I posted this interview for two reasons.
For one thing, it illustrates how articulate and intelligent Sarah Palin is.
Also she takes on the notion that free speech should be curtailed because someone’s feelings have been hurt. She argues that it is not enough reason to curtail freedom of speech and freedom of religion. I agree. Similarly, freedom of speech should not be curtailed when a Muslim feels offended due to someone’s criticism of Islam. Unfortunately it was the Jews who started this trend to protect the feelings of Jews when the holocaust was denied. Free speech is too important to be trifled with.
Unless you have been in a coma for the last week, you would also know that Palin has been defending the right of religious people to preach the gospel relating to homosexuals even if Gays are offended or PC enforcers are enraged. Ted Belman
NewsBusters had the great fortune to chat with former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin last week.
The topics for discussion were her new book “Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas,” Martin Bashir, Santa Claus, and Charlie Brown.
NEWSBUSTERS: Tell us what you were trying to achieve with your new book “Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas.”
SARAH PALIN: Honestly, it’s easy to lose track of the true meaning of Christmas. Beyond the “Jesus is the reason” type slogans, there are deep truths that should permeate our lives the entire year – good tidings of great joy we all need to hear, especially in times like this.
NEWSBUSTERS: Early in the book you wrote, “An angry atheist with a lawyer is one of the most powerful persons in America.” Please explain.
PALIN: This takes a little explaining about how our rights are normally protected, about why and who can sue a city, county or school. I go into this deeply in the book, but here’s the bird’s eye view.
Normally, a person can’t sue a public entity for a violation of constitutional rights unless he or she has a concrete injury. In other words, someone would have to show how the action of the public institution harmed his legally protected interests. For example, if you’re told not to speak, your right to free speech is violated. If you’re prohibited from holding a Bible study, your right to free exercise of religion has been compromised. In these examples, the power of the state is forcing you into silence or subjection.
But there’s a double standard at work. If someone is offended by a religious expression or speech in a public setting, then courts have allowed that offended person to sue — even if they weren’t censored, made to pray, or coerced into compliance with a different belief system, and even when they have a right to speak out and try to change public policy. Not only can people sue over hurt feelings, many times they’ve won.
This means people can silence their fellow citizens for no other reason than the fact that they were offended. This should stop.
NEWSBUSTERS: You enthusiastically state in the book that you’re a big fan of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” as am I. Like so many other Americans, your favorite scene is when Linus explains the true meaning of Christmas to Charlie by quoting Luke 2 8-14. Tell us why this is so special to you.
NEWSBUSTERS: What’s really interesting about that scene is that it’s been a Christmas tradition at NewsBusters for years for me to post the video of Linus’s words for Charlie along with the full text. Yet I learned something from your book about that scene – which I had never noticed in the probably 100 times I’ve seen it – that, as you just mentioned, when Linus says, “Fear not,” he drops his security blanket. When did you first notice Linus dropping his blanket? Is this something one of your parents told you, or a teacher?
PALIN: To be honest, I’d seen it many times before – just like you had – without noticing that part. I think sometimes different parts of movies or books jump out at you during different times of life. This is a pretty scary time in our nation’s history, so I guess it makes sense that this would jump off the screen a little more vibrantly than it would’ve back when I watched it in previous years.
NEWSBUSTERS: Still on that scene, were you aware that the show’s producer and lead animator were very concerned about mixing religion into the program? They met with Peanuts creator Charles Schulz to try to talk him into deleting that scene. The lead animator Bill Melendez said to Schulz, “It’s very dangerous for us to start talking about religion now.” Schulz answered him by saying, “Bill, if we don’t, who will?” Were you aware of this, and do you think if this were made today, CBS would allow the scripture reading to remain?
PALIN: I wasn’t aware of the background, but am thankful for people who stick to their guns. We’ve seen just recently that traditional Biblical values are being forced out of the mainstream. (Would A&E, which tried to silence Phil Robertson’s Biblical beliefs, tolerate a cartoon character reading the Bible? I doubt it.)
NEWSBUSTERS: Did you see that when this was aired a few weeks ago, although it’s almost 50 years old, it still got more viewers than a special featuring Lady Gaga and the Muppets? What does that tell you?
