Though Todd Palin is not this year's Iron Dog Champion, he is a champion of adapting, improvising, and overcoming. The anti-Palin press of course spun his second place arrival as a "loss." In the Iron Dog, winners come in first to fifth place with first place being the year's champion.

The Iron Dog is one of the toughest sports in the world. Merely completing it is a major accomplishment. This year, 30 teams of two competed. Only 12 teams made it to the finish line, meaning nearly two thirds were scratched. The snowmachiners race at speeds reaching or exceeding 80 mph in temperatures that drop to -70 Fahrenheit, often in white-out blizzard conditions.

Major injuries are a common occurrence, and Todd has broken at least one of his arms in a prior race. Last year, Palin's partner Scott Davis sustained an injury resulting in them being being scratched. But, Todd Palin is a four-time champion and has the experience of 21 races. Most of the mainstream press misreported the number of championship wins as being three.

Field-Repaired Snow Machine - Photo Courtesy of: Austin Johnson, Iron Dog on Facebook

Todd Palin and Eric Quam had been in first place and about 30 miles from the finish line, when Todd hit some object with the left ski of his snow machine, which subsequently departed the vehicle. Todd jury-rigged the ski back to the machine with bungee cords. The picture shows the damage sustained to the shocks and suspension. Notice too how the ski is not flat on the ground, but cocked at an angle. Even with this setback, and now in the position of "test pilot," Todd came in second by only 6:51. To insinuate that he is somehow a "loser" is the nadir of journalistic absurdity.

Providentially, Todd may have predicted this as Gov. Palin describes in Going Rogue, p. 187:

"I really want to run the Iron Dog," I cockily told Todd one night as he settled down for a few hours' rest between 120-mph training rides by himself in the middle of the night.

"Can you wrench your own machine"? he asked.

"Nope."

"Can you get the back end of a six-hundred-pound machine unstuck by yourself with open water up to your thighs, then change out an engine at forty below in the pitch black on a frozen river and replace thrashed shocks and jury-rig a suspension using tree limbs along the trail?"

Gov. Palin went on to describe 100-mph night runs as Iron Doggers avoid chunks of ice and wildlife. The Palins have lost friends who died in avalanches breaking trails for the racers.

Celebration Photo Courtesy of: Tim Akimoff/KTUU.com. Sarah Palin and other friends and family members of Todd Palin and Eric Quam cheer as the racers cross the finish line in the 2011 Iron Dog snowmachine race.

Checkered Flag Photo Courtesy of: Tim Akimoff/KTUU.com. Piper Palin prepares to wave the checkered flag for her dad, Todd Palin, who finished second in the Iron Dog snowmachine race with teammate Eric Quam.

H/T Tracey Porreca for story lead

Contributing Authors: Stacy Drake and Ron Devito

MSNBC's Chris Matthews, who is world renowned for having Obama-induced tingles running up his legs yesterday aired as an "upper" and "comedy" an alleged "satire" video, which was a sexist and misogynist attack on Governor Palin and her family, Real Clear Politics (RCP) reported. The "Funny or Die" video contained in the RCP article is a sanitized version. The video casts Gov. Palin as a dim-witted, narcissistic bimbo who undergoes a 30-day-long mental breakdown as Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank's "Ignore Sarah Palin Month" goes into full effect. The sanitized video includes footage of the caricature giving an interview to an empty chair on Day 9 stating that Trig is not her child. The video culminates with the caricature not knowing that February only has 28 days. In reality, "Ignore Sarah Palin Month" did not even last one day, as reported by Adrienne Ross.

Following is a summary of what was in the un-cut video:

- Day 5: A panicked "Palin" offering to talk to Katie Couric about porn
- Day 6: "Palin" saying, "Levi Johnston, I [had sex with] him."
- Days 12 and Day 15: "Palin" with what appears to be a speared baby talking about a "blood libel"
- Day 19: Asking Rush Limbaugh for painkillers and claiming she "can see Russia from her vagina"
- Day 25: Licking on a deer antler - suggestive of oral sex.

Matthews - who RCP wrote has a long misogynistic history with women from both the left and right - lauded the video's creators as "comedic geniuses."

