America the Beautiful

I grew up knowing America is a wonderful place to live, maybe even the best place to live on God's green earth. But I never really considered myself overly patriotic. I vote, because men died and women fought for me to have that right. I have a fairly conservative world view but I respect and even seek out the perspectives of others who feel differently. I like to debate with people thought I rarely do, only because most people nowadays are too politically correct. Tsk, tsk, tsk(as my Grandma Allen would say).

I picked up "Going Rogue" recently at the thrift store because frankly, I am fascinated with Sarah Palin. Since she emerged on the national scene in 2008 I respected her fearless nature. Think what you will about her politics, she bravely entered the male dominated political scene with gusto. She debated Senator Biden and allowed her family to be thrust into the glaring media spotlight. She did all of this because she believed she could help America. I was curious to read about her journey from her point of view, not someone else's.

Not only is Sarah Palin smart and witty, she loves this country. If I forget every quote, every funny sentence and every no nonsense idea she presented, I will never lose the fire she ignited in me for America. Sarah loves America as much as she loves her family and that's saying a lot. She gave me an armchair view of Alaska that had me re-reading pages to soak it all in. Her desire to serve her local government was palpable and even gave me a hunger for local politics. In short, she inspired me. But this blog post is not about how awesome Sarah Palin is. I really just wanted to share how her book changed my view of America from something black, white and grainy into Technicolor.

"Our land is everything to us...I will tell you one of the things we remember on our land. We remember that our grandfathers paid for it--with their lives." John Wooden

When July 4th rolled around this year I decided to tell everyone I met, "Happy Independence Day!" Every year we celebrate with barbecue, corn on the cob and other various comfort foods(and beer for those who like that sort of thing). And many of us forget the men who died to give us the freedom to roast marshmallows on land we own. When I hear the lyric, "And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there," I envision cold, hungry and tired men searching the smoke filled night to see if the battle was lost. Francis Scott Key wrote those words back in 1814 and they came from a heart that screamed for freedom from oppression. So to my dismay, every person I greeted on the day we celebrate our nation's independence looked at me like I was a little off my rocker when I said, "Happy Independence Day." I still don't get it. We have national cemeteries lined with the bodies of our fathers and grandfathers. They died to preserve our freedoms and we don't have the courage to acknowledge their sacrifice? Everyone I met said, "Happy Fourth of July!" as if it were just another excuse to overindulge.

So when I read "Going Rouge" I was instantly refreshed. Sarah gets it. She is an American. Every day I open up Facebook and read her posts. She shines a spotlight on modern day soldiers and their families. She points out things going on in government that don't make national headlines. And she does all of this at great personal cost. I don't think a lot of people like Sarah. I personally want to be just like her when I grow up, fearless and beholden to no one.

I love America. I love my freedoms. Thank you, Sarah Palin, for teaching me not to be ashamed of my country. Thank you for "taking it in the gut" from the political system. You could have settled with being a hockey mom but instead chose to speak your truth. I may not agree with everything you say, but I am thankful we both have the right to express our opinions. God have mercy on us! I pray we never lose our freedom.