America by Heart, by Sarah Palin: on Principles & Values
Antonin Scalia:
Founders engaged in explicitly religious official acts
One of the best compilations of explicitly religious official acts of the Founders that I've come across comes from Supreme Court justice Anton Scalia. It appears in one of his famous dissents, in a case in which the Supreme Court ruled that the Ten
Commandments could not be displayed at the McCreary County Courthouse in Whitley City, Kentucky:The same week that Congress submitted the Establishment Clause as part of the Bill of Rights for ratification by the
States, it enacted legislation providing for paid chaplains in the House and Senate.
The day after the First Amendment was proposed, the same
Congress that had opposed it requested the President to proclaim "a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed, by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many and signal favours of Almighty God."
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p.196-198
Nov 23, 2010
Barack Obama:
American exceptionalism is same as any other exceptionalism
Many people don't believe we have special message for the world or a special mission to preserve our greatness for the betterment of not just ourselves but all of humanity. Astonishingly, President Obama even said that he believes in
American exceptionalism in the same way "the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism." Which is to say, he doesn't believe in American exceptionalism at all.
He seems to think it is just a kind of irrational prejudice in favor of our way of life. To me, that is appalling.When President Obama insists that all countries are exceptional, he's saying that none is, last of all the country he leads.
That's a shame, because American exceptionalism is something that people in both parties used to believe in.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p. 69
Nov 23, 2010
Barack Obama:
2008 Super Tuesday: We are the change we seek
There is narcissism in our leaders in Washington today. There's a quasi-religious feeling to the message coming from them. They are trying to convince is that not only are they our saviors, but that
WE are our saviors--not hard work, not accomplishment, just "believing in ourselves" and what we can accomplish together through government. As candidate Obama proclaimed on Super Tuesday
2008, "We are the ones we've been waiting for, we are the change that we seek."I believe in a humbler, less self-involved America. I believe in that simple, commonsense wisdom that has come down to us through the ages:
Everything that is worthwhile comes through effort. There is no free lunch. Anybody who tries to tell you otherwise is selling something--usually something paid for by tax dollars.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p.179
Nov 23, 2010
George W. Bush:
Prayer and religion sustain me
An example of talking the God talk but not walking the walk among politicians occurred in the 2004 Bush-Kerry presidential debates. In the final debate, both candidates spoke at length about the role of religion in their lives.Bush was consistent in
his belief, as he said, that "prayer and religion sustain me." But Kerry changed his tune depending on the policy in question. On the issue of abortion, Kerry insisted, "I can't legislate or transfer to another American citizen my article of faith.
What is an article of faith for me is not something that I can legislate on somebody who doesn't share that article of faith."
Fair enough. But then the topic shifted to government Programs for the poor and the environment, and Kerry changed his tune.
His faith, he said, was "why I fight against poverty. That's why I fight to protect this earth. That's why I fight for equality and justice." This kind of hypocrisy when it comes to religion is widespread on the left, inside and outside Washington.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p.216-217
Nov 23, 2010
John Ashcroft:
It's against my religion to impose my religion on others
Former attorney general John Ashcroft--a deeply devout Christian--used to say something I agree with wholeheartedly: "It's against my religion to impose my religion on others." What our culture does when it translates religious values into secular terms
and applies them to useful ends isn't about brainwashing or trying to convert anyone--quite the opposite. It's a way of conferring a rich moral heritage while respecting everyone's religious freedom.All the great religions call on us to follow the
Golden Rule: to treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves. Call me biased, but one of the best ways America follows this faith in a secular way is in the treatment we give to individuals with special needs.
Without so much as mentioning religion, we strive to treat these most vulnerable members of our society the way we ourselves would like to be treated.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p.240-241
Nov 23, 2010
John F. Kennedy:
1960: separate Catholic identity from public life
Kennedy's famous speech [on Catholicism in 1960] is actually quite different from the way it is often described. Instead of reconciling his religious identity with his role in public life, Kennedy entirely separated the two. In 2008, Mitt Romney's
Mormon faith was likewise perceived as an issue by some voters. Some pundits and political advisors urged him to "do a JFK." Just give a speech, they told him, and reassure voters that your faith will have nothing to do with your presidency. Unlike JFK,
Romney declared that our religious liberty is "fundamental to America's greatness."
