Palin #2 on Bestseller List

After setting a record five weeks as a political book at the top of USA Today’s bestseller list, Sarah Palin’s Going Rogue has shown its popularity and staying power by remaining the #2 book sold last week. Only Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol beat Going Rogue in sales the week ending December 27, 2009.

When Palin broke the record last week for most weeks at #1 for a 2009 book, USA Today managed a mention of it noting the book was "going strong".

Palin, going strong: Sarah Palin's memoir, Going Rogue, is the first and only book of 2009 to remain at No. 1 on the list for five consecutive weeks. Three other titles —Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, Glenn Beck's Common Sense and Stephenie Meyer's New Moon — held the No. 1 spot for four straight weeks earlier this year.

Congratulations, Governor Palin!

Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope got as high as the #2 spot, but never got to #1. The Audacity of Hope was on the top 150 list for 96 weeks.

[Interesting that Glenn Beck has three books in the top 50: #14 Arguing with Idiots, #40 The Christmas Sweater, and #49 Glenn Beck's Common Sense.]

Americans Favor Waterboarding as Danger Grows

According to a new Rasmussen poll:

Fifty-eight percent (58%) of U.S. voters say waterboarding and other aggressive interrogation techniques should be used to gain information from the terrorist who attempted to bomb an airliner on Christmas Day.

Men and younger voters favor the more aggressive techniques more than women and older voters.

Apparently politically correct, kid gloves Miranda treatment for terrorists is losing support as dangers of attack ramp up. To paraphrase Samuel Johnson, knowing you or your family may be blown up on an airline trip concentrates the mind wonderfully.

H/T Jennifer Rubin

But Was He Read His Miranda Rights?

Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. He detonated a device as the airplane was preparing to land in Detroit. Muttalab claimed he was acting on behalf of al-Qaida and was told to "detonate the plane over U.S. soil" . [emphasis added]

The Lockerbie bombing was to be done over international waters to make it almost impossible to solve the crime. But, this time the detonation was to be over U.S. soil. Maybe because of Miranda rights?

"The man was being questioned Friday evening. An intelligence official said he was being held and treated in an Ann Arbor, Mich., hospital."
[emphasis added]

Under Obama administration rules one can bet any "questioning" will be mild and not lead too far. Or heads will roll as the questioning perpetrators are brought to justice for overstepping the civil rights of Nigerian terrorists.

Joy to the World!

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us."

So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Luke 2: 1-20

Going Rogue Sets 5 Week Record as #1

Craig Wilson of USA Today must be grinding his teeth. Going Rogue has now been #1 on their 150 bestseller list for 5 weeks. It tied with Colin Powell's 1995 autobiography two weeks ago for being the best selling political autobiography/memoir of all time, and passed the Powell book last week.

Wilson manages a few lines for Palin's record setting accomplishment, and sandwiches the news between noting President Obama's tumbled sales (neither of his two books is on the current bestseller list) and noting that Senator Edward Kennedy's Compass is now number 30 on the list (down from a high of #2 on the September 24th list).

It's a little like sandwiching news of Michael Phelps' record setting 8 Olympic gold medals between news of a fairly popular swimmer who never finished first (neither of President Obama's books made #1 on USA Today's bestseller list) and the second place winner in one of the events where Phelps took the gold.

Congressman Clearer on Moral Issues than Evangelical Leaders

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich) has a clearer sense of moral implications of the Senate health care bill than evangelical leaders such as David Neff (editor of Christianity Today), Brian McLaren (Emerging Church movement), Joel Hunter (pastor of a Florida megachurch), and Ron Sider (Evangelicals for Social Action).

These and other evangelical bright lights signed a statement of strong support for the current Senate bill. They applauded the bill as protecting life “at all stages” and prohibiting federal funding of abortion and ensuring “conscience protections”.

Astoundingly they believe that the current health system is “an unjust healthcare system that for too long has cost too much while delivering too little.” Maybe “unjust” in not covering everyone. But unjust in “delivering too little”. Hadn’t heard that before. How many Americans are fleeing to other countries for medical care because they get too little of it here?

Strange for these leaders to assert too little care when 58% of Americans rate the quality of US health care as good or excellent. An astounding 81% rate their own health care as good or excellent. Hmm. Maybe these evangelical leaders are in the 20% who have had bad luck with their doctors and medical care.

The Gallup Poll indicated that 69% of Americans say their own health care coverage is good or excellent. And 62% are satisfied with their health care costs. So much for paying too much and getting too little. Are these evangelical leaders that out of touch with most Americans?

As to conscience protections, apparently Rep. Stupak's conscience doesn’t count–-nor does his expertise at understanding legislative language. Stupak found lots of problems in the bill that the evangelicals leaders missed.

Rep. Stupak called the Senate version “unacceptable”. He said the Senate version “indicates a dramatic shift in federal policy that would allow the federal government to subsidize insurance policies with abortion coverage”.

Too bad the evangelical leaders didn’t bother to consult with Stupak before wading into political waters and moral issues obviously above their pay grade.

UPDATE: In an interview with Greta Van Susteren, Rep. Stupak points out that Senator Nelson's language in the Senate bill "recognizes abortion as a benefit . . . underneath the federal plan", requires at least one plan to provide abortion coverage, and requires every person enrolled in the exchange plan to pay $1 per month for reproductive rights which includes abortion coverage.

No, no. The bill's amendment, besides firewall, does a number of things that's a dramatic break from current policy. The Stupak amendment keeps current policy, which says no federal funding for abortion and no federal funding for insurance policies that have abortion as a benefit.

What the Nelson language does, besides the firewall, it, number one, recognize abortion as a benefit in the federal -- as a benefit underneath the federal plan. Number two, it says that at least one plan -- could be nine out of ten plans, but at least one plan must have abortion coverage. Number three, ever[y] enrollee in the exchange (INAUDIBLE) OPM, the Office of Personnel Management, they call it -- would have to pay $1 per month for reproductive rights, which would include abortion coverage. So the Nelson amendment deviates many ways from current law and from the Stupak amendment.
[emphasis added]

H/T The Weekly Standard

It's the Little Things That Count

Last year Dave Krupa gave his fourth graders the assignment of writing to the winning presidential candidate. When Barack Obama won, Allyson Walz asked if she could write to Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin instead because Allyson was inspired that a woman ran for high office.

“'We watched her on TV and I liked how she was a girl and kind of proved that girls can do whatever they want,' Allyson said.

“'Ally really liked Hillary (Clinton), too,' said Kelly Walz, Allyson’s mom. 'Both women have done a lot for women, being women in power positions.'"

Krupa agreed to let Allyson write to Palin. The rest of the class wrote to President-elect Obama.

On February 2, 2009, Allyson got a letter back from Governor Sarah Palin.

None of the other kids got a response.

And this isn't a fluke. Last Christmas at the Alaska governor's open house, Palin took special time in the three hour greeting line of more than 3,300 people to talk to children.

"'Thanks for coming over. Merry Christmas to you,' Palin said again and again to the stream of people over three hours.

"Palin, wearing a velvet kuspuk, paid especially close attention to children, crouching to greet them at eye level, holding up the line to ask them questions."

Sarah Palin is a class act.