"
Thunder!
I was caught, in the middle of a railroad track!
Thunder!
I looked 'round, & I knew there was no turning back!
Thunder!
My mind raced, & I thought, what could I do?
Thunder!
And I knew, there was no help, no help from you!
Thunder!
Sound of the drums, beatin' in my heart, the thunder of guns..."
In most public venues, "Thunderstruck", by the
Australian hard-rock band AC/DC, easily drowns out all other sounds. But on Saturday, October 4th in the California city of Carson, over 10,000 screaming American fans of Sarah Palin drowned out the music when the star-of-the-day stepped onto the stage at
the tennis stadium at the Home Depot Center! It normally seats 8,000, but on this occasion, over 1,000 more crammed onto the court, & over 1,000 more lined up across the upper walkway to show their support for the most important lady in America today.
In the heart of a gang-infested city that worships the ground Barack Obama walks upon, that's an impressive turnout!
I had the privilege of attending since the venue is only a 15-minute drive east of Redondo Beach. I had picked up a General Admission pass earlier in the week at a Republican campaign office. And no, I'm not a Republican. I "decline to state" any party affiliation, & voted for Hillary Clinton in the primary election simply because it was the best thing I could do to prevent the
"ticket of terrorists" from being elected to the presidency.
For me, the issues that most people are discussing about this election are irrelevant. The only thing that matters to me is that
Barack Hussein Obama has stated publicly that Arab terrorists have legitimate claims, & that single remark not only disqualifies him for the United States presidency, but in my opinion, qualifies him for being charged with treason at a time when our great nation is at war after having been attacked by Arab terrorists on 9-11-2001. He dug an even deeper hole for himself politically by stating that our troops are essentially just
"air-raiding villages & killing civilians". Even if it's true, which it may very well be since it's impossible to conduct a flawless war, it demoralizes our country, & aids & comforts our enemies, & he should be brought to trial for it.
"
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort."--Constitution Article 3, Section 3
Secondarily, as someone who fears God, & believes we are all members of a single genetic race descended from the same 2 parents created by God, I despise the racist "church" Obama attended for 2 decades. And he demonstrated his true nature by denouncing their racist leader
ONLY when it became politically expedient for him to do so a few months ago. (And no, I'm not going to provide any hyperlinks to their sick website.)
Furthermore, his wife is despicable, & doesn't belong in the White House for publicly stating that this is the first time in her life (i.e., when her husband began running for the presidency) that she's been proud to be an American.
Having said that, it was such a pleasure to be surrounded on this occasion by so many like-minded people supporting the
"party of patriots". I took the time to transcribe Gov. Palin's speech below, & although my work may have some minor errors in it, I was in the fortunate position of being seated behind the operator of her teleprompter, so I was able to compare a few sections of what she had prepared in advance with what she actually said.
During the past month since she gained international prominence, she's been accused of being an idiot, but it takes guts to give a speech to a crowd of any size, not to mention thousands of people surrounding you, & legions of reporters who are anxiously waiting for you to make a mistake, & still more pundits who will begin criticizing you all over the world seconds after the words leave your mouth. And even if she & Senator McCain are imbeciles as some Democrats claim, I'd rather vote for an imbecile & take a 50/50 chance that they might make the right decisions in office, than vote for Obama who has a racist, unpatriotic character flaw guaranteeing the wrong decisions will be made in office.
I arrived at 10am when the parking lot opened, & since there were no clear signs, & this sporting complex contains several playing fields & a large soccer stadium I've never been to before, I parked in the wrong lot, & wasted 15 minutes discovering it, & getting over to the correct one.
And before I go any further, I have to thank God for making this one day very overcast so that my sensitive skin wouldn't get burned at this outdoor event. When the event began, the sun peeked through the clouds for a few minutes, & again when Sarah initially arrived, but at one point (& she comments on it), there were a few light raindrops & drizzle. There was a heavier rain afterwards as I returned to my car, but I would've been severely burned if it had been any other day of this past month or upcoming week (according to the current forecast). THANK YOU, GOD!
There were already about 1,000 people in line when I got there, & it was very disappointing for some supporters when we were told that no one would be allowed to bring their homemade signs into the facility. I still don't understand the reason for this, so if anyone knows, please feel free to post a comment. There was another similar situation shortly before the event began when most of the fans had been seated, but for security reasons, I'm not going to describe it in detail.
