Aug 30 2008
Two Things About Sarah Palin We Can Believe
Sarah Palin is against same sex marriages.
Sarah Palin was all for the killing of wolves in Alaska by air.
Now, this is a blog that talks about gay issues, so you might under what wolves have to do with gay issues. I love wolves and I accept gay people for who they are. Those are two important things to me. Sarah Palin is shaping up to be the one who agrees with killing the wolves and keeping the marriage debate as is between a man and a woman. It is no wonder McCain picked her as his Vice President choice. She gave a speech yesterday and I found her to be out of touch with reality on some issues.
If they think that she can convince the voters she is another Hilary Clinton, they are sadly mistaken. She is not in the public eye and has no experience with the issues of the world. I think Obama should have elected to have Hilary as his Vice President, but he picked someone else that may make a difference where hate crimes and gay issues are concerned.
Back to Sarah. She explained her reasons for allowing the killing of wolves. She said if the wolf population grows, it would hinder the moose and caribou populations, which are what Alaskans, keep in their freezers. Have they ever thought about going to the store and shopping like the rest of us do? I have nothing against hunting, but to make a statement like that does not make you look very credible.
Sarah says she has gay friends, but no one has ever met any of her gay friends. Are they hiding in the closet? Literally speaking. She is against same sex marriages so that will not affect the McCain campaign. He is against same sex marriages as well. Sarah is for the businessman and so is McCain. Her husband works in the oil industry in one capacity. Sarah said that would not affect her judgment. Do you believe that?
Nothing against family, but she has a new baby with Downs Syndrome and is your every day soccer mom. When will she find time for her work if she is spending all her time with her family or her family if she is spending all her time working?
Well, I guess there is only one conclusion. Obama is going to be our next President.
I just wanted to let you know that you obviously have no idea what food costs in Alaska. I have a sister-in law and her family that live there and also a niece and her family that live in Alaska. Perhaps I can share a little insight why Sarah Palin is concerned about wolves killing the moose and caribou populations. They are an important source of food for the people in Alaska.
Fresh food in Alaska is extremely expensive. A gallon of milk costs at least $8 or more per gallon. The rest of the food items are no different. So why don’t people in Alaska just go shopping in the store like everyone else? Maybe with a little knowledge you can answer that for yourself. The killing of the moose and caribou populations by wolves would be the same as if the wolves were killing your beef and poultry that you may eat or consuming the vegetable crops if you are a vegetarian. Would you let that happen? If you were faced with the prospect of not having food, I highly doubt it.
Be careful that when you make accusations that you have the entire picture.
Also I just wanted to say that Sarah Palin has been a working mother for several years. Your closing comments were offensive to every mother who works outside of the home. Your comment implied that you can’t be a good mother and be a good employee at the same time. I strongly disagree with that stance. I am sure that Hilary Clinton would have to agree with me as you just implied that she is not capable of being a good mother and a good employee at the same time. And I have a healthy respect for Hilary Clinton. Enough said.
Okay. first let me say that women can be mothers and work. What I am saying is that being Vice President is not a 8 or 10 hour a day job. It is a job that takes away from family and has its drawbacks. A mother with five kids is going to have challenges in this type of position that she may not be able to fulfill due to her family obiligations. I know mothers can rasie families and work, I did it without the husband and had some very stressful days.
As for the price of food in Alaska, that is no reason to kill a wolf so that people themselves can kill the other animals. There are other ways to look at than killing the wolf. Wolves are beautiful animals and should not be killed for any reason. Especially for that reason. Find a humane way to solve the problem.
I give her all the respect int he world for being a mother and being able to work and take care of her children. However, a child with special needs is going to need more care and I am sure she wants to be the one caring for her child.
Being a Vice President is going to take her away from her family more so than any other job.
blemmet brings up some really good questions, and I don’t think you’ve really addressed them in your post or subsequent comments.
I’m all for solving the wolf/food source problem but you haven’t offered an alternative solution other than “go to the store and shop like the rest of us”. How do you think the food gets to the store? Somebody has to go out and kill the moose and caribou, but with the rise of wolves in the area, it’s getting harder to find these major food sources for Alaskans. I personally don’t think there’s anything inhumane or unnatural about killing animals for the necessity of keeping a food source more prevalent. It’s been happening since the dawn of humans… But I do understand why you might disagree with it. But at least offer another solution–what do you propose they do with the rising number of wolves? What if they are moved to a different location–soon they population will reproduce its large numbers… then what? Move them again?
Regarding your note about Sarah Palin’s role as a mother with a special needs child: Would you say the same thing about her ability to lead if she was a man? If a man with a special needs child was chosen for VP, would you say he shouldn’t accept the job because he has a child with Downs Syndrome to take care of? I imagine not. It’s a double standard that I think is unfortunately leaking into your argument here. Although there are many reasons why I think she was a bad choice for VP, this is definitely not one of them. In fact, I think having that experience and having the knowledge of what it takes to be that kind of mother makes her a better leader.