Like Kennedy, Romney Mitt praised all Americans' freedom to worship as they choose. Like Kennedy, he also declared that "no authority of my church, or of any other
church, for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions." But unlike Kennedy, he spoke out strongly for America's religious heritage, and how it continues to define us as a nation
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p.184-186
Nov 23, 2010
Mitt Romney:
Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom
[In 2008, Romney made a speech on his Mormon religious beliefs, as John F. Kennedy had in 1960 on his Catholic religious beliefs]. Like Kennedy, Romney Mitt praised all Americans' freedom to worship as they choose. Like
Kennedy, he also declared that "no authority of my church, or of any other church, for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions." But unlike Kennedy, he spoke out strongly for
America's religious heritage, and how it continues to define us as a nation:The nations' founders discovered the essential connection between the survival of a free land and the protection of religious freedom.
Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p.185-186
Nov 23, 2010
Ronald Reagan:
Freedom is never more than one generation from extinction
Preparing for my 2008 debate, I came across a quote from Ronald Reagan that perfectly expresses our need to preserve and protect American values:"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it on to our children in
the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States when men were free."
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p. xx
Nov 23, 2010
Ronald Reagan:
1980s: Soviet leaders openly repudiate religion
Reagan's famous "evil empire" speech was devoted mostly to exploring faith. The way the USA and USSR treated faith, he said, had direct consequences for how they treated their people. Where there was God, there was freedom. Where He was not recognized,
there was tyranny:"Soviet leaders have openly and publicly declared that the only morality they recognize is that which will further their cause, which is world revolution. Lenin, their guiding spirit, said in 1920 that they repudiate all morality tha
proceeds from supernatural ideas--that's their name for religion--or ideas that are outside class conceptions...They must be made to understand we will never abandon our belief in God. Yes, let us pray for the salvation of all of those who live in
totalitarian darkness--pray they will discover the joy of knowing God."
What drove his critics crazy wasn't that Reagan pointed out the godlessness of the Soviet system, but that he pointed out the presence of God in ours.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p.212-214
Nov 23, 2010
Sarah Palin:
We are free as consequence of being made in image of God
For me, this is the essence of freedom: to be a child of God whose God-given rights and responsibilities are respected by her government under the Constitution. What makes all of us
Americans isn't our ancestry or our skin color but our belief in its freedom. This isn't the kind of freedom that says, "Whatever feels good, just do it." It's the kind of freedom that says, "Don't tread on me."
It's the kind of freedom that shouts that men and women aren't just as free as their government or their king will allow them to be. Freedom is our birthright. We are free as a consequence of being made in the image of God--even if you don't believe in
God. Not only that, but we are equally free; no person or group of persons is less free than any other.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p. 12
Nov 23, 2010
Sarah Palin:
American exceptionalism based on idea of right to be free
In my experience, Americans are patriotic but not necessarily idealistic. We find inspiration and motivation close to home, in our families, our communities, and our faith. Generally, we're happy to live our lives and pursue our dreams and leave others
to live and pursue theirs.And if we were an ordinary country--just one country among many others--that would be enough. All countries have the right to defend themselves, and they exercise that right whenever necessary. But
America isn't just another country, it's an exceptional country. We are the only country in the history of the world that was founded not on a particular territory or culture or people, but on an idea. That idea is that all human beings have a
God-given right to be free. So when our young men and women sacrifice to serve in the military, they are doing much more than defending a piece of land. They are defending the idea of America itself.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p. 37
Nov 23, 2010
Sarah Palin:
McCain is a genuine American hero for enduring Vietnam
I remember being on the campaign trail with John McCain and hearing people attack him in deeply personal ways and thinking, "Do they know that they are insulting a genuine American hero? Are they fit to tie his boots, much less take cheap shots at him?"
Most Americans are by now familiar with the outlines of the story of John's 5-1/2 years of captivity in a North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp. But what most Americans may not know is that John McCain doesn't consider himself a hero. Why?