The gates opened promptly at 11:30am, & it took me 15 minutes to get in due to the security checkpoints. I was thrilled to be able to choose a seat on the side of stage that would be at Gov. Palin's right hand about 50-60 feet away. It had 2 additional benefits in that she would be spending most of her time signing autographs closer to this side after her speech (about 20-30 feet away), & more importantly, I was directly behind the aforementioned gentleman who was operating her teleprompter via his laptop PC.
She's terrific at improvising in reaction to the crowd, & it was amazing how many interjections she made along the way. Unfortunately, I don't have a photographic memory, & can't remember every detail, but I'll place in
bold a few sections I know for sure were ad-libbed, even though there were probably others. Also, here are some abbreviations for the crowd reactions:
{A}=applause
{B}=booing
{C}=cheering
{L}=laughter
{TO}=thunderous ovation
{...}=section I was not able to hear clearly enough to transcribe
During the nearly 2 hours prior to the event, they were playing mellow rock & modern C&W songs over the P.A. system, most of which I didn't care for. In hindsight, it was interesting that they played a knock-off of the AC/DC classic (that I don't like), "Highway to Hell", by a C&W artist reworked lyrically to "Highway to Heaven". The most well-known song I recall was the Marshall-Tucker Band classic, "Can't You See?", the chorus of which, when isolated from the rest of the song, was very fitting for the main attraction since she's certainly been doin' a number on me:
"
Can't you see, can't you see, what that woman, Lord, she been doin' to me?"
But in reality, the song's about a woman that's driving a guy crazy in a bad way, & makes him want to run away. It's a nice song for Obama, Biden, & all their supporters to sing; but most of Obama's supporters are probably into rap. Songs about killing cops, abusing women, doing drugs, & just living up to the expectations taught to our children in the Science classrooms of taxpayer-funded schools across the nation: we're just worthless animals with no ultimate purpose that should seek pleasure at the expense of others. That's the fundamental message of Senator Obama: take money from the successful, mostly responsible people, & redistribute it to the lazy, mostly irresponsible people.
There were 2 major causes for applause as we were waiting for the main event to begin. One was a group of 3 teenage boys, 2 of whom were wearing T-shirts containing a big photo of Obama's important, concerned-looking face, with a big-huge red "X" over it! You can't imagine how wonderful it was to see so many people openly showing their contempt for this terrorist-sympathizer! Another group that received enthusiastic applause, carried a large flag of Israel, with an American flag on one side, & a McCain/Palin banner on the other.
The event began approximately on time at 1:35, with about 25 minutes of speeches from local politicians that nobody really came to see on this day. At 2:00, we were told that the day would be divided into 3 sections, with 2 more coming. 5 minutes later after another recorded song was played, Academy-Award-winning actor Jon Voight was introduced. It was nice to see one Hollywood celebrity on hand out of the hundreds of others, most of whom support Obama, which reminds me of another interesting contrast.
Note that Senator Obama was handed his national fame on a silver platter by celebrity billionaire, Oprah Winfrey, when she held a special event choosing to promote him over Hillary Clinton last year, a move that stunned many people; whereas the beginning of John McCain's campaign was so lackluster, that at one point he couldn't afford to use an airplane (not to mention a private jet like he now travels in), & had to resort to using a bus; nonetheless, he persisted, & won over his party. Quite a contrast.
Also on hand were a few other speakers including the former CEO of eBay, which lasted till about 2:30. Then more mellow music. Secret Service personnel entered around 2:45, scoped the stage, assumed their positions, & around 2:55, the beauteous Sarah arrived with, well, I'll let her introduce herself:
"
Thank you, thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. I promise to be short & sweet. I wanna thank you, & I wanna reiterate that I am Shelly Mandell, the president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization for Women [NOW]. Now I'm happy to be here, & I'm here today speaking not on behalf of NOW, but speaking as an individual, as a women's rights activist for 13 years, who has worked for all those years to see this day. Let me share with you where I've been, & why I'm here. I was there in 1977 for IWI, that was the International Women's Year, in Texas. I was there in 1978 when we campaigned hard all over the west for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, working right alongside my dear friend, Maureen Reagan. I was there in 1984 when we worked so hard to get Geraldine Ferraro on the ticket, & then to support her historical place in that election. And I'm here today, proud to support Sarah Palin, a woman, a woman who will fight for women's rights, a woman who will fight for the middle class, a woman who, Lord knows, will shake things up. Now make no mistake, I'm a lifelong Democrat. I don't agree, gotta tell ya, I don't agree with Governor Palin on several issues. Hey, she's gonna work on persuading John McCain on ANWR, well I'm gonna try persuading her on things of my own. But, but, I know Sarah Palin cares about women's rights, she cares about equality, she cares about equal pay, & as vice president, she will fight for it. She, she cares about our children, & she cares about women's lives. She's an athlete, & she knows what Title IX did for girls like her. [Sarah said, "
Absolutely! Thank you!"]