Call to Action

We are urging all supporters of Gov. Palin to stand up against this misogynist attack. Recall the success in 2009, when four advertisers pulled out of David Letterman's show in the wake of a scheduled rally to have him fired over "jokes" he made about Gov. Palin and her daughter Willow.

Express your outrage by contacting NBC:

NBC
30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112
Phone: (212) 664-4444
Fax: (212) 664-4426

Contact the advertisers and urge them to not sponsor Matthews' misogynist antics.

List Courtesy of: Virginia Right (Ed. Note: List is dated June 17, 2010 and may have changed since then)

Advil LiquiGels
AllState Car Insurance
Ancestry.com
BMW
Boniva
Charles Schwab
Cool Whip
DirecTV
GE
Gillette Fusion ProGlide
Hartford Insurance AARP Ins Program
Intel
Kraft Mayo
LensCrafters
Merit Financial
Neutrogena
Nissan
Philips Norelco
Porche
Scotch Blue tape
Starbucks Via Ready-Brew
Superior Gold Group
Tide
Universal Theme Parks

Join the Facebook Group: Fire Chris Matthews Now

Iron Dog racers Todd Palin and Eric Quam came in second behind Team 10, Tyler Huntington and Chris Olds. Palin and Quam left their final checkpoint in first place, but fell to second, possibly due to a rumored crash.

About 30 minutes prior to Team 10's arrival, Governor Palin explains how safety is first in Iron Dog races and how the racers respect Mother Nature...

"I love competition," Gov. Palin said.

Frame grabs taken from KTUU live stream of the Iron Dog.

Iron Dog Finish Line Going Up. Photo Courtesy of: Iron Dog on Facebook.

Ed. Note: The Iron Dog Website is not updating properly. Revised data from Iron Dog on Facebook

Team 11 2nd to Last to fuel, ready for 5pm start, Unk South. Photo courtesy of: Sam Sr. Towarak, Iron Dog on Facebook

Iron Dog Team 11, Todd Palin and Eric Quam have moved up to first place place, and are now headed to Nenana, Alaska at over 77 mph. A bad storm resulted in the entire race being delayed. Four more teams have been scratched since our prior coverage, leaving 13 teams out of the original 30 in the running.

Governor Palin is following her husband to Fairbanks, Alaska as the race hurtles towards its conclusion.

Sarah Palin patiently awaiting Todd's arrival. :8^) Photo Courtesy of: Donna Golden Lestenkof, Iron Dog on Facebook

Sarah Palin mingles with the crowd before going to watch Todd take off! :8^) Photo Courtesy of: Donna Golden Lestenkof, Iron Dog on Facebook.

Four-time Iron Dog Champion Todd Palin and Eric Quam are bracketing between first and third places as they leave Nome, the halfway point in the 2,028 mile race. Out of 30 teams, 17 remain in the race with 13 scratches - three of those before the race even began.

Photo Courtesy of courtesy of Rick Small of Anchorage, Alaska

Photo by Tim Akimoff - KTUU / February 23, 2011. [Gov.] Sarah Palin showed up in Nome, Alaska to cheer for husband Todd Palin and his efforts to win a fifth Iron Dog race.

Gov. Palin was in Nome as part of a family tradition to support her husband, KTUU's Tim Akimoff reported overnight. "At the Iron Dog, a race from Anchorage to Fairbanks with a stop in Nome, where average speeds can approach 80 mph on ice-covered rivers in Alaska's remote Interior, spousal support means trekking to Nome for the halfway festivities -- sometimes with snowmachine parts in hand," Akimoff wrote. The Palin family will road trip to Fairbanks, where the race concludes.

"It's their thing...They're in their element out there....[It] takes a different breed of cat to be out there in this...They're out there and it's 70 below sometimes, pitch black and they're on a frozen river fixing a sled...I look at the life lessons in this raceThey will do anything to help each other out, but they have an extremely healthy competition with each other...I think these guys are the toughest men on the planet. Girly men don't ride the Iron Dog," Gov. Palin said.

Within a week following an Iron Dog, racers are planning for the following year's race, Akimoff reported. H/T Samantha Terry Velazquez, Sarah Palin News for KTUU story lead.

