Wake Up America

I had all sorts of troubles with this blog. I am not going to write it over because it was about the Democrat's convention and that is now history.

Instead I am going to write my comments about Sarah Palin. I have heard the talking heads bloviate on McSame's choice both pro and con. It seems to me that the pros who are trying to play up her strengths have very slim pickings to go on. It boils down to two positives that I can recognize. 1) She cancelled the 'bridge to nowhere" and 2) She gave birth to a baby with Down's Syndrome even though she could have aborted the fetus when she knew there would be a disadvantaged baby.

Both are commendable and I will only make the comment that I wonder who is taking care of that baby while she is off politicking.

The bad news is that she was not properly vetted and John McSame, who wanted Liebeman, was told by the right wing that "he couldn't have the other Joe". So, having met her but once, he threw away any credibility he might have had on not being beholden to the Christian conservatives and chose her instead.

Sarah Palin will win the support of the NRA, the Christian right, and the Right to Life crowd. But if McSame thinks he will get the disgruntled Hillary backers with this far right Christian Fundamentalist gal I think he made a big mistake.

She will attract a lot of men who like guns and pretty women, but she will turn off just as many women who don't like agressive and gun totin' Mols.

I guess only time will prove me right or wrong, but it is inconceivable to me that the voters will look at the person who is only one heart beat away from the presidency and not find her extremely thin qualifications very scary.

Following is the letter I received on Sarah Palin's environmental record. It's enough to make Gore want to run again.

Dear Darlene,

A few hours ago, the news broke that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has been selected by Sen. John McCain as the vice presidential candidate for the Republican ticket.

As a Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund supporter, you are no doubt aware of Governor Palin’s dismal record, from her staunch support for special interests and Big Oil to her terrible assault on wolves and other wildlife.

As much of the nation wonders just who Sarah Palin is, I wanted to pass along my statement that I've just released.

Please read it and pass it along to everyone you know.

Thanks for your continued support,

Rodger

---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2008

Shocking Choice by John McCain

WASHINGTON-- Senator John McCain just announced his choice for running mate: Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. To follow is a statement by Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund.

“Senator McCain’s choice for a running mate is beyond belief. By choosing Sarah Palin, McCain has clearly made a decision to continue the Bush legacy of destructive environmental policies.

“Sarah Palin, whose husband works for BP (formerly British Petroleum), has repeatedly put special interests first when it comes to the environment. In her scant two years as governor, she has lobbied aggressively to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, pushed for more drilling off of Alaska’s coasts, and put special interests above science. Ms. Palin has made it clear through her actions that she is unwilling to do even as much as the Bush administration to address the impacts of global warming. Her most recent effort has been to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the polar bear from the endangered species list, putting Big Oil before sound science. As unbelievable as this may sound, this actually puts her to the right of the Bush administration.

“This is Senator McCain’s first significant choice in building his executive team and it’s a bad one. It has to raise serious doubts in the minds of voters about John McCain’s commitment to conservation, to addressing the impacts of global warming and to ensuring our country ends its dependency on oil.”