Change must come to Washington, & Sarah Palin has what it takes to lead that charge. I believe she is courageous; I believe she has integrity; & I know that Sarah Palin is a reformer who will break up the ol-boy network, buck the system, & get Washington back on our side. It is honor, it is an honor to call her 'sister'. America, this is what a feminist looks like: Governor Sarah Palin."
[Sarah during thunderous ovation: "
Thank you! Bless you! That was awesome!"]
"
Wow, & thank you too, Shelly, for that kind introduction, & thank you so much for your endorsement. And with your help, Shelly, in November, all of us who consider ourselves progressive, yet at the same time we can be conservative, we're gonna shatter the highest, hardest glass ceiling in America."
{A}
"I was looking at Shelly's resume before I came out here and I thought, oh, there's some diversity; I like this, it's good. And because maybe this is the only time that I would get an endorsement like this or an introduction, I've gotta share with you, it was like kind of providential, yesterday what happened to me. I can use this today after that introduction from Shelly: I'm reading on my Starbucks mocha cup, OK, the quote of the day. {C} You'll never believe what the quote was. It was Madeline Albright, former Secretary of State and UN ambassador. {B} And Madeline has as her quote-of-the-day from Starbucks, now she said it; I didn't. She said, 'There's a place in Hell reserved for women who don't support other women.'"{TO}
"OK, now thank you so much for receiving that well. I didn't know how that was gonna go over. {L} And now, California, let's see what a comment like I just made, how that is turned into whatever it'll be turned into tomorrow in the newspaper. {TO} Thank you!""
It's so nice to be in this most beautiful state, & in this beautiful cathedral that they call in some parts, a cathedral of soccer, & I know that all you California soccer-moms sure know how to make a hockey-mom feel at home."
{A}
"
Whenever I'm in L.A., I think of my dad, because he was born here, & {A} Hey, I've got that connection, that little bit of connection with L.A., & I'll milk it as long as I can! {L} So my dad was born here, & as a boy, he lived in North Hollywood where my grandma, {A} she was a teacher, & my grandpa was a photographer, & my grandpa, his specialty was photographing boxers of that era, & I learned a few pointers about fighting from him, including one that applies to this election, & that there is a time when it's necessary to take the gloves off, & that time is right now."
{TO}
[At this point, she turned to her right, near where I was sitting, & stared right at a heckler, who was surrounded by supporters chanting "U.S.A" to drown her out. The rest of the crowd realized what was going on, & cheered wildly.]
"My son is over in Iraq right now fighting for the freedoms that that person is exercising right now."{TO}
"So it is so good to be here, & as I say, there's a time to take the gloves off, & as one of our campaign staffers reminded me as I'm walking out, he goes, 'OK now, the heels are on, the gloves come off.'"{A}
"
Our opponents take this state & all of you for granted. But I've got some news for Senators Obama & Biden: for millions of Californians, this is still Reagan country!"
{TO}
"
In this final month before election day, we're taking our case for reform & positive change to every voter of every background in every region of America, whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, or an Independent, or no party at all, we're asking for your vote, & it's gonna be a hard-fought battle right down to the wire, guys. It's gonna come right down to the wire. With your support, though, we will win!"
{A}
"
So, you know, because California is so beautiful, & I love the mix of people who live here, & it's snowin' in Alaska right now, so of course I wanted to be here, but I wanted to be here a few years, a few days earlier than today but I had an appointment in St. Louis, & it just wouldn't wait, {A} so Thursday night I had a little debate with Senator Joe Biden {A}, & I was so proud to get to make the case for the next president of the United States, John McCain!"
{TO}
"
As I explained to Senator Biden, John McCain is the only man in this race who will solve our economic crisis, & not exploit it. He's the only man in this race with a plan that will actually help our working families, & cut your taxes, & get our economy back on track."
{A}
"
He's the only man in this race who talks about the wars America is fighting, & isn't afraid to use the word 'victory'!"
{A}
"
Our opponent, he gives speech after speech about the wars that America is fighting, & it sure would be nice if even just once he'd say he wants America to win."
