Sarah Palin: Straight Talk Express Co-pilot

"We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives. We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed."

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin the day

after giving birth to a Down syndrome child.

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The Straight Talk Express now has a co-pilot: Sarah Palin, conservative, pro-life, 44 year-old first-term governor of Alaska. Like John McCain, Palin has a reputation of being a maverick herself; running on an ethics platform, she defeated incumbent Governor Frank Murkowski in the 2006 GOP Republican primary than went on to top former Democratic Governor Tony Knowles in the general election.

She was nicknamed “Sarah Barracuda” during her high school years because of her intense play while she was captain of her high school basketball team. The team won the state championship when she hit a late free throw. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Idaho then worked as a sports reporter for an Alaskan television station and was runner-up in the 1984 Miss Alaska contest.

Her husband, Todd, is a commercial fisherman. She and Todd have five children, two sons and three daughters. Her eldest, Track, is an infantryman scheduled to be deployed to Iraq next month. She is serving her first term as governor and is the former mayor of her hometown, Wasilla.

California Supreme Court Rejects Doctors' Rights of Conscience

Here's a story that will upset those who believe that the First Amendment protects our right to follow the dictates our conscience:

In a major decision likely to re-draw the battle lines of the gay rights movement, the California Supreme Court Monday ruled against two doctors who declined to artificially inseminate a lesbian.

The doctors, who are Christians, strongly believe that children should be raised whenever possible by a mother and father. To that end, they did not want to participate in the deliberate exclusion of a father as sought by Guadalupe Benitez and her partner, Joanne Clark. Instead, the doctors paid for a referral of Ms. Benitez to other fertility specialists who did not have any moral objections to administering the treatment, and she now has three children. Nevertheless, Ms. Benitez was so offended by the doctors' stance that she sued them under California's sweeping civil rights laws.

Monday, California's highest court unanimously ruled that the state's civil rights laws offer virtually no exceptions for people of faith. Unless the ruling is eventually overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court - which only hears about one percent of all the cases appealed to it - or is modified by the gay-friendly California legislature, its implications appear to be far-reaching. For instance, the ruling probably means that, regardless of their beliefs, everyone in the state's wedding industry must service gay weddings, California family law attorneys must handle gay adoptions and same-sex divorces, and so on.

A Letter to Congress . . .

My wife recently received a copy of this Burlington, Iowa man’s letter to his senator and I thought I’d pass it along:

Honorable Tom Harkin
731 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC, 20510

Dear Senator Harkin,

As a native Iowan and excellent customer of the Internal Revenue Service, I’m writing to ask for your assistance. I have contacted the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to determine the process for becoming an illegal alien and they referred me to you.

My primary reason for wishing to change my status from U.S. Citizen to illegal alien stems from the bill which was recently passed by the Senate and for which you voted. If my understanding of this bill's provisions is accurate, as an illegal alien who has been in the United States for five years, all I need to do to become a citizen is to pay a $2,000 fine and income taxes for three of the last five years. I know a good deal when I see one and I am anxious to get the process started before everyone figures it out.

Simply put, those of us who have been here legally have had to pay taxes every year so I'm excited about the prospect of avoiding two years of taxes in return for paying a $2,000 fine. Is there any way that I can apply to be illegal retroactively? This would yield an excellent result for me and my family because we paid heavy taxes in 2004 and 2005.

Additionally, as an illegal alien I could begin using the local emergency room as my primary health care provider. Once I have stopped paying premiums for medical insurance, my accountant figures I could save almost $10,000 a year.

Another benefit in gaining illegal status would be that my daughter would receive preferential treatment relative to her law school applications, as well as 'in-state' tuition rates for many colleges throughout the United States for my son.

Lastly, I understand that illegal status would relieve me of the burden of renewing my driver's license and making those burdensome car insurance premiums. This is very important to me given that I still have college age children driving my car.

If you would provide me with an outline of the process to become illegal (retroactively if possible) and copies of the necessary forms, I would be most appreciative. Thank you for your assistance.

Your Loyal Constituent,