I would like to give Sarah Palin a huge thank you. She brilliantly demonstrated what the Democrats took great pains to reiterate during their convention—that a vote for McCain would [mean] more of the same. With her mean-spirited lies and her complete lack of substance, she proved herself a worthy inheritor of the Bush/Cheney mantle. Heck, her speech was even written by Bush’s speechwriter.
Palin also deserves kudos for highlighting an important aspect of the election that I, for one, was not terribly aware of. Shocked by her extreme right-wing zealotry, I was prompted to actually read the 2008 Republican Party Platform, where I found Palin’s views echoed. This little gem stood out at once: “We support a human life amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children.”
Whoa. And yet, these same people support carte blanche the right to bear arms and to use said arms against any and all perceived threats. So according to the Republicans, it’s okay to shoot and kill intruders, or Iraqis, or suspected terrorists, or pretty much anyone in police custody. But if a pregnant woman were to shoot herself in the uterus—even if she were impregnated against her will; even if it was the only way she could save her own life—then she’d be charged with murder.
This doesn’t sound like the Republicans believe in the right to life as much as they believe in the right to control women.
If you are at all inclined to vote Republican this year, please check their facts, read their platform and see for yourself if you really want what they have to offer.
— Barbara Taggart
Asheville
Palin’s speech was written by a former Bush writer, but he has written speeches for both democrats and republicans. He wrote that speech before the VP nominee was even selected, personalizing it at the last moment. He is also a vegetarian and big animal rights activist that speaks out against the NRA and all forms of hunting. He was doing his job, it’s not some conspiracy or great carryover from this administration.
Thank you for the excellent letter Barbara Taggart.
It should also be noted that Palin approvingly quoted the infamous racist, anti-semite Westbrook Pegler in her acceptance speech. Pegler’s views were so extreme that the John Birch Society kicked him out!
Westbrook Pegler lamented that Roosevelt wasn’t assassinated and before RFK was assassinated he said that he hoped that “some white patriot of the Southern tier will spatter his spoonful of brains in public premises before the snow flies.”
The fact that Palin was favorably quoting Pegler is terrifying. RFK Jr was outraged.
Speaking of cruelty to animals Abigail, people should know that Sarah Palin advocates hunting down wolves with a helicopter, chasing the terrified animal down until its heart gives out from exhaustion or terror, or gunning it down from above while the animal writhes in pain. It is animal cruelty at its ugly worst, and Sarah Palin not only supports it, she rewards people for it if they bring back a severed paw.
This ad that the Defenders of Wildlife put out about Palin’s cruel practice is very disturbing:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/12/brutal-ad-targets-palins_n_125975.html
She also fought to keep polar bears off of the endangered species list.
She also fought against wildlife advocates in favor of mining companies that were dumping toxins into salmon streams.
Any woman or concerned man who does not know about McCain-Palin’s abysmal record on women’s issues really needs to read this article by Congresswoman Jan Schakowski:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/12/brutal-ad-targets-palins_n_125975.html
Barack Obama has a 100% rating on women’s issues and John McCain actually brags about his 0% rating on women’s issues. Sarah Palin is even worse than McCain on women’s issues. Like McCain she has opposed equal pay measures, funding for domestic abuse victims, and as mayor of Wasilla she started forcing rape victims to pay for their own rape kits.
Barack Obama has a lifetime 96% rating on the environment from the League of Conservation Voters, which is the benchmark of environmental ratings. The nation’s largest environmental organization, the Sierra Club, said he has the best environmental record of any candidate that has ever run for President.
John McCain has a lifetime 24% rating from the League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club has targeted him for his particularly anti-environmental stances. Once again, Palin is even worse.
So the guy that wrote Palin’s speech is a vegetarian and animal rights activist?? He was just doing his job????? So a man working for the McCain campaign would give up his morals, values and life views in order to write a speech for a woman who shoots wolves from helicopters and slaughter moose for family BBQs. This doesn’t sound like a good man just doing his job he sounds like a SELL OUT!
I think “Abigail” may be drinking some of that Rove/Cheney koolaid!
I’m so tired of listening to the lies and propaganda spewing from the mouths of Grandpa Munster and Mother “Moose-dung” I could just poop my pants! Neither of these two dimwits has even a modicum of the inteligence required to run this country, it is amazing that almost half the country support those two. Actually not, there were after all 59,054,087 idiots who voted for the Village Idiot from Crawford in 04. If McCant and Moose-girl get elected I’ll apply for political assylum in Cuba; at least THEY have universal health care and don’t feel the need to lie their countrymen into unneccessary wars!
Thank you!
I was concerned that there would be a Pro-Palin rant… and on my birthday no less!!!