-- Governor Palin did not sign Alaska's SB 202 to prohibit state funding and implementation of the federal Real ID Act. The bill was allowed to become law (without Palin's signature) and went into effect 8/26/06.
-- As a candidate for governor, Palin's response to the question "What role does state government have, if any, in addressing global warming and climate change?" was: "We need to analyze the potential economic costs, needs and opportunities associated with climate change. Let's be cautious in how we react - to make sure we don't overreact. The Alaska Climate Impact Assessment Commission is supposed to assess the situation and issue a report on March 1, 2007. This is a good start." (Anchorage Daily News, 10/22/06)
-- "On September 14, 2007, Governor Sarah Palin signed Administrative Order No. 238, officially forming the Alaska Climate Change Sub-Cabinet. The Sub-Cabinet is charged with preparing and implementing an Alaska Climate Change Strategy. This will be a transparent document which deals with state policies for anticipated climate change. ..." (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
-- As Alaska's Governor, Palin is a delegate to PNWER (Pacific NorthWest Economic Region). PNWER is a public-private partnership including elected officials and private sector representatives from Alaska, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana, and Canada (Alberta, Yukon, British Columbia) "PNWER is an international collaboration on economic structures" (AK Rep. Coghill). Among it's many areas of focus, PNWER works to "advance CANAMEX" -- a "seamless" continental intermodal trade and transportation corridor (a main artery in what has been referred to in the past as the NAFTA Superhighway system).
PNWER is also involved with the WA-BC Enhanced Driver's License for Washington State and British Columbia. The license "will be accepted by Department of Homeland Security at any land or sea port in North America including Mexico." (NOTE: Enhanced/Secure Driver's License initiatives and REAL ID are basically the same: a national ID with the holder's information (including biometric) in an international data information-sharing system).
-- Gov. Palin signed two state proclamations that support U.N. agendas: Alaska Model United Nation Days and Environmental Education Week (a lead-in to the U.N.'s "Earth Day.") (NOTE: If you don't understand the implications, please take the time to find out how U.N. agendas are negatively impacting the United States and other nations).
--- In Sarah Palin's "Education in Alaska" (pdf attached), she proposes what are essentially the SAME OLD reforms that have existed in federal law -- e.g., "Goals 2000," "School-to-Work," "Improving America's Schools,""No Child Left Behind," "Workforce Investment Act," etc. -- that have led to declining academic quality in U.S. public education. (NOTE: Read Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt's book "the deliberate dumbing down of america . . . A Chronological Paper Trail" if you want to learn about what has been taking place with the U.S. educational system. Download free pdf of Charlotte's book -- go to: http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com
-- Palin as Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska: According to Michael Rollins (The Oregonian, 9/5/08): "Most of Palin's terms consisted of fairly routine, small-scale projects for public works improvements with one notable exception, a $15 million multi-sports complex. Citizens must have wanted it bad. The net bonded indebtedness of $926 per citizen jumped to $3,381. The March 2002 vote to raise the sales tax .5 percent to 2.5 percent to pay for the complex had a 12.4 percent turnout. Of 4,231 registered voters, 306 voted yes and 287 voted no. Palin's hometown paper the Frontiersman ...[published a] story on an eminent domain problem that has stretched into this year."
(NOTE: Eminent domain was used to seize the private land chosen for the sports complex. Construction began before all the legal issues were finalized over the property title. Bottom line: "years of litigation and at least $1.3 million in extra costs for a small municipality with a small budget." (Wall St. Journal, 9/6/08)
-- Did not find verification of Palin's NRA membership or when she joined. To date, NRA has not come out with an endorsement for Palin. [9/9/08 UPDATE: Someone has alerted me to a NRA-ILA article that states Palin "is a NRA Life Member" . Still haven't located info about when she joined.]
-- Palin is a member of Feminist for Life (FFL). Length and degree of Palin's involvement: ?. Outside of Palin's connection, the history of this pro-life feminist group makes for interesting, reading, Snipits: FFL was founded in 1972 (Ohio) by two former NOW members who felt "abortion violated feminist principles" FFL actively pushed for E.R.A. ratification; the international body has consultative status with the U.N. Economic and Social Council and supports the U.N. Millennium Development goals; FFL of New Zealand split away (with a name change) from the FFL of America as consequence of the New Zealand group changing "from a secular liberal organization to a Christian conservative organization, reflecting the changing views of its founder Connie Purdue (1912-2000). It now focuses solely on fetal life, in contrast to FFL's pro-woman, pro-life approach." (FFL History)
-- Governor Palin is a member of the National Governors Association (NGA). She chairs the NGA's Natural Resources Committee. (NOTE: The NGA's policy positions -- on education, health, workforce, environment, security, etc -- are similar to congressionally legislated initiatives as well as recommendations from appointed members of commissions and task forces.)
There is a lot more.
My conclusion about Sarah Palin and her policies is that she is not so different from many elected and appointed U.S. leaders who are leading us down the wrong path.
I close with these thoughts by Bob Harris:
"We have to stop believing stuff just because we like the way believing stuff makes us feel. Feelings are not truth. [...] Our future is fragile. ...So asking questions -- especially uncomfortable ones -- is part of our healthy process of figuring out how to react. Gaining information so you can make informed decisions is a patriotic act. ... Knowledge is power. Ignorance is not a virtue. [...] Our ability to discuss and dissent and grow from the exchange is precisely what makes America a free country worth protecting." ("America's war on terrorism: How we got in this mess, how we can get out," Cleveland Free Times, 10/24-30/2001)