NEWSBUSTERS: Later in the book you wrote, “Atheism’s track record makes the Spanish Inquisition seem like Disneyland by comparison.” Explain that for us.
PALIN: I wrote that as part of a larger discussion about Peter Hitchens’ great book “The Rage Against God.” Many people know about the book Peter’s atheist brother, the late Christopher Hitchens, wrote condemning religion; but I think fewer people know about Peter’s book.
Peter, a former atheist, wrote about his journey toward faith in “The Rage Against God.” His journey had a lot to do with his work as a Moscow correspondent in the late 1980s. He witnessed first hand the Soviet Union’s break up, and in particular he witnessed the moral collapse of a society without God in a country that openly persecuted people of faith, closed churches, imprisoned religious leaders, and forbade religious education. Atheistic Communism was one of the most violent and murderous ideologies in human history.
The history of the twentieth century is a sad compendium of atheism’s murderous track record – from Mao’s China to Pol Pot’s Cambodia and on and on. But we can go back even further in history to the French Revolution, which I also mentioned in the book. The Jacobins hated traditional Christianity and openly persecuted the Catholic Church. They imprisoned and murdered priests and nuns who wouldn’t be puppets for the state. They demolished or closed churches. At one point they were even changing the street names to remove references to the saints! As I wrote in “Good Tidings and Great Joy,” their hatred of Christianity didn’t lead to utopia. It led to the guillotine.
One of the points I tried to make in the book is the positive force faith has been in advancing human rights – like, for example, in the struggle to end slavery and achieve civil rights. I believe an objective look at history shows that our Judeo-Christian heritage has been and is a positive force for good. Atheism, on the other hand, not so much.
NEWSBUSTERS: Moving away from the book for a moment, I have to ask you about something truly disgusting that happened involving you last month: Martin Bashir’s awful comments about you. First off, were you aware that NewsBusters was the first to expose his remarks doing so roughly 45 minutes after he uttered them?
PALIN: Yes, NewsBusters is always the first to report these things! I don’t think you guys sleep! I’m in awe of how fast you are to spot things and spread the word. What would we do without you guys? Thank you so much for all you do to defend conservatives and insist on fairness and accuracy in media.
NEWSBUSTERS: As this happened at 5PM on a Friday, it’s conceivable that had we not published that piece, no one would have known what he said given how terrible his ratings were. Would you have preferred we hadn’t have published it, or are you pleased this came to light? Why?
PALIN: I’m always glad you hold the media accountable. For me, this would be easier to talk about if I weren’t the subject because I never see myself as a “victim.” I’m used to the attacks. It’s important to call out the double standards and utter lack of professionalism in journalism though.
NEWSBUSTERS: When did you first hear about this, and what was your immediate reaction?
PALIN: I was out on my book tour meeting some amazing and inspiring Americans when this crap hit the fan, so I had more positive things on my mind than what another far left liberal spewed about me. Got to be honest though, I felt MSNBC’s tacit agreement with Bashir’s call to action encouraging that physical attack was downright gross and enormously demeaning. I hate, hate, hate that such an attack could have ever been punishment for any slave during that blight on America’s historical record. I’m so sorry for that chapter in a new nation’s life.
NEWSBUSTERS: How do you explain something like this to your younger children?
So, Todd and I don’t talk about this stuff in front of the kids except to remind them how blessed we are to have awesome opportunities and a big, fun, rambunctious family that always circles the wagons! They know that everything happens for a reason and that vengeance isn’t ours.
NEWSBUSTERS: How did Todd and your older kids respond?
PALIN: We shake our heads and ask God for strength to get through another petty attack – always remembering they’re just verbal attacks and others have suffered much, much, much worse. Those episodes make us draw closer as we seek the higher purpose in all of this. Then we go for a snowmachine ride and bake cookies and tease Piper for her middle school girl’s basketball obsession – all those normal family things!
NEWSBUSTERS: Have you ever figured out why you are so despised by virtually the entire liberal media and establishment?
PALIN: Nope. If you figure it out, let me know. But if they think their rabid foaming-at-the-mouth hatred scares me away from standing up for what’s right and defending those who need help, I’ll be happy to disappoint them! In the meantime, like Bristol said when the critics came out in force during her two seasons on Dancing With the Stars, “The critics are going to criticize and the haters are going to hate, so you might as well dance!”
