Monday, August 30, 2010

Governor Palin's Call to Restore Honor and Protect the Constitution

On Saturday, Governor Palin spoke before hundreds of thousands of Americans at the Restoring Honor rally. In yet another contrast between herself and President Obama, Governor Palin stated at the rally:
I must assume that you too know that we must not fundamentally transform America as some would want. We must restore America and restore her honor!
What is would restoration of America look like? Would it mean that our leaders have character? Would it mean that politicians were public servants rather than self-servants? Would it mean that our government, both Democrats and Republicans, used the Constitution as a blueprint rather than a doormat? Would it mean that everyday Americans looked for government to protect us, rather than provide for us? Would it mean that we, as Americans, respected one another, and saw each other as unique individuals, rather than demographic groups? Would it mean that we honored our military? Would it mean that we honored our elders and respected one another? Would it mean that we realize that our rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are inalienable--given to us only by God-- not given to us by government?

Governor Palin is one who has character and sees the role of elected official as a public servant, not a self-servant. She sees not an America separated by demographic groups, but one that united as a nation, but unique as individuals. She values and respect the Constitution as she states so often, and even stated, in a brief interview on Saturday (emphasis mine):
That’s what Americans are ready for — the kind of change where we get back to protecting our constitution and limiting government...That’s what I think we see reflected here, even though this is a rally about restoring honor.
Governor Palin shows deep respect for both the U.S. and Alaska Consitutions. She even held her gubernatorial inauguration in Fairbanks, AK where the Alaska Constitution was written and used that founding document as her compass--whether it was in crafting ACES legislation, molding her stance on school vouchers, or in her desire and efforts to allow Alaska to contribute more resources to the rest of the country. Governor Palin sees state and national founding documents as governmental compasses.

Such a focus on the Constitution is seen not only in her speeches, interviews, and writings, but also even in her PAC solicitations. Earlier this summer, I received a mailing from SarahPAC with the following text (Emphasis mine.):
Dear Whitney,

I am inspired by the American patriots across our nation who want to bring Congress back to the ideals of our Founding Fathers.

The White House and Congress need to hear that Americans don't want cradle-to-grave government control of our lives. We don't want government bureaucrats deciding what kind of light bulbs we should use, what kind of cars we should drive, and which doctors can and can't care for us and our families.

Liberal politicians should not be trying to re-write the U.S. Constitution. Our Constitution is a centuries-old gift from our steadfast Founding Fathers. We cannot sell out our sovereignty, surrender our God-given rights, or falter in the War on Terror.

Republicans recently took victory away from liberals in three states and sent a message to Congress and the White House that Americans are fed up with politicians trying to impose more big-government policies on our nation.

Now I'm asking for your help to carry that momentum across the country.

What Americans want is a return to the values our Founding Fathers fought and died for. Government should get out of our way so we can raise our families, run our businesses, and keep more of our hard-earned money.

So many people have asked me what can we do to save our country from politicians who want to take away our basic rights. What we can do, Whitney, is join the effort and help send pro-family, pro-American patriots who share our beliefs to Congress.

If you're ready to join the movement, please use the enclosed reply form to send your best gift possible to SarahPAC today. We'll use it to change our nation to the ideals that matter to all of us. Thank you for joining me to keep America the country we know and love!

With an Alaskan heart,
Sarah Palin

I was particularly struck by her emphasis on the words "Founding Fathers" and "Constitution". While the current administration is operating with the goal of fundamentally transforming our nation, through her endorsements and her voice, Governor Palin is operating with the goal of fundamentally restoring our nation to the principles it was founded upon, a theme echoed in Saturday's speech.

Our Constitution has three main themes woven throughout its text:a limited federal government, appropriate powers given to states, and emphasis on individual freedoms. These are all themes upon which Governor Palin has built her political philosophy. Governor Palin is a very strong advocate for 2nd amendment and 10th amendment rights in particular. She believes that the branches of government must not be twisted. In her speech at the Southern Republican Leadership Convention, she has called out the EPA, an agency of unelected bureaucrats housed executive branch, for legislating from the executive branch. She does not believe judicial officials should legislate from the bench. She does not believe the federal government should go beyond its powers to infringe upon states' powers. However, she is not only going to speak out when the federal government overreaches, she is also going to speak out when the federal government is not fulfilling one of its Constitutional roles, as she has done by standing with Governor Brewer with regards to border insecurity in Arizona.

If one examines the premise of the writing of the Constitution--the Preamble--one can see that Governor Palin is lock step with every principle in that famed, beautifully simple paragraph. Governor Palin believes that it is "we the people", not the "we the governing authorities" that make have founded and maintain this country. Governor Palin believes that justice must be established and domestic tranquility ensured by properly prosecuting terrorists, securing our border, and taking our enemies seriously. She believes that the common defense must be provided for. She has spoken out against the President for drawing back nuclear weapons and cutting funds for missile defense.Governor Palin believes in promoting the general welfare, not by creating and perpetuating entitlement programs, but by removing burdensome regulations and taxation from businesses, families, and individuals so that they have the opportunity to better provide for their own welfare. Governor Palin supports securing the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. She understands that in order to have such liberty, government must not impinge upon individual freedoms, nor should our nation become beholden to foreign countries because of a dependency upon foreign fossil fuels, when America has abundant sources here. She sees that the current trajectory of our nation's spending puts us on a path towards insolvency,and she has even called such spending generational theft. Blessings of liberty will not be passed on to our posterity if our nation is drowning in debt.

When the word "restoration" is used, it hearkens back to the time of our Founders, whose wisdom crafted our Constitution, the document that guides Governor Palin's political worldview, and represents leadership full of integrity and character:



Time will tell if Governor Palin chooses to run for President. However, it is clear that if she is elected and takes her oath of office to uphold and defend the Constitution, she will mean every word of that oath and will not risk perjuring herself with such a declaration. It must be noted that Governor Palin's desire to restore America and help return it to the principles of the Constitution are not bound by political office. Her moving speech this weekend was a call to recognize God, to return to the principles of the Founders and great leaders of the past, and to show gratitude to our military. Such is Governor Palin's call to restore honor:

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