I couldn't have said it better myself...

[mijan]

One of my sister's friends wrote this as an e-mail to her Republican father, and then posted a copy of that e-mail on her Facebook.

I don't know the person who wrote it, but my sister has sent me a copy and asked me to post it here.  The author apparently is pleased to have it distributed more widely.  I agree with pretty much everything she wrote in this well-thought-out, nicely-researched essay.

Again, this is political.  If politics aren't your thing, then scroll along, and I'll catch you with fandom stuff soon.

And now...


This is what my sister's friend wrote:

Regardless of some pretty substantial differences in opinion, I respect John McCain as a decent well-meaning, non extremist person, and up until his VP choice, would still just be happy to see Bush gone.

However, McCain's selection (or Karl Rove's selection, as it appears to be) is downright FRIGHTENING... and before anyone passes it off as unimportant based on the fact that she'd be VP and not president, we should keep in mind two things... 1. Dick Cheney, and 2. The fact that John McCain will be 73 years old by the time he takes office, and is not in great health.

For the sake of neutrality, I'll ignore the fact that she's opposed to abortion and just focus on non-debatable FACTS.

Pay attention because this is freaking serious:

1. As mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, she supported BANNING BOOKS from the local library because of "bad language" and tried to fire the librarian who scoffed at her request, saying that she did not "support the mayor". I don't care if you're the most left leaning or right leaning person on the political spectrum, banning books is a BLATANT violation of our Constitution, and even the concept of banning books is something only extremists support. Liberals and conservatives alike criticize oppressive governments like China, The Taliban, Iraq under Saddam, etc - and censorship/banning of literature is one of the most popular tools of oppression for both left wing and right wing extremists. It should not be acceptable to ANY American.

Source: http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1837918,00.html

2. She was almost recalled as mayor of Wasilla because of controversial firings of a state trooper and a library director.

http://hatthief.blogspot.com/2008/08/vetting-sarah-palin-irl-stambaugh-walt.html

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AS&p_theme=as&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F79408854D0C20B&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM

3. She has attended a church from age 12 to the present, where the Reverends Sermons make Jeremiah Wright look like a moderate. Some examples of his sermons include:
""I hate criticisms towards the President," he said, "because it's like criticisms towards the pastor -- it's almost like, it's not going to get you anywhere, you know, except for hell. That's what it'll get you."
During the 2004 election season, he praised President Bush's performance during a debate with Sen. John Kerry, then offered a not-so-subtle message about his personal candidate preferences. "I'm not going tell you who to vote for, but if you vote for this particular person, I question your salvation. I'm sorry." Kalnins added: "If every Christian will vote righteously, it would be a landslide every time."
"Jesus called us to die. You're worried about getting hurt? He's called us to die. Listen, you know we can't even follow him unless you are willing to give up your life. ... I believe that Jesus himself operated from that position of war mode. Everyone say "war mode." Now you say, wait a minute Ed, he's like the good shepherd, he's loving all the time and he's kind all the time. Oh yes he is -- but I also believe that he had a part of his thoughts that knew that he was in a war."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palins-church-may-have-sh_n_123205.html

4. In addition to her pastor's beliefs, Palin has made her own statements regarding God's role in politics. Of particular note, she believes that "God's plan" involves a 30 billion dollar gas line:

"I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that," she said.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palins-church-may-have-sh_n_123205.html

5. She was a member of a fringe political group that advocated secession of Alaska from the USA.

How much do you have to dislike the USA to join a group that wants to secede from the union? Its one thing for an average citizen to support, but someone who is about to be the Vice President of a country she at one point didn't even want to be a part of? Running alongside a man who's campaign tagline has been "Country First" ?

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/members-of-frin.html

6. She was the director of a fundraising group for Sen. Ted Stevens.... who has been indicted on corruption charges. She stated that she was still "behind him".

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/01/palin_was_a_director_of_embatt.html

7. She is a staunch supporter of "Abstinence Only" Sex Ed, while her 17 year old unmarried daughter is 6 months pregnant. Though she claims she wasn't trying to hide this, the speculation began when her daughter was quite obviously draping herself with a blanket and Palin's youngest child, an infant with Down's Syndrome. In a hypocritical bit of political irony, Palin has stated that this is a "private matter". However, not only does she not believe it's a private matter for the rest of American women, she also made a public spectacle of her "choice" to give birth to a baby with Down's. So its only a "private matter" when it's going to hurt her public image, but a very public matter when appealing to the pro life vote. She is now trying to appease her "values" voters by saying that her daughter will marry the father of this baby. Would anyone like to guess what the divorce rate is for 17 year moms?