Governor Palin will deliver the keynote dinner address titled "My Vision for America" at the India Today Conclave 2011, on March 19, in New Delhi, India Jews4Sarah and Conservatives4Palin both reported today. Gov Palin's first Washington Speakers Bureau speech was delivered in Hong Kong in September 2009. This will be the second major address Gov. Palin will have delivered in Asia.

Following the speech, Gov. Palin will be the Chief Guest at the Conclave's Gala Dinner. Benyamin Korn, Jews4Sarah reported that other speakers in the two-day conference include: "Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, (from Pakistan) author/activist Fatima Bhutto (daughter of recently assassinated prime ministerial aspirant Benazir Bhutto) and the British economic historian Niall Ferguson (author of a two-volume history of the House of Rothschild), who is now residing in the United States and who will speak on ‘The Myth of American Decline.’ " Aroon Purie, editor of India Today is chairing the event.

Governor Palin today posted on Facebook:

It’s a little perplexing looking at the White House today. There was a statement on the horrible earthquake in New Zealand, and certainly our hearts go out to all those affected by this horrible natural disaster. But nothing on the slaughter in Libya? The protests in many places in the Middle East affect regimes that have cooperated with the U.S. on issues from peace with Israel, fighting al Qaeda, hosting our military forces, or cooperating against Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Gaddafi’s Libya is different. For four decades, this tyrant has held power. Gaddafi was Osama before Osama hit the scene. He ordered the bombing of a disco in Germany to kill Americans. When he paid the price for that – after President Reagan rightly ordered retaliation – he directed his agents to blow up Pan Am Flight 103. They did, and more than 250 innocent people died. Gaddafi tried to come in from the cold in 2003 – scared by the demonstration effect of Iraq. But we should have no illusions. Gaddafi is a brutal killer and Libya – not to mention the world – would be better off if he were out of power. Now is the time to speak out. Speak out for the long-suffering Libyan people. Speak out for the victims of Gaddafi’s terror. NATO and our allies should look at establishing a no-fly zone so Libyan air forces cannot continue slaughtering the Libyan people. We should not be afraid of freedom, especially when it comes to people suffering under a brutal enemy of America. Here’s to freedom from Gaddafi for the people of Libya.

- Sarah Palin

Retrieved from: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150096802933435.

Governor Palin today posted on Facebook:

It’s no secret I’m cheering for Team #11 in this year’s Iron Dog race! Todd and his racing partner Eric Quam are doing very well and helping lead the pack as they'll soon be near the 1000-mile half-way point in Nome. They’ve been breaking trail through three feet of new snow! All these athletes are rugged and tough. Please keep all the racers in your prayers.

On a side note, there’s always buzz about fake Sarah Palin Facebook and Twitter accounts. Please know that this is my only authentic Facebook account and SarahPalinUSA is my only authentic Twitter account. Pay no attention to the fake accounts and their fake messages.

- Sarah Palin

Retrieved from: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150096693363435.

In the Human Events exclusive Sarah Palin Makes a Splash on Long Island, Manhattan-based conservative columnist Jedediah Bila provides a comprehensive first-hand account of Governor Palin's speech delivered to the Long Island Association (LIA) last Thursday. Bila wrote:

"She was relaxed, but spunky. She was real. She was armed with stats. She was unapologetic about her convictions. She was tough on President Obama’s agenda. She was fed up with the status quo. She was “sick and tired of the games that are being played in Washington, D.C., because we’re talking about our money, we’re talking about our kids’ future, we’re talking about our republic and the solvency of our republic.” She was willing to laugh at herself. She was confident about her experience.

And yes—she was wearing leopard heels."

During the 63-minute question and answer session Gov. Palin addressed "gun control, energy independence, health care, entitlements, Obama’s budget, the debt ceiling, the Tea Party, protests in Egypt," and whether she would run for President in 2012. In concluding her coverage, Bila wrote about the qualities that make Gov. Palin shine as a 2012 Presidential hopeful. Gov. Palin's charm originates with her self-confidence. She has encyclopedic knowledge, and does not need a teleprompter or scripts. Gov. Palin has a delightful sense of humor, is a straight talker, and will answer the hard questions head on. People love her forthrightness.