{A}
"
Our opponent voted to cut off funding for the troops. Even after he said, {B} even after he said he would never do such a thing. He said, too, that our troops in Afghanistan are just, quote, 'air-raiding villages, & killing civilians'. {B} That's not what our great men & women in uniform are doing in Afghanistan. The U.S. military is fighting terrorism, & protecting us, & defending our democratic values, {A} They're defending our freedoms of assembly, & of the press, & of women's rights, & of tolerance, & all those things that are democratic values; & they're building schools for Afghan children so that they have hope & opportunity in that country. That's what our troops are doing in Afghanistan!"
{A}
"
John McCain wouldn't say that because he's a different kind of man. John McCain believes in our troops & our mission, & as the mother of one of those troops, that's exactly the kind of man I want as commander in chief."
{A}
"
Senator McCain served our nation in uniform for 22 years, & California, you are to be commended & applauded for being a state with a strong tradition of military service, & today {A} there are many thousands of veterans here, as well as active-duty soldiers, & airmen, & they continue to keep our nation strong & secure, & how 'bout a shout out to them, even here in this audience?"
{TO; "U.S.A." chant}
"Thank you, veterans, & I recognize some of you with your hats on, & I say, 'God bless you', & we take our hat off to you!""
So California, after today it will be the time for choosing for this country in this election, & here's how I look at the choice that we face: In politics there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers, & then there are those like John McCain who use their careers to promote change."
{A}
"
This is a moment when principles, & political independence matter a lot more than just a party line. And John McCain is his own man. He doesn't run with that Washington herd. He & I, we don't just talk about change, we're the only candidates in this race with a track record of actually making change happen."
{A}
"
As a mayor, & as a governor, I reminded people that government is not the answer, in fact, too often, government is the problem. {A} So where I have served, we have put government back on the side of the people. Here's some of my track record:"
"
As mayor I reduced taxes every year that I was in office. For over 6 years, I eliminated personal property taxes, & eliminated small-business inventory taxes. As governor, we suspend our state fuel tax, anything & everything that I can do to be able to literally {A}, so that what we could do was literally hang that shingle outside of our community, & outside of our state, & say, 'We are open for business', & it will be the product {...} grows & thrives & prospers."
"
So that's part of my track record, & I'll tell ya, California, I always knew that I was accountable to the people who hired me; it was the people of Alaska. And I can promise you that John McCain & I will never forget that we will be there in Washington, DC to work for you, the people of America!"
{A}
"
And one mission of our administration, it will be to bring tax-relief to every American, & cut taxes for businesses so that they can hire more people. That creates jobs!"
{A}
"Yes, John mcCain is a real reformer in this election, & he can do this, & he has a record to prove it, & so do I as mayor & governor, as I was cutting taxes for the people of Alaska, & building up infrastructure. And so many claims in this campaign, you know, I think that the phoniest claim in a campaign that's been full of them, is that Barack Obama is going to cut your taxes."
{L} {B}
"
I mean, think about it, think about it! He's built his whole career on building up tax money, first as a Chicago politician, & then raising taxes as a senator. He's voted 94 times to raise taxes, even on, {B} even on middle-class everyday Americans making $42,000 a year. {B} He tried to raise a million dollars a day just on his requested earmarks, & now he's committed to almost a trillion dollars in new spending, & he never bothers to tell ya where that money will come from, & no one seems to be asking him how he will pay for this huge government growth that he wants. {A} So since no one's asking him, let's just do the math. You can either do the math, or you can just go with your gut, & either way, you're gonna draw the same conclusion: Barack Obama is going to raise your taxes."
{B}
"Well, evidently, after a not-too-successful interview that I had kind of recently, because I was asked a question that I thought, oh, quite a few questions that I thought, 'Oh, come on, let's just get, you know, let's start talking to the American people about the issues that you guys wanna know about: our plans for {A}, how we're actually gonna put government on the side of the people, how we're gonna win these wars. Those type of issues, but instead, with a kind of a flippant answer that I got when asked about, what do I like to read.""
Evidently, there's been a lot of interest in what I read lately. {L} Well, I was reading today a copy of the New York Times, {B} & I was really interested to read in there about Barack Obama's friends from Chicago, {B} it turns out one of his earliest supporters is a man who, according to the New York Times, was a domestic terrorist, & part of a group {B}, part of a group that, quote, 'launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon & the U.S. Capitol.' {B} Man! These are the same guys who think patriotism is paying higher taxes. Remember? That's what Joe Biden said."