Because, under constant beatings and torture, and after repeatedly refusing to be released before Americans who had been imprisoned longer than he, John signed a confession written by his captors. He describes the scene [as feeling ashamed].
It is impossible for me to truly understand how John endured what he did, much less how he could feel shame for breaking under the cruelty of his captors. But such is the remarkable character of this man and the men and women of our armed forces.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p. 50-53
Nov 23, 2010
Sarah Palin:
Tea Partiers love America & dislike what's happening to her
What I've learned from the Tea Party Express is this: the spark of patriotic indignation that inspired the Americans who fought for our freedom and independence has been ignited once again! Americans are reawakening to the ideas, the principles, the
habits of the heart, and disciplines of the mind that America great. It's an AMERICAN awakening. It's coming from real people--not politicos or inside-the-Beltway types. They've seen what is happening in America, so they've decided to get involved.
They feel like they're losing something good and fundamental about their country, so they've decided to take it back, because they love this country and are proud to be Americans!
I realized that the Tea Partiers ARE normal Americans who haven't
necessarily been involved in national politics before but are turned on to this movement because they love America and they don't like what they see happening to her. They're so concerned about the path we're on that they've decided to get involved.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p. xii-xiii
Nov 23, 2010
Sarah Palin:
"Mama Grizzlies": tough candidates also raising families
In Alaska, the only thing we take more seriously than a grizzly bear is a mama grizzly with cubs to protect. I call the new generation of American women leaders--many of whom I've met on the campaign trail and in the towns and cities of America--mama
grizzlies. These are tough, serious, formidable women like Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, Nikki Haley of South Carolina, Susana Martinez of new Mexico, and Carly Fiorina of California. These women are at the forefront of a new wave of strong, confident
American women who are positively affecting not just the Republican Party, but America itself. They're building businesses, leading men & women in government--and, while they're at it, raising families.Some people are calling the emergence of these
successful conservative female leaders a new phenomenon in America. Truth is, mama grizzlies have been with us for a long time. These are the same women who settled the frontier, taught their kids, raised their families--and fought for women's rights.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p.127-128
Nov 23, 2010
Sarah Palin:
Everything worthwhile comes through effort
There is narcissism in our leaders in Washington today. There's a quasi-religious feeling to the message coming from them. They are trying to convince is that not only are they our saviors, but that
WE are our saviors--not hard work, not accomplishment, just "believing in ourselves" and what we can accomplish together through government. As candidate Obama proclaimed on Super Tuesday
2008, "We are the ones we've been waiting for, we are the change that we seek."I believe in a humbler, less self-involved America. I believe in that simple, commonsense wisdom that has come down to us through the ages:
Everything that is worthwhile comes through effort. There is no free lunch. Anybody who tries to tell you otherwise is selling something--usually something paid for by tax dollars.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p.179
Nov 23, 2010
Sarah Palin:
Fought each Xmas as mayor to keep Jesus manger in Wasilla
When I was mayor of Wasilla, I had to fight for six Christmases to keep the baby Jesus manger scene on display on Wasilla Lake. And the Ten Commandments are becoming harder to find in American courthouses than unicorns.
Most Americans are honestly puzzled about why these religious displays are so darn controversial. The fact is that these challenges reflect more than just theoretical, legal, and constitutional differences.
They are evidence of a profound cultural divide. According to a 2008 Pew poll, 92% of Americans believe in
God or a universal spirit, and more than half of us pray at least once a day. And yet we have an influential academic and legal elite that not only fails to share this belief, but seems actively hostile to it.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p.210
Nov 23, 2010
Sarah Palin:
Elites in "lame stream media" consider Americans alien
What is threatening about the Ten Commandments, a moral code that Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, the religions that account for 97% of all Americans believers, recognizes as the basis for living a good life? Why can't people just live and let live?
Part of the answer is the cultural divide between our governing elites and the mass of the American people. Most of those who write for the mainstream media and teach at universities and law schools don't share the religious faith of their fellow
Americans. They seem to regard people who believe in God and regularly attend their church or synagogue as alien beings, people who are "largely poor, uneducated and easy to command," as the Washington Post once famously put it.
