Sarah Palin and the "spark of the frontier"

Mona Charen wrote this today on the National Review message board about Sarah Palin


But she is also the opposite of the America Obama sketched last night. He wants us all to think of ourselves as broken, beaten, and in need of government help. He caricatures the conservative message as "You're on your own." Palin, of Alaska, still carries the spark of the frontier, the independence, and the spunk.

That sums up what I see as the "2 Americas." There are people who need help, and we should help them But the rest of us need to get off our tails and revive the "spark of the frontier."

We are studying 1730 - 1850 this year. I cannot wait to delve into all the great American stories with my children. I want to emphasise the American can-do spirit, pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. Yes, people in our country have done wrong, but that should not be the basis for an american history course. I want to emphasise the good, and the people and stories who exemplify the true American Spirit. I want my daughters to be compassionate women; I want them to see public service as their Christian duty. I also want them to have "the spark of the frontier, the independence, and the spunk."