This is a story of two governors and two weather-related crises. One promotes big government that failed to work as promised. The other promotes outreach by man to his fellow man and succeeded through setting a personal example. It's also the story of preservation of culture and tradition and challenges you to understand whose role it is to preserve it.

When I heard that Governor Sarah Palin and Lt. Governor Sean Parnell had traveled with an organization called Samaritan's Purse out to Western Alaska on a relief mission, I didn't think much about it. That's just something people do when there is a crisis, right? Well, not always.

In early February, my home state of Kentucky was hit with its worst natural disaster ever recorded. This beastly menace was in the form of an ice storm. Here in Grayson County, our local communities were reportedly hit the hardest and local officials were begging for volunteers to come in from other states. Read a report at Louisville station WAVE-3. God bless them, volunteers responded to the call. It was a frightening experience for many because of the magnitude of the onslaught and because it had come with little warning unlike the several days' warning that hurricane strike zones usually receive.

Kentucky is covered with trees and not one of them wasn't bowed down from the weight of the ice or sliced like a bloomin' onion. Power was out all over the state. For several days there was no television, no video games, no microwaves or refrigeration – so we all learned lessons in the importance of our personal relationships. Even cell phone service was knocked out with the exception of one service. Stores were closed. People had to rely on what they already had in their cabinets. Tap water was unsafe and well pumps were without power so clean water was hard to come by for many. Many people were unable to leave their homes because of the danger of falling limbs or because fallen limbs blocked driveways and roads. Telephone lines were down. Some power poles were snapped like twigs.

Neighborhoods organized crews consisting of the able-bodied to check on other neighbors known not to be able-bodied, some of whom were found in desperate conditions, without power and shivering in frigid temperatures. Imagine, for a moment, regular people helping regular people without the help of “Daddy Government”. As I was reading many days later how the Passionists got through it, I was inspired to comment that it was “a horrifically beautiful experience”. Indeed, it was. Kentuckians managed, with the help of each other and with the help of volunteers who came in from other states, to get through the worst natural disaster we had ever experienced, and it was largely without “Daddy Government's” help. During the height of the time of need the mayor of our county seat had one word for higher officials (e.g., Obama, FEMA and Democratic Governor Beshear). That word was “Disgusted”. It pretty much sums up the way everyone I know felt around here about “Daddy Government”. Thanks, Mayor, for saying that.

Liberals who believe big government should play a primary role in disasters like this were disgusted because there was no response from “Daddy Government” to speak of. Conservatives who believe big government should just stay out of our way were disgusted by the fact that big government officials were claiming credit where none was due. A quote from Governor Beshear from the AP illustrates an unwillingness to admit that a practical test of his ideology ended in total failure:

"We have had tremendous and quick response from President Obama and his administration. I don't think any of our folks that have dealt with disasters before ever recall as quick a response as we got last Wednesday."

Yeah, right. Here's what really happened folks. Is Beshear a poster child for voter registration or what? Excuses abound but the fact is that Kentuckians weathered it without President Obama and, largely, even without Governor Beshear. [Note to Michelle Malkin: God bless you and other conservative bloggers for using your gift to perform a needed service. With power out and with cell services down, it was difficult to receive and send any information. You did the right thing. You promoted ground level volunteerism through your blog and I applaud you for that important outreach.]

I'm not going to criticize our “big government” liberal officials for anything but hypocrisy. Sadly, many people across the state died, but we got through it.........together.........and, to be sure, with a lot of help from folks coming in from neighboring states. My own family evacuated to Nashville and everywhere we went, we were greeted with compassion from citizens. (God bless Tennessee, the Volunteer State!) I remember reading a comment by a resident from tiny Rabbit Flat, Kentucky, on the website of a Louisville news station wherein she pleaded for the government to just stay away because local residents in her community were all helping each other and everyone had been accounted for. Not everyone felt “Daddy Government” should stay away but this is a heavily Republican county in a red state and most people did express the same sentiment as that resident from Rabbit Flat. The overwhelming emotion was disgust in the face of “Daddy Government's” hypocrisy in saying he had fulfilled his promise. Kentuckians on the ground knew better.

Now let's switch gears and talk about another governor dealing with harsh weather conditions. As I've noted, when I read the reports about Governor Palin and Lt. Governor Sean Parnell going out to the Russian Mission area of Alaska to deliver supplies to residents who were suffering due to harsh conditions, I promise you, I really didn't spend more than a few seconds thinking about it. I didn't think, “Oh, well, that's what governors do.” Believe me when I say that I thought to myself, “that's what Christians and all people of good will do.” I never imagined that anyone would respond to this mission of mercy on the part of a group of Christians and other people of good will with complaints that she showed a “lack” of compassion! That sure is some funny Kool-Aid you liberals are drinking these days. One person commented that this demonstrates that Sarah Palin has an inability to show empathy unlike Obama “who has the ability to empathize with people”. Huh????

The weird thing, though, is that absurd accusations have a way of grabbing my attention. Simply because they are absurd, they automatically make me think that there must be something to the story that I'm not getting! Absurdity doesn't compute with me and I have this strange desire to investigate absurdity because nonsense gets under my skin. It's just the way I am. I was compelled, therefore, to investigate further. My investigation of this absurdity found me looking into the accusations for clues regarding where these folks might be getting this anger.

