It's Like a Car Accident

Well I am about halfway through the first debate. I've been watching it on Youtube since I couldn't watch it it live. So far nothing much has jumped out at me. When I finish the debate and read up on some of the facts of what were said then I'll probably offer an opinion. Initial responses online and polls seem to say Obama won but I will need to see the whole thing.

But as usual Sarah Palin has me wound up. Like a bad car accident, I can't look away. She is such a goldmine of reasons not to vote for a McCain presidency. Most recently gave an interview with Katie Couric and it such a joke. She obviously has been coached on a few talking points that she repeats ad nauseum, regardless of the question or whether her 'answer' is factually true or even makes sense. SNL performed another Palin parody skit and, amazingly, transcribed a large portion of the skit directly from the actual interview. It was hilarious if you find things that turn your stomach funny.


I've been reading a lot of Andrew Sullivan's blog lately. He's a conservative blogger and while I usually don't agree with him, he is a smart conservative and he can see this Palin/McCain debacle for what it really is. He has compiled a nice list of outright lies put forth by Palin. They're worth a read and demonstrate that this woman is NOT real or authentic or a new kind of politician. She's a liar with no qualifications for this job and convincing people that she's 'authentic' is the same shitty trick that got Bush elected. Demonizing people who are educated as 'out of touch' has served the Republican machine well.

And lastly, Sam Harris has written another, longer, editorial on Palin. After reading this I feel envious of Harris for being able to say so perfectly what I and many other Americans have been thinking. He nails the evaluation of Palin and America's phobia of 'elitism' completely. Here are some of the better quotes.

"...we cannot ignore the fact that Palin's impressive family further testifies to her dogmatic religious beliefs. Many writers have noted the many shades of conservative hypocrisy on view here: when Jamie Lynn Spears gets pregnant, it is considered a symptom of liberal decadence and the breakdown of family values; in the case of one of Palin's daughters, however, teen pregnancy gets reinterpreted as a sign of immaculate, small-town fecundity. And just imagine if, instead of the Palins, the Obama family had a pregnant, underage daughter on display at their convention, flanked by her black boyfriend who "intends" to marry her."

Another good one on America's fascination with mediocrity in leadership.

"Ask yourself: how has "elitism" become a bad word in American politics? There is simply no other walk of life in which extraordinary talent and rigorous training are denigrated. We want elite pilots to fly our planes, elite troops to undertake our most critical missions, elite athletes to represent us in competition and elite scientists to devote the most productive years of their lives to curing our diseases. And yet, when it comes time to vest people with even greater responsibilities, we consider it a virtue to shun any and all standards of excellence. When it comes to choosing the people whose thoughts and actions will decide the fates of millions, then we suddenly want someone just like us, someone fit to have a beer with, someone down-to-earth—in fact, almost anyone, provided that he or she doesn't seem too intelligent or well educated."

Harris makes a good point and I agree that we can admire her as a who cares for her family and has found time to support them and work in politics in Alaska but hidden within all this is lies and hypocrisy. She is not 'real', she is not 'legitimate', she does not have the credentials required for this important position. She is a joke and picking her smacks more of a gimmick to win white women voters and the religious right than as a serious choice for a job that is one 72 year old heartbeat from the Oval Office.

Abstinence Only Education

I hope this is the last posting where I feel compelled to mention Palin. The fact that her daughter is pregnant has drawn some media attention. I think most people would agree that this is a family matter and not really the business of the American people or a situation in which to pass judgement on either the teenage daughter or the parents. Teenagers are dealing with a lot of pressures both social and biological and many of them will have sex. The only problem I see here for Palin is in the hypocrisy of endorsing 'Abstinence-Only Education.'

Clearly it worked quite well for them. But it goes beyond her own family. Palin also opposes abortion even in cases of rape or incest. As this Op-Ed in the NYTimes points out, the abstinence-only education movement isn't working. In 2004 65% of parents surveyed said the federal money should spent on comprehensive sex-ed. Abstinence-only doesn't stop teens from having sex and declines to teach them about contraception or protection from STDs. The editorial mentions a 2001 Unicef report in which America ties Hungary for the highest number of abortions but runs behind Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, and Britain in the number of sexually active teens. These countries have comprehensive sex education and parents aren't burdened by an unnatural stigma when it comes to discussing sex with their children.

This Unicef report is not the only one of it's kind. Other studies appear to tell similar stories. So why then would those who are so vehemently opposed to abortion still want to support abstinence only education?

Click for full table

Another Installment of Palin Problems

I wasn't really sure if I could be any more adverse to having McCain/Palin occupy the Whitehouse. But they really are the gifts that keep on giving me reasons to vote for Obama/Biden.