One last comment. I have no doubt that her record on gay rights is much less impressive than Obama’s, but don’t forget that he too is against same sex marriage. And just because she isn’t publicly outing her gay friends doesn’t mean she doesn’t have them–I don’t think that’s necessary or appropriate.
I am intrigued by her family’s connection to oil and her stance on issues involving oil, especially taxation and drilling. Very curious to hear more about that as it surfaces.
I think these are important issues you’ve raised and thanks for inviting the dialogue.
Jess
http://bookpublishing.today.com
As for the wolf problem, I think a study would prove beneficial to solving the problem. Without research and studies, no one can say what the best way is to solve the problem. Just allowing air killings is not solving the problem. It is creating another issue.
Maybe instead of signing a bill that allows air killings, a group could be appointed to see if there are ways to lower the cost of living in Alaska. Why is the cost of living so high in Alaska? Why does it cost $8 for a gallon of milk? Is there a way to reduce this cost? These are just a few questions that should be looked into before the alternative.
There are many different avenues to research before using such a drastic measure. I do not have the answer because I am not a researcher nor am I a resident of Alaska and do not know what they can do and what they cannot do. Maybe there is a need to talk with distributors of food products to see if there is a solution to the high prices.
The wolf population can become a problem in many areas, but air killings are not the answer until all avenues have been exhausted, which they have not.
The issue with Sarah Palin having a special needs child and working is not the issue. The issue is that she is a mother active in all activities that her children participate in and yes, she does have a special needs child. Your question about if she was a man would I feel the same way? Yes, I would. I believe that starting a family takes a commitment from both parents. When a special needs child is involved, that child needs to have the love of everyone just like any child. The responsibly of raising all children should be with both parents.
There are many parents that travel with their work. The thing the differs between Palin and every other parent that travels is that they come home after a week or two. The parent that is left at home to care for the family and all issues that need to be resolved can be frustrating, which can cause problems such as stress. If she were to become VP, she would be gone from her family for long hours and weeks if she does not take them with her everywhere she goes.
I know many moms and dads that WAH are the primary care giver for the children. They should be looked up to and respected. Is Sarah’s husband willing to be a stay at home dad and care for the children himself?
As for the connections to the oil business, I am sorry, but with McCain’s way of thinking, this could be the worst thing.
McCain is for the rich and not the middleclass person. I am wondering if Sarah Palin feels the same way.
Palin’s views on SSM seem to mirror the majority of Americans’; in that regard she is centrist, mainstream. Similarly, her views toward gays- tolerant, friendly, inclusive- also seem to mirror how many Americans feel toward their gay and lez fellow citizens.
I do realize that the overwhelming majority of GLBT “activists” are little more than a subsidiary of the DNC, hence their comments should be taken w/ several ounces of salt. Thsoe who are non hyper-partisan will actually take the time to view and consider and her views and judge them accordingly.
I’m a mom who works, I have 2 children and one of them is special needs. I know first hand the amount of time that my special needs baby needed with hospital visits and assessments during his earlier years. I know where my focus was and it sure wasn’t on my job. Fortunately I’m a freelancer and the worst that happens when my focus is where I think it should be - with my children - is that we earn less money. So we have less income for a while. So what? If the VP of the United States loses her focus the implications are far worse.
I’m not saying moms can’t work. I’m not saying working moms with special needs children can’t work. What I am saying is that working moms with special needs children can’t guarantee one day to the next if their focus is where it needs to be - you could be fine for weeks and then without warning in the ICU with a child in serious danger. Moms with special needs children know the time they take, and if someone has the ability to switch off from what their child needs to 100% focus on a country, I’m not sure that’s such an asset.
I think John McCain made a strategic move to put Sarah Palin on his ticket, and I’ve no doubt that further down the road she may prove to be a good version of Hillary (only Hillary with Republican values of course), but I don’t think that this political acclaim has come at the right time in her personal life.
Katieanne, thanks for stopping in. I knew you were saying it better than what I was. You make the points that I was trying, but you can do it from a personal stand point.
Thank you.
Interesting comments. I haven’t much to say on the wolves in Alaska topic. I can say (as a former Hillary supporter myself) that any Hillary supported who is swayed to vote for McCain because of Sarah Palin obviously lives under a rock or can’t read or hear. She is the antithesis of Hillary Clinton. To avoid listing all the nasty things I would like to say about Sarah Palin, because really what would that solve, I’m just going to say this to all the pissy former Hillary supporters thinking about voting McCain:
Vote with your brain, not your vagina.
Halahblue, you said it very well. Just becasue she is a woman does not mean she is Hillary.