Now that I have posted an article about Mrs. Palin written by another author; I will say my schtic on her. This coming from a person who actually lived in Alaska for many years, and truly knows what separates the Alaskan political world from that which we live in.
First, Why did Mr. McCain pick her? Is is because she is young? Or maybe because she has given the impression she is out to shake up the Republican party? Maybe it is just because she is a "hot" woman (come on and say it Mr. McCain)? I think he picked her because he thought he could win over droves of women with this selection. By doing so, I think he will drive them away.
Let me explain this for a moment...
Your average Hillary voter is not voting for her simply because she is female. The Hillary voters as a whole are a very idealistic crowd, loaded with feminists and empowered women. Any republican woman will not be seen in the same light, as the ideals do not match up. In a sense, Mr. McCain is saying I am giving you a woman, vote for her; It does not matter what she stands for because you women are all the same anyway.
I would be insulted by this if I were female. All women are definitely not the same.
Now, on to topic 2...
Alaska politics; Alaska is a world of it's own. Being a politician up there has less in common with being one down here than you would think. Alaska is a state with a total population of less than most medium sized cities. The constituency up there does not make any undue demands on their politician's either. The average Alaskan does not really expect anything from their government, at least not on the same level as the rest of the US. The government in Alaska seems more to be a go between for various corporate interests interested in making a profit, than a truly dedicated government serving the people. That being said, the state does function very well, providing a limited set of basics for all citizens, at least it did ten years ago before the current budget slashers were there. Being a politician, even governor, of Alaska does not expose you to the demands from the political world as it exists now for most states, where most medium sized cities exceed the population of the entire state of AK, and demands from the public MUST be met.
It is the difference in being mayor of Wasilla, AK, and mayor of New York, NY.
I think that Mrs. Palin is a great person on her own, but I believe she has doomed Mr. McCain's election by making him seem too unpredictable, and hypocritical.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
What’s the deal with Sarah Palin?
By Erich Vieth
There is a feeding frenzy regarding Sarah Palin out there. It’s intense and disorienting. It’s also disquieting.
Palin seems like a pleasant woman who would make a nice neighbor. But since when are people qualified to be Vice-President just because they are “nice”?
Tonight I started seeing many comments that extol Palin for having a baby (”Trig”) even though she allegedly had amniocentesis, which indicated that Trig had Down’s Syndrome. It struck me as odd that someone would have amnio when she was planning to have the baby no matter what. In fact, this puzzling point is but one of many strange stories adding up to an intriguing claim that Trig was not actually the child of Sarah Palin, but her grandchild, and that Sarah pretended (but not very well) to be pregnant to cover up for her Daughter Bristol, who was absent from high school for more than five months allegedly because she had mononucleosis. This story is burning up the Internet at Daily Kos. If you venture over there, you’ll need to weigh the evidence presented, and you’ll have the option to add your comment to the 1,500 comments already added–a phenomenal amount of comments, given that the post went up only today.
As disputed as the story about Palin’s pregnancy is, there much more to concern cautious voters. Palin is demonstrably anti-science (disputing the human cause of global warming) and her church has tangible connections to dangerous right wing extremists. As P.Z. Myers writes, “The anti-intellectualism is overt. They’re actually proud of their contempt for learning.”
Here’s another concern. Palin has the appearance of a small town mayor, not someone sophisticated. She doesn’t show depth of thought or detailed knowledge of the world around her. Her comfort zone is simple and local. I would very much like to see Palin given as much time as she can fill, to tell us everything she knows about the culture, geography and politics of any country other than the United States. I suspect that she would be out of things to say in 30 minutes. Links are springing up by the dozens on Palin’s strange statements and behavior (Andrew Sullivan has a quickly growing collection). Palin’s story appears to be a facade that is being intensely worked over. She was actually FOR building the Bridge to No where, though she now claims to have opposed the project.
There is much more to be concerned about Palin. I suspect that it’s going to get intensely bad for her within a week. Her story just doesn’t add up.
What most concerns me most, however, is John McCain’s poor judgment. Aren’t there any job qualifications for the office of Vice President? All responsible businesses require special knowledge and experience for demanding jobs. Why wouldn’t McCain demand someone with the requisite knowledge and experience? Palin is a laughable choice for Vice President. Should we start allowing life guards to work as architects? Should we allow window washers to teach medical school? Add this to the list of questions the Press should ask McCain.
I suspect that McCain’s choice of Palin is possible in McCain’s mind because John McCain subscribes to the Grover Norquist school of “starve the beast” when it comes to government. He thinks we’re all better off without government. We’re better off on our own, and the country will somehow run itself. That’s the way it is with many free market fanatics. Therefore, it doesn’t matter who serves as President or Vice President.
Our country can’t run itself, of course. What McCain is revealing by choosing a running mate without meaningful qualifications is that he is actually a nihilist. Or maybe he’s trying to cleverly hand the election to Obama. Or maybe he is pandering to the religious right. Or maybe he is intellectually incoherent.
Reprinted from Dangerous Intersections
There is a feeding frenzy regarding Sarah Palin out there. It’s intense and disorienting. It’s also disquieting.
Palin seems like a pleasant woman who would make a nice neighbor. But since when are people qualified to be Vice-President just because they are “nice”?
