Posted on 10/05/2011 8:05:41 PM PDT by nathanbedford
Here are a few thoughts from one of the Hobbits (as Sen. McCain called the Tea Party members) on the announcement by Gov. Sarah Palin that she will not be running for the 2012 GOP Presidential nomination. I borrow heavily from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings trilogy.
Frodo described the effects on himself of bearing the Ring as follows: “But I have been too deeply hurt, Sam. I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: someone has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them.”
Frodo indeed gave up all that he loved, during the journey, and afterwards. But he did it in order to save it for others. Is there anyone reading this who can question for a second all that it has cost Palin to carry the torch of Freedom and Conservatism thus far?
And yet — Frodo was not the only hero in the story. His sacrifice and heroism would have been useless, and indeed a waste, if they had not been answered by the equally noble response of Aragorn. His path, prophesied from of old, led him to wander afar for many years, away from his betrothed, in the face of great danger, alone, and friendless; to face the Dark Lord Himself in the palantír, through the Paths of the Dead; and finally, in a seemingly futile charge against the impregnable gates of Mordor, surrounded by a Sea of Foes, “ten times and more than ten times their match.” Frodo’s sacrifice in carrying the Ring has been answered by another sacrifice, of the Army of the West yielding up their lives, if necessary, to buy Frodo the time to complete his quest. As Aragorn whispers / calls to his compatriots over his shoulder before the final charge, in the Peter Jackson film adaptation of the books, “For Frodo!”(*)
And the actions of Frodo, Aragorn, and the Army of the West and their allies may be taken as a sign and an example for all of us today. An ancient saying, on the Seal of the United States, is the phrase E Pluribus Unum — “out of many, one.” It of course refers to the Free Republic founded by our Constitution, the United States of America: but it also describes all patriots who work together united for a common purpose.
Many people feel personally dismayed, if not crushed, by Palin’s decision not to seek the Presidency. But we need to be reminded of the words of St. Paul “...we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” And this need not be a statement of mere stoic defiance as quoted in The Battle of Maldon either. St. Paul had his eyes on a higher goal, and so should we.
Let us recall who and what Sarah Palin is, what she represents, and who we are. Many of us have grown increasingly frustrated at the selfish, secular, grasping, manipulative, controlling thing which it seems our government has become; and we are perplexed at the large number of our fellow citizens who seemingly enjoy exerting themselves onto to the extent of complaining or demanding even more benefits at others’ expense. What has happened to the “can-do” American spirit, which conquered the Continent and sent a man to the Moon? Sarah Palin seemed to be a reminder of the hardy pioneer spirit, coming from a state with a true frontier wilderness, Alaska; a reminder of Americans who believed in and practiced self-determination, and said “No!” to an ever-expanding government; a reminder of the best of citizens stepping forward to participate in the government, rather than using government merely as a means to self-enrichment (either as recipients of largesse, or as despots and functionaries).
Why, then, should we be dismayed that she has decided not to seek higher office? We know that our hopes were never merely on her; in fact, our hopes were in our fellow citizens, that they too would catch a glimpse of the vision she raised, and work with her and with us to RESTORE our society and our government to the vision of the founders. One might even say, that by declining to run for President, Sarah Palin has removed herself as a temptation for us to rely on her alone, as too many Americans rely on government alone, to provide their needs.
Let us take a moment, then, to catch our breath; to recall the 2010 elections, where, without a President Palin, and in the face of FAR higher odds (a seemingly annointed, non-scandal-ridden Obama; an all-but-insurmountable deficit in the Senate, and no control of the House of Representatives), WE THE PEOPLE arose and began the work of reclaiming the government as our own.
And then, with that work done, let us proceed, as in the Lord of The Rings, to the Scouring of the Shire.
For SARAH!
(*) It is interesting in this regard, that the memes used by our enemies are but a pale mockery of the true themes of nobility and goodness and love. For President Obama has called for “shared sacrifice” meaning a greater plunder of the successful by himself and his minions; but in the acts of Frodo and of Aragorn we see the true meaning of shared sacrifice, stated in John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”
And who’s to say she doesn’t run in another year?
And who’s to say she doesn’t run in another year?