NEWSBUSTERS: What many on the right have never understood about the media’s treatment of you is that you represent the perfect picture of the ideal feminist woman that “has it all”: great career, great children, great husband. Shouldn’t you actually be considered feminism’s role model, or must one be a liberal to be considered a feminist in America today? If that’s the case, isn’t feminism actually a political movement and NOT a women’s movement?
NEWSBUSTERS: I’m sure you’ve seen the liberal media’s reaction to Megyn Kelly’s comments about what the color of Santa’s skin is. What’s your opinion about Santa’s racial makeup, and why do you think the media went so nuts over what she said?
PALIN: Honestly, I’ve never given it much thought. I didn’t know Santa’s race was a controversial topic.
NEWSBUSTERS: It’s conceivable that there will end up being more media coverage of Kelly’s comments about the color of Santa’s skin than Bashir’s comments about you. What does that tell you about the state of the media and our culture in the year 2013?
NEWSBUSTERS: Back to the book, you marvelously end it talking about how people shouldn’t expect Christmas to be perfect. Tell us what you meant and why that’s important.
PALIN: In December, every television commercial demands your tree to be perfect and your presents to be beautifully wrapped. Of course, these silly expectations set us up for disappointment. The baby in the manger was perfect. Christmas gently encourages you in your weakness.
NEWSBUSTERS: Thank you Governor. From all of us at NewsBusters and the Media Research Center, we wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters.
Shy Guy Said:
I do, it was a very gentle expression of concern!!!!!
@ Shy Guy:
On it…..
honeybee Said:
Listen up!
(There’s plenty of irony between that song and her personal life)
yamit82 Said:
I agree with that.
What I disagree with is triggering society – Jewish or gentile – to start acting as individual vigilantes, with every individual deciding who and what is right and wrong.
The 7th Mitzvah for Bnei Noach is not to kill queers but to establish a moral justice system to prevent and punish the morally criminal. Such a system only partially operates anywhere in the world right now and where it does, it fails in upholding other Noahide laws, such allowing the murdering of people, let alone punishing the murderers.
dove Said:
Can’t you two just kiss and make
outup?😆
Seriously, walk away. Or is she your butch landlord?
@ Shy Guy:
I have no problem discussing this subject with Torah observing Jews – however when there are others outside of that realm present (which is usually the case in the diaspora) I will not agree to hate, kill, torture, deprive or discriminate – as this is the ONLY method they know. Bear in mind that I too would fall into their list as a person who should be killed unless I converted to Christianity. For they truly believe that ‘ I am not saved’ therefore they believe that I and you are not ‘right with g-d’.
Right now I am facing discrimation from a lesbian Rabbi. I am making it VERY CLEAR that I am being discriminated against as I believe she has an issue with hetro Jewish women – particularily if they are married and have dark brown hair. I know that may sound like I am reaching but this is what I have observed and I not tolerate it.
@ yamit82:
Your above post upset me greatly.
@ dove:
@ Shy Guy:
Both wrong where I grew up the gentile (christian) kids would chant “kill a queer for jesus.” We Jews said, go ahead, start with the Jewish queers.
Jews are commanded to expunge evil from our society. Acceptance of a behavioral trait doesn’t prove its morality.
Jews who are tolerant of Gays and other deviants will never understand no less agree with our need to rid ourselves here in Israel of our Arabs. 🙁
Tolerance of deviants is an evil to be condemned .
Down with tolerance of all deviants,
dove Said:
Let me clarify. Today, whether in Israel or anywhere else in the world, other than social ostracization within Torah observant Jewish communities, I was not suggesting anything other than one not fearing to express Hashem’s explicate opinion on the subject, as brought down in His Torah. That’s what this discussion is about.
bullshit. That is how I handle it. How you handle it as a born observant Jew living in Israel may be different. BOTH are correct. I live in a very hostile society that is looking for ‘carte blanche’ justification to exterminate homosexuals and lesbians. I am not about to give them permission to do that.
dove Said:
Homosexuality is a capital offense according to the Torah.
dove Said:
Hashem gave us the Torah as a blueprint for our actions and behavior in this world. Your suggestion is a dereliction of duty.