Bila was present along with US for Palin author Lori Calabrese and publisher, Ron Devito, both of whom provided multiple accounts, photo and video spreads of the event. US for Palin coverage of this event is listed below and archived in the Master List of Governor Palin’s 2011 Accomplishments, and Gov. Palin Experiences.

Gov. Palin Predicts Media Boobery on Breastfeeding - Ron Devito addresses media coverage of and memes related to Gov. Palin's breastfeeding joke.

Gov. Palin’s Reagan Conservatism, Long Island Style – A collaborative piece by Lori Calabrese and Ron Devito including complete video of the event provided by PalinTV, and photo spreads by Calabrese and Devito

Long Island gets personal with Palin - Lori Calabrese develops the story and provides her first-person account of the event.

Gov. Palin Brings Reagan Conservatism to Long Island - Ron Devito breaks the story to the Palin blogosphere and provides a nine-picture photo spread.

Todd Palin and Eric Quam constitute Team 11, starting position three in the 2,000-mile Iron Dog race. The husband of Gov. Palin, Todd is a four-time champion in the dangerous snowmachine race.

Governor Palin must have been using reverse psychology when she asked that her joke about Michelle Obama promoting breastfeeding because of skyrocketing milk prices not be the "main takeaway" from the event. As I sat in the media room and wrote my original story, the room was abuzz with precisely that. It was the sound bite the press were so desperately seeking. Gov. Palin dropped a bucket of chum from the stern of the LIA boat, and the fish came in schools. Of course, the press - especially radio and TV - always wants new sound bites. They live for it. Many reporters don't like covering Gov. Palin's speeches, because she is consistent with what she says and is always on message, so their desperation for a quotable quote grows even stronger. It's interesting what you hear sitting in a press room.

In the days that followed, Gov. Palin's joke has spun off three memes. The first BS meme is that she has changed her position on breastfeeding; the second is that she was attacking Michelle Obama; and the third that she somehow does not know that babies cannot drink cow's milk.

Let's address the second one first. Gov. Palin was using humor. This was not an attack on Michelle Obama. In fact, breastfeeding is probably the one subject the two women agree upon! In October 2008, Gov. Palin issued a beautiful proclamation declaring October as "Breastfeeding Awareness Month," in which she wrote:

WHEREAS, breastfeeding is recognized as an unequalled means of providing food for infants.

WHEREAS, breastfeeding forms the most basic bond between mother and baby and is a foundation for lifelong health and wellness.

WHEREAS, breastfeeding can offer children protection against serious health conditions throughout their lives, including obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. Breastfeeding also saves lives by reducing the incidence of life-threatening cancers in women and preventing premature death in infants.

Gov. Palin didn't just write these words. The Mama Grizzly lived them. In Going Rogue, she writes about nursing her daughter Willow, who she carried in a Snugli while cutting an audio advertisement for a radio station. Here is what then Wasilla City Councilwoman Palin said, on Page 67 of Going Rogue:

While I served on the council a local politician asked me to cut a radio ad for his campaign. I liked his conservative message and said I'd help. Into the KMBQ radio studio, I bought my hungry, grumpy baby in a Snugli, and the only way to calm Willow was to inconspicuously nurse her while we rolled tape. I acted like I didn't see the shocked look on the politician's face as he turned red and pretended it didn't bother him at all.

Gov. Palin performed this most beautiful act of a mother's act of love in a man's world, while recording audio and never missing a beat. For this reason, the North Star Group since its establishment has been pleased to sell Snugli and baby feeding products.

Gov. Palin has not changed her position on breastfeeding - or any other other issue.

Having brought five children into this world, Gov. Palin knows very well that a baby cannot be fed cow's milk. Her very act of motherhood destroys this BS meme. For those who elect to use baby formula, its prices have skyrocketed along with all other food products. The joke was apropos.

Gov. Palin used humor to help people understand an otherwise dry and boring subject. Her audience loved it and laughed for several seconds. They got it. But, the boobs who covered the joke tried to turn her sweet milk into poison.

Gov. Palin has also been giving Bristol some "flight instruction" in assigning her research work. Bristol's time to fly solo will come and she'll smash a few glass ceilings of her own with a sonic boom...

