Sarah Palin Picks Christian Journalist to Collaborate on Memoir

There are some issues I agree strongly with Sarah Palin on, abortion, the need for a strong defense, and drilling our own oil, etc.

On the other hand, I seriously question the political judgment of any leading candidate, which she is by virtue of her role in last years election, who signs as her "co-author" Lynn Vincent, who performed a similar role for the very controversial retired General "Jerry" Boykin.

General Boykin reminds me of Generals Douglas MacArthur and John Singlaub. Both of them (deservedly) lost their careers in Korea after questioning their Commander in Chiefs, Harry Truman and Jimmy Carter, respectively. Now, a partisan Republican might instinctively say, "Well, they had better military sense than their presidents, etc."

Had they? Since when is it proper for any lower officer, no matter how popular with the press or his/her troops to openly challenge the chain of command at the top, be it within any of the branches or in the case of MacArthur and Singlaub, the President himself? MacArthur wasn't the first egotistical General Mac to pull this. Let's not forget what General George McClellan did to Lincoln during the Civil War.

I've already written about Boykin in my blog, The Absurdistan Post, http://theabsurdistanpost.blogspot.com/2009/05/obamas-correct-to-keep-lid-on-torture.html

My loyalties follow in this order, God, Catholic Church, Country, my wife and family.

My Church teaches to respect the authorities, in other words, to salute the office, notwithstanding what I feel towards that office holder or his/her policies. We do not live in a country so separated from the rule of law. (If Palin was elected, I'd have to recognize her authority, but I'd fight like hell to get her out of office just as I want Obama out now for opposite reasons on many issues. They both concern me greatly.)

We live in a nation that does the best job of protecting freedom of religion than simply because it has a strong secular government. Our Fathers created a secularist constitution to prevent the new nation from repeating the same internecine warfare between the myriad of [Protestant] denominations which were splitting off from one another, each claiming to be God's truest expression of the Church. A threat of a Catholic takeover was simply laughable. But the prospect of any civil wars between the truest bluest Protestant rivals was taken as seriously a threat as any form of religious extremism today.

To wit, the most dangerous threat coming from religious extremism during the Republic's earliest years came from fire-eating fanatics like John Brown.

I want to keep religion in the public marketplace of ideas. But a sure way to increase the rigor and enthusiasm of its biggest enemies is to allow the Boykins and his kind get a foothold in any government.

Apparently, Palin doesn't mind having Lynn Vincent and Jerry Boykin as her fellow travellers. Well I do, and I hope to God many other freedom-loving Americans will too

Steven Barrett of MA 4:52PM May 26, 2009