“Where was Sarah Palin’s Aragon? Where were the legions of brave warriors riding to what appeared to be an inevitable doom to aid her quest. During the days after Tucson, and in every other incident when the MSM and the literati literally went crazy in their loating and vilification of Palin, what did Romney say in her defense. NOTHING. When did Perry speak up for her. NEVER. When Casper Milquetoast Pawlenty was queried about the target map, he mumbled that, well, it wasn’t his style. Oh, you say, I remember Bachmann speaking up for her frequently. YOU REMEMBER WRONG. Cain’s silence was DEAFENING. Don’t remember Gingrich speaking up.”
Best post of the night, spartan. I began to think it was a no-go when the party dowagers signalled “no”.
Very apt and beautifully said.
She quit in Alaska and she quit on us today.
Maybe the elite in Washington were right about her being a quitter and knew they couldn’t trust her.
So much for reloading and all that BS!
Gee, that’s a resounding argument for whoever your candidate is. Believe me, I’m duly impressed.
A shame, really. Your candidate is currently the only one I think comes close to mine. You really do have better arguments to go to than that.
Yeah, I’d like to see you go through what she has... a conspiracy to bankrupt her and her family, being accused of complicity in mass murder in Arizona by the media, having scum like David Letterman make rape jokes about her 13-year-old daughter, having an arson attempt on her church, the deliberate tabloidization of her family by scandal rags, the outlandishly vile smears and lies about her character which were broadcast as truth across the land, endless death-threats, etc., etc.
And worst of all, not even being defending for a single moment by the Republican Party stalwarts (and that’s after working her tush off to get many of them elected!). At least it proved to me what a total scumbag organization the GOP has now become.
Working, I wish. But I see what I see, and yeah, except for the Godfather, it’s looking kind of thin.
Thank you so much for the ping, dear grey_whiskers!
So let me see if I have your logic correct...
She goes through everything you accurately describe for three long years. When other candidates start throwing their hats in the ring, she needs time to decide...I’m fine with that.
But she takes so long, the whole time knowing that nothings changed for her in the previous three years, she calls it quits!
After millions have waited for her and saving their money JUST FOR HER, she quits!
I’m sorry if you cannot understand the irony in all this.
It’s like not ever flying because of being afraid of the crash, and you finally fly for your first time with a bomb on board!
She let us down horribly! Accept that fact, and leave us alone.
I wrote it, and I give you full permission. Just credit / blame “grey_whiskers@freerepublic.com“...
Cheers!
You got it! Thanks!
Precisely!
Very nice and thank you. Having gone down in the chasm myself in battle with the Balrog, when I had cancer, I have a great appreciation for the allegory of he struggle for right in life and death in LOTR. Sarah is a light whose time has yet come. I believe she chose well although I wanted her in now. There is a good advance guard to whittle down the influence of the progressive marxist orcs. He time has yet come to claim the victory to come, when the enslaving ring is melted in the fires of Mordor. Sarah has a key role along the way as bearer.
Randy, she will continue her assault on the establishment, support tea party candidates, and work to rebuild the government framework by supporting common sense conservatives. That is not quitting. That is flanking the general and bolstering the troops from behind.
...and yet they couldn't wait to call her trolling for an endorsement within minutes of her announcement. She said several of the current presidential candidates make those calls...wonder which ones? I'd bet on Bachmann being one of them...
They're all scum...Democrats and Republicans.
very well said all the way around
With all due respect, dude, did you think that maybe she decided that she would best serve the conservative cause as spokeswoman, rather than as President? Also, I believe that her family didn’t want her to run. Should she have disregarded their opinion?
Millions have saved money for the campaign, choose a candidate carefully (I only see one, really, at this point), and donate--or not, as you choose.
But I think it is BS to call her a "quitter" when she never declared. She'll be around, she has drawn fire, kept the press in knots, coaxed some snakes out of the GOP grass, and exposed the lot of the pikers in the Party for what they are. She will remain a force to be reckoned with, just as soon as those who haven't been content to wait and see if whe would declare get over the fact that the only salvation this country will have will not come from one person, but from all of us, working together to restore the Republic.
Roll up your sleeves, FRiend, we all have work to do.
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