My good friend, Eddie Burke, was one of those lucky enough to attend the Glenn Beck/Sarah Palin event in Anchorage, Alaska, this past Saturday night. Eddie has been nice enough to write an account of his experience that you will only see here at Conservative Girl with a Voice! I hope you enjoy his account as much as I did!!!
When the news surfaced that Glenn Beck would be coming to Anchorage, I didn’t know if I was going to attend. I was running for Lt. Governor of Alaska and obviously that was consuming much of my time and priorities.
Right away, a good friend of mine asked me to be his guest and to attend the show with him. “Are you kidding me, I said. Heck yes, I will!” Mike had acquired tickets and backstage passes the moment they came up for sale. Thanks Mike!
We all gathered at a local club before the event to talk politics, our views on the country and, of course, the biggest political story in Alaska: How Tea Party favorite, Joe Miller beat Senator Lisa Murkowski. (Just to make it simple and to the point, the reason Senator Lisa Murkowski lost is because she is pro-choice. She rejected Prop 2, a ballot measure that required a parent to be notified if his/her minor daughter was about to receive an abortion- not permission, but just notification.)
BACK TO GLENN AND OUR BIG NIGHT OUT:
When the event was finally about to begin, security was tight and the crowd was eager for the show. It was not long before Sarah Palin entered, wearing a black business suit, her hair mostly down, which seems how she is wearing it now a days. Why is this important? Because while she was mayor of Wasilla and governor of Alaska, she predominately wore it in the up-do crafted by Alaska’s own Jessica Steel, owner of the Beehive Beauty Salon in Wasilla, Alaska. The only reason I pay attention to these things is because of my three daughters and the creator of this blog, Rachelle- all fashion divas who bring these issues to my attention.
As I was sitting in the front row, I saw all the cameras and news reporters that flooded the stage getting they’re shot of Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck. As I took a shot with my Blackberry, Sarah and I made eye contact and she waved and said a hello to me.
After taking my seat and still trying to see the stage through all of the reporters, a dark-haired lady in her mid 30s, wearing a white top and jeans with a spiral perm made it to the front and started yelling at Sarah, “You’re a hypocrite; you’re a hypocrite.” Well, before she could be heard yelling anything else, I thought about getting up and giving her a “what for,” but, then, I thought to myself that would not be the best thing to do, so I just stood and booooooooooooed at her loudly and the audience immediately followed suit.
The whole thing was hilarious!!!! The lady kept yelling at Sarah, but no one could hear a word she was saying because all 4000 of us were booooooooooing so loudly it covered up whatever this whack job was saying. I was five feet from her, and I couldn’t hear her. I also yelled out, “Quit making things up.” As many of you know, this was a common line Sarah used in protest to media lies in her speech when leaving the office of governor. I thought it was an appropriate line to use against this whack job yelling at Sarah. Sarah then looked at me and said, “Thanks Eddie. Hey-- Eddie Burke, Eddie Burke!”
After Sarah and I had fun, she looked over at Glenn and said we all know each other up here, and Glenn said, “Yeah, it reminds me of a classroom.”
Finally, the security came to the front and immediately whisked the whack job away without a fight. Sarah quieted the crowd and reminded the audience that her oldest son, Track and his buddies (who were all there with Sarah) “fought and served to defend” that whack job’s “right to protest.” For you crazy liberals and media nut jobs who want to find fault in everything, Sarah DID NOT call her a whack job, I did. Notice the quotes?!
FAITH AS OUR GUIDE:
Glenn talked a lot about the importance of faith and how it can guide us. The speech was an expanded version of his nightly show, dwelling on his three main points: hope, faith and charity. Sarah and Beck took many shots at the mainstream media. During much of his speech, he directly made fun of them and showered them with funny left hooks as he would make his points on the subject at hand. At one point, he looked over at them and asked sarcastically, in a baby-pouting voice, “Did you ride coach all the way from the east coast?” The crowed erupted in laughter. Again, it was pretty damn funny!
A MORE SERIOUS TONE:
Beck also discussed one of my favorite areas, the last sentence in the Declaration of Independence.
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.
Glenn went through each word and defined it and related it to what he thought the founders meant and how we should use this in our daily lives.
The bottom line of Glenn’s message is this: Get involved. Stay involved. Find your God and know him well. Know that our work is good. Saving our country is not just a phrase… it’s a way of life. Give to your church. Give to a candidate who shares your values. Be ready to give all for your country and children… the time is coming.
THE MEET AND GREET:
The meet and greet was quick, but very warm. There were a few hundred individuals who paid a lot of money for the chance to shake Glenn’s hand and get something signed. It was great to stand with patriots and to shake the hand of another Patriot. As I approached, I wanted to say so much, but I knew I only had time to say one thing. My sobriety is very important to me, and I know it is important to any recovering alcoholic. With that, I said, “Glenn, are you in AA?” He responded, “Yes, it saved my life.” I fired back, “it saved mine too.”
Eddie Burke is a former radio host and Alaska lieutenant governor candidate. As a Navy veteran and fixture in his community, Eddie is a big supporter of the military and believes the people of his state will lead the way to a better America. Follow him on Twitter here. Eddie has been married to his wife, Linda, for 28 years and has lived in Alaska for 39 years. Eddie and Linda have four children and three grandchildren; all currently reside in Anchorage, Alaska. Eddie was also mentioned in Sarah Palin's book, "Going Rogue" as “A great radio host.” Eddie is a former Chief of Staff in the Alaska State Legislature, a small business owner and loves Classic Cars.
(Eddie is pictured at the event in the photos to the right alongside two great friends: Valley Republican Women's Club President Julie Gillette, in red, and fellow club member Gayle Ann, in white. Thank you, Julie and Gayle Ann for allowing me to post these photos.)
(Follow me on Twitter @rachellefriberg.)
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