Weekly Opinion/Editorial

BRING ON THE MOOSE STEW!
by Steve Fair

“It’s very easy to underestimate Sarah Palin- she’s unabashed.” Those words come from John Binley, Palin’s former opponent for Governor of Alaska. When John McCain picked Governor Palin to be his Vice Presidential running mate, most thought- who is Sarah Palin? I admit she was on my radar screen, but because Alaska is a solid red state, I didn’t think McCain would pick her. But McCain’s maverick streak came to the surface and he picked the first woman to be on a major ticket since Geraldine Anne Ferraro back in 1984.

Palin was born in Idaho to a family involved in education. Her dad was a teacher and track coach- her mom a school secretary. When she was just a baby, the family moved to Alaska. Her dad loved to hunt and Palin and her dad would get up at 3am to go hunt moose. She also ran in 5K and 10K races with the rest of her family.

Palin was head of the FCA and played point guard on her high school basketball team. In fact, like Ollie from Hoosiers, she helped her team win the state championship in 1982 by hitting a critical free throw in the final seconds. What she didn’t know was that she had an ankle stress fracture at the time. She earned the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" because of her intense play and was the leader of team prayer before games.

Palin finished second in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant and won a college scholarship. She earned a BS degree in journalism from the University of Idaho. Palin worked in broadcasting and as a sports reporter for an Anchorage TV station while helping her husband run a commercial fishing business.

Palin, 44, and her husband of twenty years have five children. Palin gave birth to her youngest child, Trig, on April 18, 2008, while in office as governor. Her pregnancy is reported to have surprised Alaskans, including her staff; she didn't tell her staff that she was pregnant until March 5--seven months into the pregnancy She returned to the office three days after delivering the child. The baby has Down syndrome. Palin and her husband knew that before the child was born, but elected to have the baby. The pro-life community applauded the decision.

Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary-the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world wrote about Palin’s decision on his blog less than a month after the baby’s birth. Mohler wrote, when he was told the baby was likely to have Downs, Todd Palin quickly said, "We shouldn't be asking, 'Why us?' We should be saying, 'Well, why not us?'"

The Palins never considered aborting the baby. That means that Trig Palin is now is a very rare group of very special children, because it is now believed that the vast majority of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome before birth are being aborted.

Mohler goes on to say, “Modern diagnostic tests are driving a "search and destroy mission" to eliminate babies judged to be inferior, disabled, or deformed. Some experts now believe that up to 90 percent of all pregnancies diagnosed as having a likelihood of Down syndrome end in abortion.”

What does Palin say about her five-month-old son? She loves her baby boy and is proud of him. "I'm looking at him right now, and I see perfection," Palin told the Associated Press. "Yeah, he has an extra chromosome. I keep thinking, in our world, what is normal and what is perfect?"

Palin recognized life is precious and is a gift of God. "We've both been very vocal about being pro-life," Governor Palin said. "We understand that every innocent life has wonderful potential."

And it’s not just Sarah Palin’s stance on abortion that impresses. She’s a leader with the courage to shake up Washington. She has that frontier spirit that we is familiar to Oklahomans. She is not afraid to take on the good old boys. One of her political opponents says of Palin, “she’s driven by an inner feeling of right and wrong and is willing to suffer the consequences of doing what she thinks is right.” “She doesn’t mind going up against the system.”

With all their talk of change, Obama’s campaign picked a Washington insider Senator Joe Biden to be their Vice Presidential pick. McCain chose a woman with a frontier spirit that is strong on conviction and courage.

Palin speaks on Wednesday at the Republican National Convention. As a delegate, I will be in my chair listening to what this remarkable woman has to say. Step aside Hillary-America’s first woman President will likely be from the union’s largest geographic state. Bring on the moose stew!

RECIPE FOR MOOSE STEW

Cut moose into chunks. Add some bacon fat to the Meat Place in pot with water to cover. Add Celery, Onion and Carrots. Add salt, pepper, garlic, oregano sugar and accent. Remove vegetables and blend. Be sure not to over-cook as this will dry out your game meat. Side dish of boiled and buttered carrots. Side dish of boiled and buttered onions. Side dish of potatoes

Directions

Brown moose and sausage in a large pot, add all vegetable and sauté till lightly browned. Add red wine, broth and seasonings. Let simmer 30 minutes. Remove meat. Blend sauce and vegetables from the pot to to thicken. Put thickened sauce back into pot or serving dish and serve.

Serves five