@ Shy Guy:
Jews do not condemn homosexuals to hell. Some Christians are even willing to help them get to hell quicker by killing them.
Why does there seem to be much more homosexuality today? Some of it is fashion. We are not living 3 or 4 thousand years ago. We don’t know all the reasons that the gay community has flourished. Some hetros commit homosexual acts – ie in prison.
This is why I leave this subject up to Hashem.
dove Said:
What does the Torah say about homosexuality? You can easily Google the verse and cut and paste them here.
Anyone should be able to express any amount of animosity toward anyone else, as long as they don’t go over the line of threat to do material/physical harm.
@ Shy Guy:
read em. This is my concern and to where it could lead
Religious freedom of speech would also include Jews. As a Jew I distance myself from the Christian gospel relating to homosexuals. Free speech on this subject has led to intimidation and death threats and in some cases even death.
@ Shy Guy:
ok teach I will read them. I really don’t have time for this so it better be a worthwhile read!
Ted Belman Said:
As you know, this is precisely how it works within Israel as well.
If it is nor immediately obvious, I would like to point out that this intimidation that the left subjects the right to is what shuts down pro-Israel lectures and silences public debate on issues involving Israel. Many young Jews who otherwise might support Israel are bullied into submission and eventually embrace the narrative on the other side.
So people must be free to voice politically incorrect speech and must not be subject to intimidation. People should not have the right to intimidate in the name of free speech.
Back on topic.
dove Said:
I know where you’re coming from. But there is a commonality here that unites people of conflicting beliefs to sometimes agree to agree.
I got lost in Palin’s interview because – well – it’s an interview. It’s covering a wide range of events and topics.
But if you want to get to the crux of the problem referred to by the title here, I highly recommend that you carefully read every word (don’t skim; don’t speed-read ala Evelyn Woods) the following 2 pieces. It will help for you to have a basic prerequisite knowledge of last week’s news story regarding Phil Robertson of the A&E cable channel’s Duck Dynasty show being suspended for expressing his christian conservative opinion during an interview on the subject of homosexuals
Re-Education Camp, by Mark Steyn
On Free Speech, Sarah Palin and Mark Steyn are Right, by David French
Read them both.
@ Shy Guy:
Where do you find these sites, Darlin
Laura Said:
I had to look up what this is about.
Fired PR executive apologizes for AIDS in Africa tweet
The tweet was: “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!”
The women got herself fired. Being a PR exec for her employer only made things worse for her but she should have been fired even if she was a mailroom clerk. Whether an “international leftist mob” organized a mass online protest against this birdbrain or not, this is mainly a self-inflicted firing.
I say draft her!
Laura Said:
Got your back sister, and Sarah’s too:http://youtu.be/ylGrQVL774k
@ dove:
Ok, good to know you object to the PC enforcers.
@ Laura:
excuse me? Why do you take things out of context? Any country that thinks that the only way to solve your aggressive problems is by being more oppressive and aggressive is a nation heading for disaster.
I totally disagree with being monitored – it has been proven to be non effective. Those who are wanting to commit crimes just find a way around it and it’s the innocent people who have their privacy and rights trampled on.
All I said is that so called freedom of speech has consequences – before you open your mouth weigh in if the backlash is worth it to you! that’s why I stay away from social media. ON this site we are ‘pundits’ so freedom of expression can be more open….however if I had a microphone and tv camera on me I would be more selective with my words. What a person says in the privacy of their own home can be just venting (like we do here) but if its a mediam for the whole world to see it’s imperative that it is better to say nothing at all than be an idiot!!
I agree completely with Sarah.
That’s a chilling thought. I’m glad we have a constitution. You are apparently ok with the stalinist PC thought police monitoring everything we say and meting out punishment for transgressors.
People just need to stop being hypersensitive and get over it. You are not entitled not to get your feelings hurt.
And BTW, leftists say offensive things against Christians all the time without consequences.
Regarding that woman’s tweet about AIDS in Africa, I think its chilling that an international leftist mob can destroy someone’s career just because they were offended or pretended to be offended over a tweet.
Does that mean that it is equally acceptable to hurt the feeeeelings of Christians?
Freedom of speech has its consequences. You can go ahead and say something but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be a consequence such as this story:
Woman Fired After Tweet on AIDS in Africa Sparks Internet Outrage