Why We Don't Like Sarah Palin

I was sitting at my computer the other day after work, watching videos and reading newspaper articles, attempting to get myself up-to-date on the latest in our country's current political circus. The phone rang. It was my sister. "Tell me again why we don't like Sarah Palin," she said. It's easy to forget, isn't it? With all the lies and side-steps and rhetoric flying out of the mouths of the Republicans, as well as their successful co-optation of Democratic slogans and historic words (John McCain, who voted with Bush 90% of the time is really "the change we need?" Sarah Palin, with her anti-choice, anti-woman, anti-civil rights positions is really a feminist??), it's easy for the average person to be sucked in by this charismatic, spunky little hockey mom.

Although I would like to write about something other than this thorn in our collective feminist side, and I'd like to write about the issues in this election, about the environment, about what I do like about Barack Obama and Joe Biden and why I'm voting for them, and many other things, unfortunately this woman is still occupying center stage in much of the media, as well as in the minds of many Americans. So, here I am telling my sister--and all my sisters (and brothers and sibbies)--why we don't like Sarah Palin.

1. Sarah Palin's policies are clearly anti-woman. She is anti-choice, wishing to criminalize abortion. As pointed out in my last post, this takes freedom away from women and causes women to die. Criminalizing abortion turns women's bodies into reproductive containers controlled by the government. It's a step backward toward being property rather than citizens. Regardless of whether you personally view abortion as immoral or against your religion, not all women share this view and must have the freedom to choose when it comes to their own bodies. In addition, while Sarah Palin was mayor, Wasilla was the only town in the state of Alaska to charge women ($1200!) for their own rape kits.

2. Sarah Palin holds destructive views regarding the environment. She believes drilling in our national wildlife preserves is a good thing ("Drill, baby, drill!") and scoffs at alternative and sustainable sources of energy, making them a last priority. She also chooses to disregard what 99% of the reputable scientific community has to say about global warming--specifically humanity's contribution to it.

3. Sarah Palin is anti-civil rights. She does not believe that citizens of this country in loving, committed partnerships with someone of the same sex deserve the same rights as citizens in relationships with people of the opposite sex.

4. Sarah Palin is a liar. That "Bridge to Nowhere"--she's lying through her pretty little teeth when she says she was against it. Evidence proves she was 100% in support of it. She lies (or is at least very ignorant) when she calls herself a feminist, as she does not protect and support the rights of all women. "As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation" (1). Yet, she claims to be a reformer, fiscal conservative and against earmarks and lobbyists. Right. There are many more lies. Just google "Sarah Palin lies" and see for yourself. "Palin says Alaska supplies 20 percent of U.S. energy. Not true. Not even close" (2).

5. Sarah Palin is pro-death. She supports the death penalty; supports drilling in national wildlife preserves; supports hunting endangered animals; is against universal health care, opposes comprehensive, medically accurate sex education, which can save people's lives; seeks to criminalize abortion, putting women's lives at risk.

6. Sarah Palin is ignorant and inexperienced. Really. When asked by a reporter what qualified Palin in matters of foreign policy, John McCain, after a long pause said, "There's energy..." Huh? When a Republican spin-doctor was asked by a CNN reporter to give an example of one decision that Palin made as Commander-in-Chief of the Alaskan National Guard, he continuously tried to change the subject. When Palin herself was recently interviewed by Charles Gibson of ABC, she demonstrated that she had NO IDEA what the Bush Doctrine was. She's just plain clueless.

There's more, but I just can't give this person any more of my time. She does not deserve it.

Quoted sources:
(1) http://www.newshounds.us/2008/09/04/fox_news_pundits_overlook_sarah_palins_lies_while_praising_her_speech_to_the_hilt.php

(2)http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/energetically_wrong.html