8. This is probably the scariest of all. It appears as though John McCain actually wanted to pick Joe Lieberman or Tom Ridge as VP, but was pressured or forced to chose Palin to satisfy the fundamentalist/pro life conservatives. Do we really want another 4 to 8 years of a government so easily controlled by the corrupt pockets of the religious right, and scary folks like Karl Rove?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/us/politics/02vetting.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26501863

9. She sued the EPA for adding Polar Bears to the "threatened species" list because protecting them was "too expensive" and "there is no proof that global warming is affecting their habitat". She also hunts moose and other wildlife with semi-automatic rifles. Awesome.

10. She only received her passport in 2007 and has not been a part of ANY international networking or policy making. By all factual accounts, I have more foreign policy experience than our potential Vice President. If that doesn't scare you...I'm not sure what would.

So there you have it. Your Christian, moral, "values" candidates for 2008. A guy who cheated on his disabled wife and then divorced her for the younger, wealthy bimbo he was having an affair with, and a woman who supports banning books, is the mother of a pregnant teen, and thinks killing living things with long-range weapons is a "sport".

With respectable republican women out there like Elizabeth Dole and Condoleeza Rice, and moderate republican men who could have changed the face of our political system to actually attempt to mend the huge and growing divide between the two parties, the republicans have chosen the female version of George Bush to be our vice president. Keep in mind, not even Bush supports banning books, and had at least left the country more than twice before being nominated for higher office.

I understand and respect that some people can not bring themselves to vote for Obama. That's fine... but at least write in someone you can actually feel good about voting for. And a vote that leaves America one heart beat away from a Sarah Palin presidency should NOT feel good to anyone sane.

Nice essay.  I wish I'd written it. 

I also didn't write this:
A delightfully candid, fact-based, revealing article about Sarah Palin from Time Magazine, online.
However, I'm delighted to see a reputable media source reporting on these things.  Finally, this woman is being exposed for what she is, and hopefully, she'll bring down the rest of that agenda with her.

Comments

[aerynalexander.livejournal.com]

I'm sharing this with as many people as possible. With luck, Friday evening I will be phone-banking for Obama. And, yes, Sarah Palin is the reason why.

[daddybear716.livejournal.com]

Piggy-backing on the pregnant 17 year old daughter subject. Would the Republican Party and the "Religious Right" have been so supportive if a 17 year old Chelsea Clinton had gotten pregnant, but married the father of that baby? I seriously think not.

[masakochan.livejournal.com]

I just sent a copy over to both of my parents. Hopefully they won't just discard it as some 'silly' Democratic/Liberal excuse. >_<;;

[quiet000001.livejournal.com]

Hhahahaha. We would've been hearing about what crappy parents the Clintons must be for YEARS.

puts america first -wtf?

[tsuj.livejournal.com]

One of my personal favorites:

9. She sued the EPA for adding Polar Bears to the "threatened species" list because protecting them was "too expensive" and "there is no proof that global warming is affecting their habitat". She also hunts moose and other wildlife with semi-automatic rifles. Awesome.

Oh how we hates her, my Precious! >:(

[coconut-ice22.livejournal.com]

I was told that the baby wasn't actually hers and was in fact that of her other daughter (the non preggers one), it would be so great if people could prove this.

I hate Sarah Palin, at the base of it she's a two faced bitch. I've been trying to watch her speech tonight but it's making me feel ill. After everything Obama said about not attacking her, the Republicans seem to spend 60%+ of their time putting Obama down. None of them talk about why are they a good party to elect, instead they go on about why Obama (not even the Democrat party but Obama personally) is a bad person to elect.

And the other thing! Who ever was talking first insulted Europe too! Obama's little tour of Europe apparently taught him how European values on how to get rid of civil liberties... oh yeah, because Republicans are SO well known for wanting to keep and expand these. Bah, the fuckers.

The Republicans are using autoque, from what I remember no one at the Democrat convention did, because they're empty little puppets. The Republicans also seem so bloody depressed, other than that one little shout of "USA USA" the crowd isn't being too enthusiastic (probably because most of them are so aged by this time of night they're asleep).