Tonight I started seeing many comments that extol Palin for having a baby (”Trig”) even though she allegedly had amniocentesis, which indicated that Trig had Down’s Syndrome. It struck me as odd that someone would have amnio when she was planning to have the baby no matter what. In fact, this puzzling point is but one of many strange stories adding up to an intriguing claim that Trig was not actually the child of Sarah Palin, but her grandchild, and that Sarah pretended (but not very well) to be pregnant to cover up for her Daughter Bristol, who was absent from high school for more than five months allegedly because she had mononucleosis. This story is burning up the Internet at Daily Kos. If you venture over there, you’ll need to weigh the evidence presented, and you’ll have the option to add your comment to the 1,500 comments already added–a phenomenal amount of comments, given that the post went up only today.
As disputed as the story about Palin’s pregnancy is, there much more to concern cautious voters. Palin is demonstrably anti-science (disputing the human cause of global warming) and her church has tangible connections to dangerous right wing extremists. As P.Z. Myers writes, “The anti-intellectualism is overt. They’re actually proud of their contempt for learning.”
Here’s another concern. Palin has the appearance of a small town mayor, not someone sophisticated. She doesn’t show depth of thought or detailed knowledge of the world around her. Her comfort zone is simple and local. I would very much like to see Palin given as much time as she can fill, to tell us everything she knows about the culture, geography and politics of any country other than the United States. I suspect that she would be out of things to say in 30 minutes. Links are springing up by the dozens on Palin’s strange statements and behavior (Andrew Sullivan has a quickly growing collection). Palin’s story appears to be a facade that is being intensely worked over. She was actually FOR building the Bridge to No where, though she now claims to have opposed the project.
There is much more to be concerned about Palin. I suspect that it’s going to get intensely bad for her within a week. Her story just doesn’t add up.
What most concerns me most, however, is John McCain’s poor judgment. Aren’t there any job qualifications for the office of Vice President? All responsible businesses require special knowledge and experience for demanding jobs. Why wouldn’t McCain demand someone with the requisite knowledge and experience? Palin is a laughable choice for Vice President. Should we start allowing life guards to work as architects? Should we allow window washers to teach medical school? Add this to the list of questions the Press should ask McCain.
I suspect that McCain’s choice of Palin is possible in McCain’s mind because John McCain subscribes to the Grover Norquist school of “starve the beast” when it comes to government. He thinks we’re all better off without government. We’re better off on our own, and the country will somehow run itself. That’s the way it is with many free market fanatics. Therefore, it doesn’t matter who serves as President or Vice President.
Our country can’t run itself, of course. What McCain is revealing by choosing a running mate without meaningful qualifications is that he is actually a nihilist. Or maybe he’s trying to cleverly hand the election to Obama. Or maybe he is pandering to the religious right. Or maybe he is intellectually incoherent.
Reprinted from Dangerous Intersections
Friday, August 15, 2008
It is now Easier to be Fat than Healthy!
As a sad statement for our society, and the ongoing decline of mankind, it is now far easier to be fat, than to maintain a healthy weight and diet. Healthy, natural food now costs more than than cheap garbage foods. It is easier to buy vast quantities of mass marketed foods, such as corn chips, sodas, and fatty lunch-able kits, than it is to buy food that is actually made from natural, healthy ingredients. I challenge you to go to the store and read what is really in the food and it's price you buy before you put it in the cart. You will see what I mean. The deck is stacked against you if you want to be healthy and natural. For what you pay for a few truly healthy items, you can literally purchase a shopping cart-load of fatty, salty, sugary garbage.
The modern food supply is poisoned. Almost everything that is marketed as being healthy is typically not, as evidenced by the inordinate amount of salt or chemical fillers put in it to make it taste like junk food. Even regular canned food is not exempt. Many of these supposed innocuous items harbor more than a full days supply of salt in as little as two servings. Not to sound like a conspiracy nut, but this whole dilemma seems strange to me. What could society hope to gain by knowingly selling items that are bad for the public. The food supply is literally making people sick, as evidence by the massive obesity, and heart problems faced by the general American public. Could or society be so twisted that it is willing to keep a portion of itself sick or unhealthy in order to sell vast quantities? Is the health care industry complicit in this so that business is maintained. How many people in this world make money off of other people's misery? The former is sick enough, but when you think of the very people who are supposed to help you being accomplices in something like this, it truly takes a dark turn.
It has been said, that for Capitalism to function, there must be misery and death. One side must get the other hooked on something to it's detriment, so that the economy is maintained. Be it cigarettes, junk food, or gasoline.
What is a person to do?
The modern food supply is poisoned. Almost everything that is marketed as being healthy is typically not, as evidenced by the inordinate amount of salt or chemical fillers put in it to make it taste like junk food. Even regular canned food is not exempt. Many of these supposed innocuous items harbor more than a full days supply of salt in as little as two servings. Not to sound like a conspiracy nut, but this whole dilemma seems strange to me. What could society hope to gain by knowingly selling items that are bad for the public. The food supply is literally making people sick, as evidence by the massive obesity, and heart problems faced by the general American public. Could or society be so twisted that it is willing to keep a portion of itself sick or unhealthy in order to sell vast quantities? Is the health care industry complicit in this so that business is maintained. How many people in this world make money off of other people's misery? The former is sick enough, but when you think of the very people who are supposed to help you being accomplices in something like this, it truly takes a dark turn.
It has been said, that for Capitalism to function, there must be misery and death. One side must get the other hooked on something to it's detriment, so that the economy is maintained. Be it cigarettes, junk food, or gasoline.
What is a person to do?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
