Fall Political Races, From Apathy to Terror

‘Fall Political Races, Everybody Yawn’ was the title of my September column. Well, after the political conventions, things have certainly changed. When John McCain took off his ‘maverick’ hat and bowed to the Christian right by selecting Sarah Palin, he proved to the extreme political movement that he was not independent at all, but controllable. He will do anything to win. The choice for the Republican VP stopped my yawning and made me choke. Who might now be a heartbeat away from the presidency?

I never heard of Sarah Palin, but I made myself listen to her speech. She was sarcastic, practiced and truly a Republican in the worst sense of the word. Nothing of substance, nothing hopeful or uplifting, just rhetoric and rehearsed hatred of her opponent. Someone who belittled community service, while bragging about being a mayor of a town of 4000, who ran on the platform of opposing abortion, a mayoral issue?

She claimed in her early campaign to be the town’s first Christian Mayor, while replacing a Lutheran incumbent, implying that her religion, Pentecostal is more religious than Lutheran. What? This religious view of who holds the ‘right’ religion inspires terrorists and starts wars; I despise it. Religious extremists have shown their faces throughout history, through centuries of wars, book burnings, torture, brandings, and bombs. They frighten me more than armies, for they take righteousness and turn it into personal power. What do we have in Sarah Palin, a sinner or a saint? I don’t know.

Her opposition to abortion is nearly absolute, allowing an exception only for the life of the mother. I am so tired of this Republican talking point to elect the president of the US. Is this the most important issue of our day? More than war, poverty, genocide, bankruptcy, recession, terrorist, or poor education? Can we never talk about anything else every four years, but women’s personal choices? What is the obsession? In an abortion, (which I personally oppose) someone dies, but people also die because they don’t have insurance, are shot in useless wars, blow up in terrorist’s attacks, and starve.

What does this high school basketball star think about Pakistan, Israel, anything foreign to her regime in Alaska? I don’t know. I actually heard a Republican pundit on TV claim she knew foreign policy because Alaska was close to Russia. Is that the proof? Are all people in Texas foreign policy experts because they live closer to Mexico? Has the world gone mad?

What is her stance on global economies, trade and border control? She voted for the bridge to nowhere, and then cancelled it, but Alaska kept all the taxpayer’s money. Will she guard your retirement funds? I don’t know.

Will Sarah Palin change tax laws, save Social Security, protect and defend, or will she go into everyone’s bedrooms and legislate moral issues? Her church was known for ‘reforming gays.’ Will she cram her ‘right’ religion down our throats until we are no longer free? I don’t know.

The Palin family had no sex education in the Wassila schools. If Mayor Palin could not get dangerous books out of the library, you can assume they were not at her home. She belonged to a Pentecostal Church preaching righteousness, speaking in tongues who believe in the almost present end of times.

John McCain is 72. I’m not yawning, I’m scared to death. There are many questions out there that need answered and we only have a month to learn the answers. This could be the most important vote in your lifetime here in the US. I hope you are all paying attention because now it is vitality important.

A political stranger is at the gate, and we had better find out which way she runs, before the race is over.

© 2008