Eek, sorry for ranting, no one is currently awake here for me to rant at, and the Republicans fucking piss me off.

Awesome essay! Thanks for sharing.

[lunalovegoddess.livejournal.com]

*considers forwarding to Republican best friend*
I'm serious. This election is tearing us apart. I've been friends with her since I graduated high school. I can agree to disagree with her on most subjects, including politics; however, there is something about Sarah Palin that has polarized us. She disagrees with me on everything lately, it seems. One thing that really bothers me, though, is Palin's stance on LGBT rights. I thought that this would bother my friend as much as it bothers me, but she seems willing to go along with it because she supports Palin otherwise. I read her points, and I understand the words, but I still don't get the appeal.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

People like Palin - Dominionists - have had their words, speeches, and agendas mapped out by the think-tanks of their agenda engines. They try to make their hateful agendas sound reasonable, until you step back and say, "wait a minute, there's something WRONG there." They don't want you to step back. They'll keep it simple and mindless so that you won't notice them pulling the wool over your eyes.

Palin was a beauty pageant girl. They're trained to make the phrase "I like puppies and world peace!" sound like a graceful and endearing speech of profound meaning and insight. She reads off a teleprompter, flashes a toothy grin, and hopes that you pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, or the dark agenda in her briefcase.

[viridescence]

The moment I first looked into who Sarah Palin is, what she's done, what she stands for, I was offended, on multiple levels. I was never going to vote for McCain anyway, but this, this was insulting. To think that the first female VP nominee is this hypocrite of a woman who is the antithesis of everything I value... I'm appalled.

And McCain chose her solely as a political move, to satisfy the right-wing nut jobs in the party, and to present the repugnicans as the progressive party (look! we're not sexist, we're running the first ever female vp!--and isn't that an oxymoron), not because she would actually be the best person for the job (which she is not). That's offensive, too.

I wasn't ever a Clinton supporter, either, but that was because I disagreed with her on several key issues. I'm all for getting a woman into office, but to me, gender isn't a basis on which my vote is decided. It's their stance on key issues, what they say, what they do. And Sarah Palin has said and done things that I cannot remotely agree with, things that should preclude her as a candidate for the office of Vice President. And that doesn't even include her lack of experience at anything that would prepare her for this job.

I could rant all day about this, but I won't intrude on your journal any more. I'll just say that I agree with you wholeheartedly, and I will use these points whenever the conversation turns to the republican nominees. Thanks.

[quiet000001.livejournal.com]

She's not the first, though, just the first Republican female VP.

Geraldine Ferarro was the first, for the Democratic party, running with Walter Mondale in 1984.

[yaycoffee.livejournal.com]

Palin scares me. How does she not scare everyone? I have never felt THIS strongly against a Republican ticket... and I certainly have never really cared this much about the VP candidate. The fact that she'd take over the second an elderly McCain (who I would have strongly considered voting for, had he chosen Leiberman or Rice) kicks it, will assure my vote to Obama's campaign. She gives me the creeps.

[rockchick-101.livejournal.com]

she just annoys the hell outta me a. but everyone seems to just be sugarcoating whatever she stands for. so this essay rocked. all i've been hearing lately is how good she is for McCains campaign which annoys me. they seem to just ignore all the important shit just cuz shes a woman.
so i love this!!!

[stormsdotter.livejournal.com]

What, does this woman give the most amazing blow jobs under the sun? Because that's the only reason I can think of that she was chosen for this position.

*twitch twitch* This crazy bitch is worse than Tipper Gore by far!!

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Well, have you seen the YouTube video of McCain repeatedly staring at Palin's butt while she gave her little acceptance speech last week?

[lily-fayline.livejournal.com]

(Coming out of lurk)
From my point of view (disgruntled European who doesn't completely agree that the person who is essentially the most powerful of the Western world should not be elected by all inhabitants of that Western world) I find the choice for Palin very good for McCain's campaign indeed! Give that man another shovel!

[mijan.livejournal.com]

HAHAHAHAHAAAA! Excellent! How deep can he bury his campaign before he's up to his neck in sand and realizes he can't climb out?

[lily-fayline.livejournal.com]

As long as we don't have to see any more pictures on this sorry site come November...

[hdluff4eva.livejournal.com]

Hey, thanks for this. Is it cool if I facebook it? I have a bunch of Maerican friends who can do a lot with this.

