We don't give a damn how they do it on the Outside

The national media is missing something in the assessment of Sarah Palin. They love to point out her lack of experience in foreign policy, national policy, just living in the big Outside, just about anything. People need to get to know this: It takes a certain kind of person to live in Alaska, at least outside metropolitan centers, someone who is independent, adaptable, savvy and innovative. We have a word for it, “skookum.” In the broadest sense it means strong enough to meet any situation and savvy enough to resolve the problem. The idea conflicts with modern consciousness. Take this for example. I have gotten so frustrated in first aid classes. What is the first thing they tell you to do? Call 911. Finally the frustration boiled over in one class. I said, “hey, I might be miles into the bush, or I might be out on the big ocean, don’t tell me to call 911.” For one thing there are no phones, for a second, no one is coming to help. Let’s talk about how to deal with the situation, not how to call for help. A hundred miles from anywhere, you better be able to take care of yourself. So, you learn to think that way, learn to get yourself out of situations.

Another example: On a sailing trip things go wrong and it is one of the Murphy’s law corollaries the farther offshore you go, the bigger the problem. I sailed with a good friend once and learned a way to think from him. When something went wrong, he always had a plan to fix it. But, even more, when the fix didn’t work, he already had the next plan. And if that one didn’t work, he had another. I think we might have gotten six deep into that process once. The point is, while we were making the fix, he was already thinking about what we could do if it didn’t work. Since then I have learned to think that way also. And you have to learn to fix your own dumb mistakes.

Here’s one. One night sailing, the binnacle light went out. That’s the one that illuminates the compass. So two experienced boat guys and basic mechanics, in our brightness we taped a flashlight to the binnacle next to the compass so we could see to steer. And on we sailed. Next night, 24 hours later and on the same watch, I looked at my friend and said, “You don’t suppose that flashlight affects the compass, do you?” OMG. Our mouths dropped open. What we finally decided to do was one guy stared at the compass, while the other carefully removed the tape, then pulled the flashlight away quickly. That way the guy watching could see how far the compass swung. 5 degrees. Between Cape Flattery off Seattle and Hawaii, 1 degree off and you miss the whole Hawaiian archipelago by 80 miles. You wouldn’t even see it! But knowing we were 5 degrees off course for 24 hours we could adjust the course and make up for it and all came out good.

You have to be self-sufficient, you have to know how to meet a situation. You don't call for help. You solve it and move on, It is that innate Alaska, maybe, sense of survival. With her experience Sarah Palin has it and it is doubtful many Outsiders understand it, let alone appreciate it as an attribute. Skookum. Explain that inside the Beltway.