A Photo and Video Journey

Contributing Authors: Lori Calabrese and Ron Devito
Video provided by: PalinTV

Lori Calabrese Friday developed and rounded out coverage of Gov. Palin's Long Island Association speech in Long Island gets personal with Palin. Her photo spread which ran at Examiner.com in slide show format is reproduced here. Her picture journey begins with three establishing shots and concludes with three photos of the speech from her position perpendicular to Gov. Palin.

Establishing Shots by Lori Calabrese

Event Announcement in Crest Hollow Country Club Lobby

Place settings at the tables

The Dais and Ballroom tables as seen pre-event.

Gov. Palin Begins Q&A Session by Lori Calabrese

Additional Photos of Gov. Palin Speaking by Ron Devito

Ron Devito broke the story about Gov. Palin's speech at the Long Island Association to the Palin blogosphere with Gov. Palin Brings Reagan Conservatism to Long Island, which included a nine-picture photo spread. Devito took 620 photos of Gov. Palin speaking, representing an average of 10 pictures per minute using manual settings. Seven more dynamic photos of Gov. Palin's speech constitute this bonus photo spread.

Governor Palin today posted on Facebook:

The union-led school closures and demonstrations in Madison have left most ordinary Americans shaking their heads in disbelief. Months ago, I penned a message to my fellow union brothers and sisters when I found myself on the receiving end of union boss Richard Trumka’s wrath. Yesterday’s demonstrations reminded me of the full-page ads taken out against me when I put my foot down in dealing with union demands while I served as governor. My message then and now to good union brothers and sisters is that you have another option. You don’t have to kowtow to the union bosses who are not looking out for you, but instead are using you. You can join millions of other union members in a commonsense movement to help fight for the right causes in our great country – for budgets that share the burden in a truly fair way and for commonsense reforms that take power away from vested interests like union bosses and big business lobby groups, and put it back where it belongs – with “We the People.”

Here we are still struggling to get out of a deep recession and coping with high unemployment, record deficits, rapidly rising food prices, and a host of other economic problems; and Wisconsin union bosses want union members out in the streets demanding that taxpayers foot the bill for unsustainable benefits packages. I am a friend to hard working union members and to teachers. I come from a family of teachers; my grandparents, parents, brother, sister, aunt, and other relatives worked, or still work, in education. My own children attend public schools. I greatly admire good teachers and will always speak up in defense of the teaching profession. But Wisconsin teacher unions do themselves no favor by closing down classrooms and abandoning children’s needs in protest against the sort of belt-tightening that people everywhere are going through. Union brothers and sisters: this is the wrong fight at the wrong time. Solidarity doesn’t mean making Wisconsin taxpayers pay for benefits that are not sustainable and affordable at a time when many of these taxpayers struggle to hold on to their own jobs and homes. Real solidarity means everyone being willing to sacrifice and carry our share of the burden. It does no one any favors to dismiss the sacrifices others have already had to make—in wage cuts, unpaid vacations, and even job losses—to weather our economic storm.

Hard working, patriot, and selfless union brothers and sisters: please don’t be taken in by the union bosses. At the end of day, they’re not fighting for your pension or health care plan or even for the sustainability of Wisconsin’s education budget. They’re fighting to protect their own powerful privileges and their own political clout. The agenda for too many union bosses is a big government agenda that only serves the union bosses themselves – not union members, not union families, and certainly not the larger community. Everybody else is just there to foot the bill; and if that bill eventually takes the form of thousands of teachers and other public sectors workers losing their jobs because the state of Wisconsin can no longer afford to keep them on the payroll, that’s a risk the union bosses are willing to take as long as their positions are secure. Union brothers and sisters: you are better than this and you deserve better. Don’t be lead astray.

One final word of warning to my fellow Americans: back in 2009, I warned about what would happen if states accepted short-term unsustainable debt-ridden “Stimulus Package” funds. Accepting those funds allowed states to grow government, increase already unsustainable levels of spending, kick the can down the road on reforming entitlements, and create public expectations that they would continue financing these new mandates once the federal funds ran out. States were not in a position to grow government and take on new financial commitments then, and now the chickens have come home to roost. As goes Wisconsin today, so goes the country tomorrow.