I already covered several reasons why Palin is a just wrong for the job. But that doesn't stop friends and family of mine from cheering her on as 'spunky' or 'feisty' and joking that while they don't really care for McCain they sure would like to see this nutter sitting in the big chair. You know, Palin might be a firebrand for conservative values, and you might 'like her style' but do we still have to point out that all that doesn't fucking matter if her ideas are all wrong? This idea that permeates American conservatives that they would rather have a 'regular guy/gal' as president still blows me away. Elite has become a dirty word. In most professions we would clamor for an elite. No one wants the average neurosurgeon. You don't even want an average plumber working on your house. All other things being equal, you want the best. You want the elite...unless they're running for President of the United States.

This article outlines a few more reasons why Palin, and politicians like her, are dangerous. She believes that this war is "...a task that is from God." She thinks God would want people to  unite and build new gas pipelines. But perhaps most troubling, (especially to nonbelievers or nonchristians) she thinks, "all of that stuff doesn't do any good if the people of Alaska's heart isn't right with God." (in this quote 'stuff' refers to her policy plans)

Bush has shown us all how foolish this kind of thinking can be. Supporters praise him for being 'decisive' and 'sticking to his beliefs.' This is a delusion that people like Bush and Palin hold and it gives them absolute certainty without the possibility of alternatives. This is the EXACT same kind of certainty that Islamic terrorist use to justify violence against the infidels. They 'know' they are doing Allah's will. No, I'm not saying Palin or Bush are just like terrorists. I'm saying they both have delusions of belief that some all powerful being likes them better than the other guy and is giving them holy orders. We need leaders who rely on reason and evidence, not superstition and divine revelation to govern.

Sarah Palin

Well I haven't written a blog entry in quite some time. Since I have no regular readers and I've had other things keeping me busy this isn't much of a problem. But with election season getting a boost from the conventions and the VP selections I have to weigh in on what I've found out so far about Gov. Palin from Alaska who is now on McCain's ticket.

Adding her to the ticket certainly doesn't change my vote. Looks like I'll still be flipping the switch for Obama. Don't get me wrong. The way the Democrats have been pandering to the religious and purposely excluding secularists pisses me off. However, when I look across all the issues that concern me and this country Obama comes out over McCain and certainly over Palin. Before I list several reasons that she's a terrible choice for a VP I'll say this. 

"If she was running on her own for the office of president with her current level of experience would you even 'consider' casting a vote for her?"

I've asked myself this question of Joe Biden and I can say I would. He has many years of experience in Congress. While I don't agree with all of his votes, I can look at his record and for the most part I agree with many of his decisions. There is no way in hell I would ever consider electing this woman president on her own merits.

So what are all these problems I have with her?

• Apparently she considers drilling for oil a much higher priority than protecting the polar bear. This is despite the fact that experts in the energy industry agree that drilling for oil in Alaska isn't going to help us a damn bit and wildlife experts and climatoligists agree that climate change is seriously threatening this animal. This story also demonstrates that she is scientifically illiterate considering she's among those who still think climate change is just some kooky theory.
• I don't know the whole story here but I would really like her to explain some of this. Joel's Army are some scaring fucking idiots who have no place in civilized society and it looks like her church has links to these dominionist groups. Maybe it's overblown but I'd like to hear the explanation or her completely denounce them.
• This is a huge fucking deal breaker for me. She thinks creationism should be allowed to be taught along side evolution in school science classes. I'm sorry but I have zero tolerance for this kind of outright ignorance. As important as the education of children and science is to the future success of our country I do not understand how 'patriotic' Americans can abide this. Well I know why...it's because they're ignorant (willfully or otherwise) of the facts.
• She thinks religious leaders (who don't pay taxes) should be allowed to endorse political candidates. If they want to start paying taxes and not receive special assistance from the government then I agree that they can endorse a candidate. But that isn't the case. This is a clear violation of the establishment clause and while I hold free speech to be one of our most sacred (no I don't have a problem using that word in this case) rights, it does not extend to violating someone else's right or violating the Constitution.
• She opposes reproductive freedom for women and wants to ban abortion even in cases of rape and incest. I think we can all agree that it would be a good thing to reduce the number of abortions by reducing unwanted pregnancies but this idea of a blastocyst or fetus having the same or greater rights than a living contributing member of society is foolish. There is clearly a line where a developing fetus should be granted human rights but it isn't at conception. I'm sorry but it just runs contrary to the medical facts regarding human development. Daylight Atheism does a fairly good job of parsing out some of these problems.
• She supported the "bridge to nowhere." Supporters love to pull out this gem and claim that she actually opposed the bridge to nowhere and thereby demonstrated that she wouldn't put up with wasteful spending. The truth is that while she eventually did redirect funds she originally had no problem with these bridge and passively supported them until it was clear that the rest of the country and Congress wasn't having of this shit.

If these reasons weren't enough not to support her then consider McCain's age and health. While Senator McCain may be okay now he is in his 70's and his health record is not the greatest. As some point the body just can't handle certain stresses. And make no mistake this is one of the most demanding jobs a person could get. The risk that a VP may have to take over the presidency with McCain in office is certainly higher than it would be with a younger healthier man or woman.

I know that she isn't McCain but selecting her reflects on him. And the fact that he or his staff or the GOP would consider her a good choice blows my mind.