Palin Takes To Facebook To Support Highland Park High

By Marcus Gilmer in News on May 13, 2010 8:20PM

We told you how Sarah Palin addressed the Highland Park High basketball trip controversy at her speaking engagement last night. But this afternoon, Palin has taken to, what else, Facebook to further address the issue and her support of the girls' right to travel to Arizona for the tournament. In the note, Palin takes umbrage with the district's decision to make a political stance as well as the fact that the school is sending another group of students to China. Palin even started a Facebook group with WIND 560's Amy Jacobson to support the team.

The assistant superintendent claims that a trip to Arizona “would not be aligned with our beliefs and values.” But apparently the school has no problem sending kids on trips to China, which has a population control policy that is anti-girl in practice - contributing to female infanticide and abandonment and sex-selective abortions. So, is China - with its many serious human rights violations (too many to list here) - “aligned” with the “values and beliefs” of the school? But our sister-state of Arizona is not? Really?

Check out her full statement, in which she maintains her gosh darn, folksy, real America grammatical charm, after the jump. All links are hers.

This has-been ball player/Wasilla Warrior would like to send a shout out of support to the Highland Park High School Giants Girls Basketball Team in Illinois. These girls have been working, having bake sales, and saving money for months in order play in a hoop tournament in Arizona. They’ve won their school’s first conference title in 26 years, but now because a school bureaucrat - an assistant superintendent - wants to play politics, they’re not allowed to play ball.

Keeping girls off the court for political reasons? As I said last night in Illinois: “Them’s fightin’ words.”

The assistant superintendent claims that a trip to Arizona “would not be aligned with our beliefs and values.” But apparently the school has no problem sending kids on trips to China, which has a population control policy that is anti-girl in practice - contributing to female infanticide and abandonment and sex-selective abortions. So, is China - with its many serious human rights violations (too many to list here) - “aligned” with the “values and beliefs” of the school? But our sister-state of Arizona is not? Really? This is ridiculous and totally unfair to the girls who just want to play ball. Going to Arizona to play in a tournament will not endanger them, and the ban sure doesn’t solve the problem of unsecured borders.

These boycotts of Arizona will not help the state or lead to positive change. Economic and political boycotts of our nation’s 48th state will hurt all Arizonans - including all members of the Hispanic community. If people really want to help, they should tell President Obama to do his job: secure the border. If he were to do his job, the good people of Arizona, who have been overwhelmed by violence on their border, would not feel compelled to do it for him.

In the meantime, let’s help the girls “go rogue” and go play ball. Please take a look at this Facebook page set up on their behalf.

Let’s have our own bake sale! Let the girls play ball!

- Sarah Palin