school,

And happier young folks you never did see-

Just all sprawled around a-watchin' TV.

Then suddenly, some time around 8 o'clock,

There came a surprise that gave them a shock!

The power went off, the TV went dead!

When Grandpa came in from out in the shed

With an armload of wood, the house was all dark.

"Just what I expected," they heard him remark.

"Them power line wires must be down from the snow.

Seems sorter like times on the ranch long ago."

"I'll hunt up some candles," said Mom. "With their light,

And the fireplace, I reckon we'll make out all right."

The teen-agers all seemed enveloped in gloom.

Then Grandpa came back from a trip to his room,

Uncased his old fiddle & started to play

That old Christmas song about bells on a sleigh.

Mom started to sing, & 1st thing they knew

Both Pop & the kids were all singing it, too.

They sang Christmas carols, they sang "Holy Night,"

Their eyes all a-shine in the ruddy firelight.

They played some charades Mom recalled from her youth,

And Pop read a passage from God's Book of Truth.

They stayed up till midnight-and, would you believe,

The youngsters agreed 'twas a fine Christmas Eve.

Grandpa rose early, some time before dawn;

And when the kids wakened, the power was on.

"The power company sure got the line repaired quick,"

Said Grandpa - & no one suspected his trick.

Last night, for the sake of some old-fashioned fun,

He had pulled the main switch - the old Son-of-a-Gun!

-anonymous

© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

Snowzilla rises from the dead

Anchorage Daily News

Published: December 23rd, 2008 09:39 AM
Last Modified: December 23rd, 2008 10:25 AM

Snowzilla, the giant snowman city officials tried to prevent from being built this year, appeared suddenly this morning at his usual winter home in East Anchorage.

Someone built Snowzilla overnight despite a grinchy ruling that the 16-foot construction was a public nuisance and could not make its now traditional appearance on Columbine Street in front of the Powers family home.

http://www.adn.com/front/story/632231.html

© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

Oprah Reportedly Planning Move to Washington DC

Hat Tip: Obama Report

Perez Hilton writes:
Oprah Winfrey is such a big fan of Obama that she wants to move in next door to him!

The Queen of the Universe is considering blessing Washington, D.C. with her goddess presence.

She's reportedly looking into a 9-bedroom mansion in Georgetown with a price tag of $50 million $49,000,000.What can you get for $49 mil? Take a look.

Click Here:

© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

David Spade donates $100,000 to Phoenix police to buy AR-15 rifles

This was a really nice thing for David Spade to do and I wanted to give him a shout out. Reportedly some of the policemen's families were so concerned they were willing to forego their Christmas in order for a gun to be privately purchased by the policemen.

Dec 22, 5:49 PM EST

David Spade helps Phoenix police buy rifles
AP Photo/Isaac Brekken
Watch Related Video

ShowBiz Minute: Hilton, 'Yes Man,' Foxx
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Phoenix Police Department has gotten some high-powered goodies courtesy of actor David Spade.

The one-time Phoenix resident donated $100,000 so that the department can buy approximately 50 AR-15 rifles.

Spade said he wanted to make the donation after seeing a TV news report about Phoenix officers having to buy their own rifles.

"These guys need to be able to do their jobs and I am just happy I could help," Spade said in a statement released by his publicist.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PEOPLE_DAVID_SPADE_GCLB-?SITE=FLDAY&SECTION=ENTERTAINMENT&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

Merry Christmas to All!!!