The complaints center around the plight of Natives in rural areas. Without going into details, let me just say that for personal reasons (and even theological ones) I have a soft spot in my heart for people who want to preserve tradition. When I read various complaints by liberals accusing Governor Palin as if she is responsible for the suppression of culture in rural villages, I had to notice and I had to investigate further. Their argument seems to be (and I invite them to provide me with more information if they think I am lacking it) that people shouldn't have to leave their rural villages for jobs. When the young people get older, it is said, they must move away for jobs and the preservation of culture suffers. It is, indeed, a sad reality for many.

In shame I admit that I nearly bought the notion that somehow Governor Palin might not be responding adequately to the sufferings of those who want to preserve their traditional culture. I was actually worried about these people and thinking that maybe the liberals could be right that Governor Palin isn't that concerned about Native Alaskans. Thanks be to God that there is no such thing as “Sarah Palin Kool-Aid”. Also, I would be a pretty sorry Christian if I drank any political Kool-Aid, so I set my feet on the path to wisdom to investigate the claim. Just as I did on the predator control issue, I set out to find out what the heck is going on up there!

I contacted two individuals who work for separate Native organizations so that I could understand more about Native Alaskans. As I write, I have heard back from one of them, Vicki Otte who is Coordinator of Get Out the Native Vote in Alaska. You MUST see that website. Doesn't it really grab you?

I had not actually seen the website when I contacted her. I had found her through the national site at this link. Basically, I asked Vicki if she could please answer a few questions for me to help me get a feel for what things are like for Native Alaskans. She let me know up front that she is not allowed to express political positions due to the nature of her position in the vote project, so I asked her if she could answer questions about Natives in Alaska without addressing politics. She agreed and she sent me a .pdf file with the very impressive 2008 ANCSA Regional Association Economic Report. (I can't find a link to this report online but will send readers a copy via email upon request.) I found online that Vicki also happens to be the Executive Director of the ANSCA Regional Corporation Presidents and CEOs. (Note: I am not certain if she still holds this position or if she is a former executive director.) You can find some background information about her in the program of The 2006 Alaska Conference.

With the arrival in my email box of the economic report, my feet were indeed set on the path of wisdom about the economic status of Alaska Natives. There is information about the ANSCA at Wikipedia, but basically, it is an association of Native Alaskans from various regions in Alaska. I believe there is also an association for Native Alaskans who don't actually reside in the state. This organization came about with the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. After reading this information and seeing the Get Out the Native Vote site, my view of Native Alaskans has been completely changed from thinking they were all suffering in poverty in remote areas to knowing that, hey, a program exists that is meant to ensure that they prosper as a people. If this economic report is any indication of Native economic prosperity in the macro, these are a thriving people. My research into the preservation of Native culture also showed that, again, these are a thriving people. I don't for a second pretend to believe that all Alaska Natives are rich or that all Native Alaskans are sufficiently able to preserve their traditional culture. What I do have is evidence that on the large scale, economic prosperity and preservation of traditional culture isn't a problem. Please, correct me if I am wrong about this, readers.

As a faithful Catholic mother of four with friends who are parents and share my Faith, I understand on a personal level that there are problems with young people these days. I see teenagers who, sadly, don't share my great love for Sacred Christian Tradition and the culture that I have come to love. (See my website for Catholic parents who want their children to share their Traditional Faith. Yes, I'm pretty serious about preserving my Catholic culture. See my site review at Catholic Culture which is my favorite site online, hands down.) Liberals, of course, who proudly profess their sacred belief in cultural relativism will quickly note that Catholic culture is sub-standard. Hypocrisy abounds and hypocrisy is something that really offends me. If I were a hypocrite myself, I would demand that government step in to promote my sacred traditional culture...........but, friends, it is not government's job to preserve the Sacred Christian Tradition and culture in my family. It's my job.

The charge from liberals is that economic prosperity must come to local villages so that young people won't be forced to travel far to where the jobs are. I have found, though, that many Alaskans in rural areas have work schedules that make it possible for them to continue to be active in their local communities and participate in the traditional culture. Governor Palin has expressed what I view to be a common sense dislike for having to hire out-of-state workers to fill jobs when Alaskans in rural areas are crying out for jobs to be brought there for the SOLE REASON of preservation of culture. Upon my coming to an understanding of all of these things, I was faced once again with the realization that the leftist bloggers have been engaging in absurdities.

When you are a Christian (and Sarah Palin is a Christian, plain and simple), you can't do truly good things without getting hammered by people who hate Christianity and see themselves as the saviors of the world. And do you know why that's so? It's because Christianity itself is absurd to them. If only the liberal, cultural relativists and the haters of personal responsibility and good character would take the time to investigate what they see as an absurdity, they might be freed from their bitterness! Unfortunately, I think they are actually enjoying the attack mode too much. Since many of them are relativists who believe there can be no truth (except, of course, the "truth" that Christian culture is sub-standard), it is understandable that they would resolve within themselves that there's no sense looking for it. We can pray for them.

So, now what? What do I think of what is going on in Alaska with Sarah Palin and the Native community? I think that together they can handle it. In fact, when I watched this video of Governor Palin addressing the Alaska Native Village CEOs, I realized that, once again, this woman has proven that she knows what the heck she is doing!!!

I am certainly willing to discuss with anyone any disagreements they may have with me on this and I am prepared to hear new information that could make me think differently, but at this point, here is what I think. Like the predator control issue, Governor Palin and the people of Alaska have a pretty good handle on this issue.

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