Sorry... AMerican friends.... Cause I can spell...

[mijan.livejournal.com]

I don't mind. My sister said to spread it far and wide. So, go for it, and credit it to some girl named "Amanda" on facebook, somewhere in the USA. :D

[lindsical.livejournal.com]

I find the choice for Palin very good for McCain's campaign indeed! Give that man another shovel!


Best. Lines. EVER! Made me laugh so hard that I shot juice out of my nose :).

[lindsical.livejournal.com]

I know a lot of people who are going to waste their votes by voting for fictional characters and people who are not running. I was going to do this until Palin was annouced as McCain's running mate. Then immediately I made my decision to vote for Obama.

I don't have a lot of respect for someone who can't stay awake through the state of the Union address or someone who supports abstinence only sex ed and then has a PREGNANT DAUGHTER? Apparently her daughter wasn't listening in school.

[kennahijja.livejournal.com]

I'm with you all the way apart from this:

How much do you have to dislike the USA to join a group that wants to secede from the union?

I'm kind of work-relatedly involved with Scottish politics, and let me tell you, some nutters aside, it's entirely possible for a state to want to secede from an union without hating said union (or its population). It's merely pragmatic, and things like 'they take all our oil and don't properly compensate us, we're not governed properly by a far-off central administration' certainly ring a bell :).

Granted, for someone to make quite such a far political jump is unusual, but by no means unheard of in other political constellations... just think of Gordon Brown or Otto Schily, from youthful Marxist radicals to rabid neocons...

[colloween.livejournal.com]

I can't believe someone so young, is soooo old. What century is she living in? I couldn't believe people were cheering for her at the RNC.

[foldingstar.livejournal.com]

As a curious Brit, I have to ask this question: How important is the running mate in regards to the presidential candidate being elected? From articles I have read by political pundits, not very important at all. It seems to me that the picking of a running mate has more novelty value to it, rather than real serious connotations for the election.

Also, what does seem interesting is that most of the people I have seen going on about how bad Sarah Palin is, are democrats anyway, people who would not even consider voting McCain.

Naturally, I do not agree with any of Palin's platforms. I do think that she was selected to appease a certain faction of Republicans and I like how this essay is structured.

But you know, curious Brit here who wants to have U.S. citizen opinion!!!! :)

[singlewoman.livejournal.com]

Alaska is geographically close to Russia so Palin must be good at foreign affairs, right? *Snort* I cracked up when I heard that.

Have we learned nothing from having our VPs have guns and go hunting? Cheney at least used birdshot, can you imagine what it takes to kill a moose?

This woman scares the shit out of me.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Usually, the VP pick isn't as important. However, this time, there are two major reasons why THIS one is more significant than usual.

1. McCain is 72, and if elected, would be 73 before being sworn in. He's had major health problems. There is a MAJOR chance that, with the stress of being President... he wouldn't last through his first term. That's too risky.

2. His pick of Palin (when he WANTED to pick a much more moderate candidate - Lieberman) PROVES that the Religious Right is pulling McCain's puppet strings. If McCain were to be elected, would we get the moderate Republican who has, in the past, worked across party lines to accomplish good things, or would we get a pawn of the religious extremists? I could deal with the old McCain. I might not have always agreed with him on every issue, but I respected him, and I wouldn't expect him to sell out the nation to the Christian extremists. Now... it's another story.

So, between the fact that Palin could very reasonably be expected to assume the role of President if McCain/Palin wins, and the fact that this is evidence of who is controlling McCain in his feeble elderly mental state... this is scary shit.

Does that make more sense?

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Well, at least if Palin shoots someone in the face, she'll make a clean job of it?

And... yeah, I heard that bullshit about foreign affairs. Who the hell said that?

[regasssa.livejournal.com]

*cackles* Oh yes, that'd be really annoying, if we got to vote on American politics. Our media is incredibly slanted in favour of Obama. There's all this stuff about 'America's next president and our next prime minister' and it's like...'psst, has anyone told you that we haven't actually chosen them yet?' If Europe got to vote on American politics, it'd be a landslide. Even Mock the Week jumped on the Anti-Palin bandwagon.

[foldingstar.livejournal.com]

It does make more sense and I can see why this selection is causing a furore! It seems a real shame that someone like McCain would bow to so much pressure.