{B}
"
Now this is not a man who sees America as you & I see America; we see America as a force for good in this world. {A} We see an America of exceptionalism. {"U.S.A." chant} Yes, U.S.A.! U.S.A.! {A} Our opponent is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country? {B} This, ladies & gentlemen, has nothing to do with the kind of change that anyone can believe in, not my kids, & not your kids. What we believe in is what Ronald Reagan believed in, & that is an America that is a nation of exceptionalism, & that {A}, that America is a good & honorable nation. We are not perfect; we make mistakes, but we learn from our mistakes. We are a nation that believes in the virtues of freedom, & that those virtues of freedom are worth fighting for!"
{A}
"
California, thank you for understanding this; & thank you for understanding that the only man who can live that out in leadership in the White House is John McCain."
{A}
"
And something else we'll do in a McCain & Palin administration, we're gonna set this nation firmly on the path of energy independence."
{A}
"
Across California & America, high gas prices are making a full tank at the pump feel like a luxury. The cost of living, of course, is going up, & the cost for groceries is going up. Everything's going up. But the value of your paycheck is going down, all because of high energy costs. And that's nonsense. It's nonsense when you consider the wealth of natural resources that God has so richly blessed this land with."
{TO}
"
You know, in Alaska alone, we have billions of, [she giggles] we have," {"Drill, baby, drill!" chant}
"You know, I thought when the raindrops started that you guys would want me to kind of rush through some of this!"{"No!"}
"
Yeah, God has so richly blessed this land with resources; in Alaska alone, we have millions of barrels of oil, we have hundreds of trillions of cubic feet of clean/free natural gas, & it's not just there, it's here in California, & we have the alternative sources of energy also. {A} To meet America's great energy challenge, we're gonna need an all-of-the-above approach. And in a McCain/Palin administration, that does mean developing new alternative sources, & it will require, there'll be more nuclear plants, &," {A}
[Note: Another heckler gets ejected at this time, & it's hard to hear Gov. Palin over the commotion.]
"
{...} America {...} third world {...} but it does mean also that we will drill here, & drill now, & that's when you are to chant, 'Drill, baby, drill!'"
[Note: This was very cute the way she ad-libbed it like, "Gosh darn-it, you beat me to the punch!"]
{"Drill, baby, drill!" chant}
"
You guys are great!" {A}
{"Sarah" chant}
"
Alright, & one more thing on energy, {A} one more thing on energy, this is what it comes down to in a McCain/Palin administration: We will achieve energy security, energy independence for our country. That means American energy resources brought to you by American ingenuity, & produced by American workers!"
{TO}
"
Alright, you know, from now until election day, you're gonna hear our opponents still go on & on about how they're going to fight for you, California {B}, California, you know there is only one man in this campaign who has ever really fought for you, {A} only one man with the courage to go on fighting for you, & that man is John McCain!"
{TO}
"
California, thank you. You know, people all across the nation, we're always lookin' at what's going on in California. We're gonna be lookin' at what's going on in California between now & on election day. Please, join us, join our cause, bring more people into this, this {...} reform for our country, putting government back on your side. Thank you, California! God bless you, & God bless America!"
{TO}
[Note: I made this transcription based on poor audio from 4 YouTube video sources. The P.A. system had a bit of echo, & depending where you sat, or where the video was recorded, some of her words were drowned by the audience at times, so if you listen to one video & hear something slightly different, or don't hear something you read here in my transcription, please check several other versions. Once again, I did my best to put in bold font her improvised statements that were not on her teleprompter. Nonetheless, I encourage others to submit corrections especially as more recordings of the event, & possibly an official copy of her speech, are made available.]
Her speech ended around 3:20pm, & she spent the next 25 minutes or so greeting VIP supporters down front, signing autographs, even posing for photos with a few lucky people. It was such a thrill to get to spend this brief not-quite-hour-long occasion with her.
I have officially seen royalty!
"
Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed; & who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"--Esther 4:13-14
[Note: I can count 19 cameras facing her in this last photo as she poses with a fan! Incredible!]
(No song-of-the-week due to time spent on photos. I took 69 at the event, & had a tough time choosing which ones to post here.)
G.M. Grena
Chephirah–The Biblical Village Roars Again, 186 views
Royal Banquine, 81 views
ASOR 2007 (p. 6), 60 views