- Sarah Palin

Retrieved from: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150093967618435.

Captivates and Excites Audience of Over 1,000

The Obama administration is spending our country to ruin Gov. Palin said during her question and answer session held at the Long Island Association's (LIA) Annual Luncheon in which over 1,000 participants gathered to hear her Reagan Conservative message. During the session which lasted approximately one hour and three minutes, Gov. Palin delineated her positions on several key issues with Kevin S. Law, President, LIA who interviewed her for the session.

Gov. Palin said our country needs to learn to spend within its means. She held up a 1964 issue of Reader's Digest which advised people of the era to spend five cents on a postage stamp and tell their representatives that if they couldn't do this, they were fired. She joked that Michelle Obama promotes breastfeeding likely because milk is becoming prohibitively expensive. Gov. Palin provided the audience with sobering statistics on the rise of various commodity prices.

When questioned about how we should proceed with energy production following the BP disaster, Gov. Palin said that the motto should remain "Drill Baby Drill." She said we should emphasize near-shore drilling and also shale deposits. She said that continuing to rely on foreign countries - many of whom don't like us - is a national security risk.

On gun control, Gov. Palin said that while she supports laws currently on the books, she does not believe there should be additional legislation. Criminals are not going to get a law book and read about what capacity magazines are legal. She said that criminals are the ones who should be punished, not law abiding citizens.

When asked about the Tea Party and whether it would be a strong force moving forward, Gov. Palin said yes and added that the Tea Party includes Democrats, Republicans and Independents. She stated that her husband, Todd is an independent who prefers not to be involved in any party machine.

Law asked Gov. Palin what her thoughts were on questions related to Obama's birth certificate and his faith. She said that those issues are distractions. She does not question his legitimacy and does not care what religion he practices. Gov. Palin said, that Obama's policies are what she finds troublesome.

On health care, Gov. Palin reiterated her message that ObamaCare needs to be repealed entirely and the issue approached from a fresh start. She emphasized that the ability to purchase insurance across state lines and tort reform should be part of new reforms.

When asked if she is going to run for President in 2012, Gov. Palin said she is still considering it. When Law asked her what qualities she would seek in a candidate, she said "women manage things better than men, so a woman - a mom." She said executive experience would help - "like being a mayor, sitting on an oil and gas commission, and being a governor."

Law asked Gov. Palin why she hired a chief of staff. She said she did so to relieve her husband from having to perform many of the duties.

Gov. Palin said that one way to learn about people is through how they play. She routinely invites people to Alaska to snow machine. Those who can handle adverse conditions without whining earn her respect. Bristol Palin was present at today's gathering as Gov. Palin's silent partner. Bristol did not entertain media questions. Governor Palin and Bristol Palin will be returning to Alaska for the Iron Dog this Sunday, February 20. Todd Palin and Eric Quam constitute Team 11, starting position three in the 2,000-mile race.

All photos copyright Ron Devito, US for Palin.

?

Governor Palin today posted on Facebook:

Today the White House finally produced its proposal for the 2012 budget. Beware of the left’s attempt to sell this as “getting tough on the deficit,” because as an analysis from Americans for Tax Reform shows, the White House’s plans are more about raising taxes and growing more government than reducing budget shortfalls.

The fine print reveals a White House proposal to increase taxes by at least $1.5 trillion over the next decade. If you want to know how minuscule their proposed $775 million-a-year budget “cuts” really are, please look at this chart. The proposed cuts are so insignificant – less than 1/10 of 1% of this year’s $1.65 trillion budget deficit – that they are essentially invisible on the pie chart. That speaks volumes about today’s budget.

- Sarah Palin

UPDATE: As J.D. Foster of the Heritage Foundation points out: “...the President proposes a budget that keeps the federal government on a thoroughly irresponsible and unsustainable course.” Please read the Heritage Foundation article and understand the $775 million in proposed cuts noted above are what the White House’s budget director Jacob Lew identified as reflecting what they perceive as some “tough calls.” Yet, as noted, they are a drop in the bucket; and the White House’s total proposed cuts for this year are still not at all enough to make us solvent.

Retrieved from: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150091193588435.