Perhaps for this and other obvious reasons, I often refer to the conventional press as the "lame stream media." The truth is that we ARE alien--to them.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p.215
Nov 23, 2010
Sarah Palin:
We are a prayerful country
I pray all the time. I always have. Saying a prayer was the first thing I did when I learned that I was going to have my first child & it was the last thing I did before I stepped out in front of more than 40 million viewers to give my speech at the 2008
Republican Convention. I asked God to crush my "self" and give me His strength and grace for that time. I also turned to prayer backstage at the vice-presidential debate in 2008, although Piper scolded me for "cheating" when I asked her to pray with m
that God would have His way and His words at the event that night!
And I'm not alone in my reliance on prayer. We are a prayerful country. What's more, I think it's significant that we pray not just in times of danger or crisis, such as during the
Normandy invasion or the 9/11 attacks, but in quieter times as well. We pray for inspiration and guidance, and also pray in thanksgiving and gratitude. We even have a quintessentially American holiday, Thanksgiving, devoted to precisely that purpose.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p.228-229
Nov 23, 2010
Sarah Palin:
I label myself a "Commonsense Constitutional Conservative"
The question, going forward, is how? How do we embrace our exceptionalism at home and abroad? How do we take this great awakening among the American people and turn it into a positive force for reclaiming our country and our heritage? Like so many
Americans, I have been thinking about this a lot lately.The answer is closer than many of us realize. We don't need a manifesto. We don't need a new party. We just need to honor what our country is and was meant to be. And we need to remember the
common sense most of us learned before we went to kindergarten.
If I have to label myself, I would happily slap on a sticker that read, "Commonsense Constitutional Conservative." I am an Alaskan, with an inbred spirit of independence we are so proud of
in our state, and I am proud to have been registered in the Republican Party since I was eighteen, because I believe that the planks of our platform are the strongest foundation upon which to build a great nation while protecting our God-given liberties.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p.266-267
Nov 23, 2010
Susana Martinez:
Endorsed as "Mama Grizzly" by Sarah Palin
In Alaska, the only thing we take more seriously than a grizzly bear is a mama grizzly with cubs to protect. I call the new generation of American women leaders--many of whom I've met on the campaign trail and in the towns and cities of
America--mama grizzlies. These are tough, serious, formidable women like Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, Nikki Haley of South Carolina, Susana Martinez of new Mexico, and Carly Fiorina of California.
These women are at the forefront of a new wave of strong, confident American women who are positively affecting not just the Republican Party, but America itself. They're building businesses, leading men & women in government--
and, while they're at it, raising families.Susana Martinez is a veteran district attorney and a Republican who wins elections in a county in which Democrats outnumber Republicans three to one.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p.127-128
Nov 23, 2010
Tea Party:
OpEd: we love America & dislike what's happening to her
What I've learned from the Tea Party Express is this: the spark of patriotic indignation that inspired the Americans who fought for our freedom and independence has been ignited once again! Americans are reawakening to the ideas, the principles, the
habits of the heart, and disciplines of the mind that America great. It's an AMERICAN awakening. It's coming from real people--not politicos or inside-the-Beltway types. They've seen what is happening in America, so they've decided to get involved.
They feel like they're losing something good and fundamental about their country, so they've decided to take it back, because they love this country and are proud to be Americans!
I realized that the Tea Partiers ARE normal Americans who haven't
necessarily been involved in national politics before but are turned on to this movement because they love America and they don't like what they see happening to her. They're so concerned about the path we're on that they've decided to get involved.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p. xii-xiii
Nov 23, 2010
Ted Stevens:
Survived 1978 plane crash that killed his first wife
As I was finishing this book, Ted Stevens, America's longest-serving Republican senator, died in a plane crash in his beloved state of Alaska. Ted was always a warrior. He had survived combat flight missions on World War II. He was one of two survivors
of a 1978 plane crash in Anchorage that killed his first wife, Ann. He battled prostate cancer and won. But by the time he died at age 86, he had built a career serving the people of Alaska & was instrumental in helping build the 49th state.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p.259
Nov 23, 2010
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