Just click on song title for a little nostalgic music

Fabulous 50's Christmas Songs

A Holly Jolly Christmas

Burl Ives

Away In A Manger

Loretta Lynn

Christmas Alphabet

The McGuire Sisters

Christmas Country Christmas

The Statler Brothers

Christmas In My Hometown

Sonny James

Christmas Song

Alvin & The Chipmunks

Christmas Times A Coming

Bill Monroe

And The Bluegrass Boys

Christmas Waltz

Frank Sinatra

Christmas Without You

Kenny Rogers

Dolly Parton

Frosty The Snowman

Gene Autry

Grandma Got Run Over

By A Reindeer

Elmo & Patsy

Hard Rock Candy Christmas

Dolly Parton

Hark The Herald Angels Sing

Nat King Cole

Have Yourself A Very

Merry Christmas

Rosemary Clooney

Home For The Holidays

Perry Como

Its Beginning To Look

A Lot Like Christmas

Bing Crosby &

The Andrew Sisters

I Saw Mommy Kissing

Santa Claus

Jimmy Boyd

Its a Most Wonderful

Time Of The Year

Johnny Mathis

Jingle Bell Rock

Bobby Helms

Jingle Bells

Roy Rogers

Jingle Bells

Perry Como

Jingle Bells

The Jingle Bell Piggie

Joy To The World

Nat King Cole

Leroy, the Redneck Reindeer

Joe Diffie

Let It Snow

Andy Williams

Lets Put Christ

Back Into Christmas

Tammy Wynette

Little Drummer Boy

Neil Diamond

O Christmas Tree

Nat King Cole

Please Come Home

The Platters

Pretty Paper

Roy Orbison

Rocking Around The

Christmas Tree

Brenda Lee

Rudolph The Red

Nose Reindeer

Gene Autry

Rudolph The Red

Nose Reindeer

Unknown Group

Santa Baby

Cynthia Basinet

Santa Claus Is

Coming To Town

Bing Crosby

Santa Claus Is

Watching You

Ray Stevens

Silver Bells

Bing Crosby/Peggy Lee

Silent Night

Dean Martin

Sleigh Ride

Johnny Mathis

The First Noel

Andy Williams

Up On The Housetop

Gene Autry

White Christmas

Bing Crosby

White Christmas

The Drifters (1954)

Winter Wonderland

Brenda Lee

Christmas

With Elvis

© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

Much Ado About Governor Palin's Daughter's Future Mother-in-Law

by Janet Crain
So Levi Johnson's mother apparently has made some bad choices in her lifestyle. Where is the compassion that would be showered upon a Hollywood celebrity? Her addiction to the prescription painkiller Oxycontin and subsequent arrest has seemingly been reported in every newspaper in the world. Why are the MSM and leftist liberal bloggers practically foaming at the mouth over this story?

They have siezed on this fragile thread of association (Governor Palin's daughter, Bristol, is engaged to Levi and will give birth to his child any moment now) as an example of how hypocritical they think Sarah Palin is and incidentally low class. They are already calling Oxycontin "hillbilly" heroin. Although having multiple offspring out of wedlock is practically de rigueur for celebrities these days, they have had a collective fit over the Governor's daughter who is 18 and legally an adult having this child as a single Mom.

To all of the reporters and bloggers and finger waggers, I have this to say:

Stop picking on an innocent baby and a young couple. Stop trying to harass Governor Palin. The Kennedy's have a cousin who brutally killed a young girl. Jacquelyn Kennedy's aunt and cousin lived in a dirt encrusted 28 room old mansion where cats and racoons wandered freely. People have embarrassing relatives. I bet you do.

The whole problem with the public's perception that Sarah Palin is unfit for office is their perception of her as some kind of redneck trailer trash. She doesn't come from a wealthy family or have Hollywood celebrity. Her husband, while very well known in Alaska as a 4 time winner of the Iron Man sled run is not a famous politician.

You would think the above would be a plus, that she made it on her own. But this nation loves their "royalty".

As a genealogist I would like to inform you that Sarah's creds are as good as anyone's and better than most.

She has 7 Mayflower ancestors and is descended from or is related to many famous people, including McCain, Obama and Bush. She also descends from numerous royal lines.

Read about it here:

http://sarah-palin-2012.blogspot.com/2008/12/sarah-palins-family.html

None of this makes her a better person or a better leader, but it is interesting. There is nothing bad about rednecks or people living in trailer parks. I am really tired of hearing smart mouths calling people trailer trash. Some of those people are a lot better people than the ones running them down.

People have gotten real snobby in this country. It is not an attractive trait. Having money doesn't make you a better person. Having common sense, good morals, a generous heart and a cheerful outlook on life makes you a valuable human being. We could use more people like that.

© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

Sarah Palin's Family

Dec. 19, 2008

UPDATED: Surprising to some, but not to genealogists, Sarah Palin is related to both McCain and Obama, all of them sharing descent from several of the nation's colonial era founding families. Since most Americans with ancestors in the Colonies in the 1600's share multiple progenitors this is actually quite common. She is a 12th cousin to McCain and probably of a simular degree to Obama.

The 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate descends from founding forebears; the Capens, Chipmans, Curtises, Freemans, Gilberts, Gorhams, Lothrops, Sears, Strongs, Welles and Willard, all prominent New England families.



Palin’s Mayflower ancestors include William Brewster, John Howland, Stephen Hopkins, Joan (Hurst) Rogers, John and Elizabeth Tilley, and Richard Warren. She also descends from Thomas Prence, an early governor of Plymouth Colony.


President Bush, Barack Obama and Sarah Palin all descend from Samuel and Sarah (Soule) Hinckley. Sarah's uncle was George Soule, Mayflower passenger and signer of the Mayflower Compact. Samuel and Sarah's son, Thomas Hinckley (1618-1706), held several governmental posts in the Plymouth Colony and served as its last governor from 1681 to 1692.

Palin, Obama and McCain all claim William 1, King of Scots, as an ancestor. Her descent in this Carolingian line is via ancestor Edmond Hawes (1612-1693) of Yarmouth, MA, who held many local offices.

She also descends from Henry III of England by way of ancestor Edward Raynsford who died in 1680 in Boston. Henry III was a Plantagenet descendant of Charlemagne, his parents were King John and Isabella of Angoulême and his grandmother the indomnible and beautiful Eleanor of Aquitaine. Wife of both a French and English king and mother of two kings of England, Eleanor was without doubt the most intriguing woman of her time.

She also descends at least two ways from Empress Matilda, granddaughter of William the Conqueror and the first female ruler, although uncrowned and for a brief time, of the Kingdom of England.

One of Matilda's descendants was the Rev. John Lathrop/Lothrop, a 1605 Cambridge University graduate who was ordained an Anglican priest in England, but joined the dissenters, heading a secret congregation in London who was caught and imprisoned. He was fortunate enough to be released on the condition that he and his family immediately leave for America. He may have gotten off lucky because he came from a family with a noble background.

Quite possibly Sarah Palin has multiple Royal ancestral lines and possibly trumped the other candidates in this regard, though McCain is said to do alright himself. McCain descends two ways from Edward I, King of England, who died in 1307. These descents are through his ancestors Ann (Coddington) Fenner and Anne Hampden. Both lines are documented in The Royal Descents of 600 Immigrants, by Gary Boyd Roberts (2008: Baltimore), as is Obama’s descent from Edward I.

The late Harold Brooks-Baker, who was the publisher of Burke's Peerage, posited the theory that the candidates most likely to be elected were those who had the most royal lineage in their ancestry. Sarah Palin has two separate so-called "Gateway Ancestors" who are directly descended from kings of England and Scotland. So much for this theory. But maybe the candidate has to be on top of the ticket, in which case, we shall see in 2012.

Additionally Palin has ancestors who emigrated from the East Anglia county.
According to family tree website ancestry.co.uk the vice-presidential candidate's great, great, great, great, great grandfather Robert Gower was baptised in Norwich in 1723.

Gower is responsible for taking the family on the perilous journey across the Atlantic to begin a new life in America.

As well as the Norfolk connection, the governor of Alaska also has roots from across Europe, with two maternal great grandparents born in Germany - Mary Scholmtz, born in Frankfurt in 1860, and Charles Mueller, who travelled to the USA with his wife.

Sarah Palin shares ancestor John Lathrop with presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Franklin D. Roosevelt and both Bush presidents. Lathrop descendants include Revolutionary War traitor Benedict Arnold, Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon religion, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Dr. Benjamin Spock, financier John Pierpoint Morgan and the original fuller brush man, Alfred Fuller, also; Adlai Stevenson, John Foster Dulles, Thomas Dewey and one time presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.

What a mixed dinner party on some astral plane, these interesting cousins could make.

Cont. here:

http://sarah-palin-2008-cont.blogspot.com/2008/09/plantagenet-ancestry-of-edward.html

References:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/palin.htm

http://www.nltaylor.net/ancestry/royaldescents/raynsford.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Matilda

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Soule

© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

Scott F. Conroy and Shushannah Walshe Accept Salin Palin Book Deal

EXCLUSIVE – Scott F. Conroy of CBS News, one of our favorite new voices from this cycle, reports: 'Shushannah Walshe (who you'll remember as the Fox embed who covered Romney and Palin with me) and I are excited to report that we've been offered a book deal with PublicAffairs, which we accepted [yesterday]. The working title is 'Sarah From Alaska.' While we're obviously going to use our experiences on the trail to report a lot of new information on how the Palin campaign was run, the book is also going to be forward-looking. There's a long list of unsuccessful VP nominees who've faded into obscurity, but what we think is so interesting about Palin is that even in defeat, she was able to win the hearts of the GOP base, and love her or hate her, she'll be back on the national scene.

Politico's Mike Allen
http://www.politico.com/playbook/


© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

Paul M. Weyrich, "Father of Conservatism" Dead at 66

Paul M. Weyrich, 66, who helped found the Heritage Foundation and at one time was one of Washington's most visible conservatives, died this morning. At his death, he was president and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation.

Heritage announced this morning: 'Paul M. Weyrich, chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation and first president of The Heritage Foundation, died this morning around 1 a.m. He was 66 years old. Weyrich was a good friend to many of us at Heritage, a true leader and a man of unbending principle. He won Heritage's prestigious Clare Boothe Luce Award in 2005. Weyrich will be deeply missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, including son Steve, who currently works at Heritage.'

GROVER NORQUIST of Americans for Tax Reform e-mails us a tribute: 'Paul Weyrich created institutions and networks that incubated new and old powerful policies and strategies to advance liberty. ... He brought leaders of various freedom impulses together. Most of the successes of the Conservative movement since the 1970s flowed from structures, organizations, and coalitions he started, created or nurtured. Paul also lived a balanced life with work, family and his faith. We will miss his puns and wisdom and hard work.'

Kathryn Jean Lopez of National Review Online, who had the first word of his passing, called Weyrich 'a Washington conservative institution' and 'a patriot who lived a long life serving his nation.'

http://www.politico.com/playbook/

Spinal injury and disability

In 1996, Weyrich was diagnosed with a spinal injury. From 2001 until his death in 2008, his injury left him in a wheelchair and in constant pain. Complications from a fall in September 2004 required the amputation of his legs in July 2005.

Quotes by Paul Weyrich:

"We are different from previous generations of conservatives…We are no longer working to preserve the status quo. We are radicals, working to overturn the present power structure of this country." -Soloma, John. Ominous Politics: The New Conservative Labyrinth, 1984, Hill and Wang, New York.

"The real enemy is the secular humanist mindset which seeks to destroy everything that is good in this society." - The Rights and Wrongs of the Religious Right, Freedom Writer, Institute for First Amendment Studies, October 1995.

"Christ was crucified by the Jews.... He was not what the Jews had expected so they considered Him a threat. Thus He was put to death.", Indeed, He is Risen!, April 13, 2001 ^[24]

"We have to stop the movement of all our manufacturing to China and other foreign countries. If that requires tariffs, starting with tariffs to protect industries of strategic importance, so be it. " ^[25]

"If we want to stop or at least reduce outsourcing of jobs to foreign countries, we should tax outsourcing. In my view, that would be a good new tax." ^[26]

"I asked [Yegor] Gaidar why it was that he thought free-market efforts in the Soviet Union were being trashed by American media when the reality was far different from what I was seeing. He replied with a stinging answer, one I never will forget. He said, 'Well, the Soviets spent millions of dollars infiltrating your media. Just because the Soviet Union went away doesn't mean these people have gone away. They are still there.' Of course, I knew this."^[20]

Source:Wikipedia

© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts