On October 24th, Sarah Palin gave a speech at a Special Needs conference. In her speech, she mocked "fruit fly research." She was apparently referring to a recent study of Drosophila fruit flies revealing that a protein called neurexin is essential for proper neurological function -- a discovery with clear implications for autism research.
Imagine -- mocking scientific research at a conference on problems understanding of which that very research has has proven to be essential!
It’s unclear if Palin is unaware of the central role that fruit fly research plays in modern genetics, or if she was pandering to her fans at Fox News. Suffice to say that “fruit fly research” has enabled us to discover much of what we know about ... congenital disorders.
Every high school biology student knows that identifying genetic patterns in fruit flies has led to genetic discoveries in humans.
Again, it’s not clear if Palin is unaware of the significance of those discoveries ... Palin has a Down’s Syndrome son, and our knowledge of how that syndrome works (as well as its eventual treatment and prevention), comes from fruit fly research. The next round of significant Down’s Syndrome discoveries will not be called significant, until they are first tested on fruit flies.
There is nothing contestable about the above facts. Like Mendel’s discovery of gene pairing rules, they’re just basic science. But regardless of Palin’s motivation for spreading her ignorance, you should watch the clip noted below, especially the moment where Palin utters the term “fruit fly research.” Her contempt and disdain for even these fundamentals of science – is unmistakable. (And juvenile. Her inner Jr. High princess coming out again)
... As if fundamental science can be shouted down by the indignation of a thousand screaming Joes.
Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCXqKEs68Xk and
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/24/palin-fruit-flies/ and
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WSS-4PKGJV3-C&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=fce005ed770e9f7a99f2d55716dbeea7
John McCain's war policies will cost America nearly $1 trillion and with far fewer results than genetic research, including that on, yes, fruit flies.
God bless America and may the power of democracy protect us. We need to fix our economy. We need to fix our roads. We need bridges. We need jobs. We need schools where kids are taught the principles of science if we are to compete with China and India and Russia to raise our standard of living. We deserve to be a country where poor kids like Obama can become president, and not just rich kids like Bush and McCain.
(Most of the above was sent to us as an email. It appears to be valid, but most is not original with EyeonOregon).
Monday, October 27, 2008
Al Qaeda endorses McCain
An excerpt of why Al Qaeda wants John McCain as president (read it here):
"...Yet the endorsement of Mr. McCain by a Qaeda-affiliated Web site isn’t a surprise to security specialists. Richard Clarke, the former White House counterterrorism director, and Joseph Nye, the former chairman of the National Intelligence Council, have both suggested that Al Qaeda prefers Mr. McCain and might even try to use terror attacks in the coming days to tip the election to him.
“From their perspective, a continuation of Bush policies is best for recruiting,” said Professor Nye, adding that Mr. McCain is far more likely to continue those policies.
"An American president who keeps troops in Iraq indefinitely, fulminates about Islamic terrorism, inclines toward military solutions and antagonizes other nations is an excellent recruiting tool. In contrast, an African-American (Christian) president with a Muslim grandfather and a penchant for building bridges rather than blowing them up would give Al Qaeda recruiters fits."
"...Yet the endorsement of Mr. McCain by a Qaeda-affiliated Web site isn’t a surprise to security specialists. Richard Clarke, the former White House counterterrorism director, and Joseph Nye, the former chairman of the National Intelligence Council, have both suggested that Al Qaeda prefers Mr. McCain and might even try to use terror attacks in the coming days to tip the election to him.
“From their perspective, a continuation of Bush policies is best for recruiting,” said Professor Nye, adding that Mr. McCain is far more likely to continue those policies.
"An American president who keeps troops in Iraq indefinitely, fulminates about Islamic terrorism, inclines toward military solutions and antagonizes other nations is an excellent recruiting tool. In contrast, an African-American (Christian) president with a Muslim grandfather and a penchant for building bridges rather than blowing them up would give Al Qaeda recruiters fits."
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
$150,000 for Palin's wardrobe, make-up
Hey, Joe Sixpack! Your Snow Job Barbie just spent $150,000 on a new wardrobe, hair and makeup. No wonder she looks so good!
"Spending records filed with the Federal Election Commission and obtained by Politico show the RNC paid for "campaign accessories" from upscale department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, where nearly $50,000 was spent, Neiman Marcus, $75,000, and $4,700 for hair and makeup." (Read it here)
Ah, the common touch. Of course she's one of us.
By the way, the lies she's spreading about "socialism" are silly, though she may not have the horsepower to understand the issue. Obama is trying to give the middle class a tax break. From income taxes, payroll taxes, etc. Bush gave tax breaks to the rich. Obama wants to roll those back a bit, and give a tax break to the rest of us.
That's all. She is utterly unqualified to be president, and if McCain is elected, there is a one-in-five chance she will be, since he is old and has had cancer.
"Spending records filed with the Federal Election Commission and obtained by Politico show the RNC paid for "campaign accessories" from upscale department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, where nearly $50,000 was spent, Neiman Marcus, $75,000, and $4,700 for hair and makeup." (Read it here)
Ah, the common touch. Of course she's one of us.
By the way, the lies she's spreading about "socialism" are silly, though she may not have the horsepower to understand the issue. Obama is trying to give the middle class a tax break. From income taxes, payroll taxes, etc. Bush gave tax breaks to the rich. Obama wants to roll those back a bit, and give a tax break to the rest of us.
That's all. She is utterly unqualified to be president, and if McCain is elected, there is a one-in-five chance she will be, since he is old and has had cancer.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
"Joe the Plumber" already owes taxes
Too bad John McCain -- again -- didn't do his homework before the last debate.
(1) "Joe the Plumber" is not a licensed plumber (read it here)
(2) "Joe the Plumber" owes unpaid taxes (read it here).
(3) "Joe the Plumber" even if he was a plumber, and bought the business, probably would not pay any more taxes under Obama's tax plan, and might even have his taxes reduced. (read it here).
McCain has a history of launching off on a half-backed course of action based on shoddy investigation (see Palin, Sarah; Keeting, Charles; Deregulation of banks). This is another example. Or it's another example of McCain campaign fiction, like the Ayer's flap.
Obama's tax plan would give most of us tax breaks paid for by simply rolling back the tax breaks George Bush and John McCain gave to the super rich six years ago (breaks to John McCain by the way, which is why they are hiding Cindy's tax returns). McCain has transferred wealth from the working man to the corporate elite.
It's time for a president who will make America strong, not simply bleed the middle class while denying the rest of us opportunity. We need Obama.
(1) "Joe the Plumber" is not a licensed plumber (read it here)
(2) "Joe the Plumber" owes unpaid taxes (read it here).
(3) "Joe the Plumber" even if he was a plumber, and bought the business, probably would not pay any more taxes under Obama's tax plan, and might even have his taxes reduced. (read it here).
McCain has a history of launching off on a half-backed course of action based on shoddy investigation (see Palin, Sarah; Keeting, Charles; Deregulation of banks). This is another example. Or it's another example of McCain campaign fiction, like the Ayer's flap.
Obama's tax plan would give most of us tax breaks paid for by simply rolling back the tax breaks George Bush and John McCain gave to the super rich six years ago (breaks to John McCain by the way, which is why they are hiding Cindy's tax returns). McCain has transferred wealth from the working man to the corporate elite.
It's time for a president who will make America strong, not simply bleed the middle class while denying the rest of us opportunity. We need Obama.
Sarah's rapture
There have been a few -- too few -- opportunities to see Sarah Palin in her natural habitat. A couple were presented last week by Jon Stewart, possibly lifted from UTube, but I can't find them, now.
One that disturbs most profoundly was captured when Palin answered a question about whether she had seen the second debate between Obama and McCain. She wrinkled her nose in what would otherwise be an expression of pain, tossed back her head with her eyes closed and said McCain "did awsome."
This mannerism, "rapture rhetoric," is not uncommon among elements of the right. It is a form of communication not unlike "gangsta speak" of ghetto Blacks. The painful expression indicates total emotional capitulation. It communicates a context more revealing than the words themselves.
We have seen this in a few of Palin's other displays. When she prepares a "gotcha," she tips her head to one side and wrinkles her nose and pretends with a look of disgust to ask a question. She is really making a "holier-than-thou" accusation. She looks and sounds like the middle school girl too popular to ever be wrong.
This is what her handlers (seasoned Bush professionals) are hiding. And for good reason. They know if the world were to see this woman as she is, there would be great dismay about the judgement of John McCain, an old man who has had cancer, for his choice of who to put next in line as president.
One that disturbs most profoundly was captured when Palin answered a question about whether she had seen the second debate between Obama and McCain. She wrinkled her nose in what would otherwise be an expression of pain, tossed back her head with her eyes closed and said McCain "did awsome."
This mannerism, "rapture rhetoric," is not uncommon among elements of the right. It is a form of communication not unlike "gangsta speak" of ghetto Blacks. The painful expression indicates total emotional capitulation. It communicates a context more revealing than the words themselves.
We have seen this in a few of Palin's other displays. When she prepares a "gotcha," she tips her head to one side and wrinkles her nose and pretends with a look of disgust to ask a question. She is really making a "holier-than-thou" accusation. She looks and sounds like the middle school girl too popular to ever be wrong.
This is what her handlers (seasoned Bush professionals) are hiding. And for good reason. They know if the world were to see this woman as she is, there would be great dismay about the judgement of John McCain, an old man who has had cancer, for his choice of who to put next in line as president.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Is Palin a bigot ?
Sarah Palin quoted an anti-semite, Westbrook Pegler, in her speech at the Republican convention.
Her speech referred to "a writer," when she spoke of small towns. The writer was Pegler, who talked hopefully of the assassination of Franklin Roosevelt, and of Bobby Kennedy. Pegler, who loved small towns where there were no Jews, few Blacks.
This puts her recent comments about Barrak Obama in a different perspective. It puts her linking Obama (when he was 8 years old) to a Viet Nam "terrorist" (an old hippie now a prof at the University of Illinois active in education) in a different perspective. She is fanning the flames of extremism not just for political gain, but because she quotes anti-semites and says of Obama "This is not a man who sees America like you and I see America," (them's who's different than us) should not lead this country.
Is Sarah Palin a bigot with a pretty smile? We don't need that nastiness with a one-in-five chance at being president (McCain is old, he has had cancer, and Republicans are hiding his health records). We have problems to solve.
We need Obama to give tax breaks to the middle class, not just the rich who own seven hosues like McCain. We need Obama to craft a health care policy that is fair to all Americans, not just those who have jobs with the decreasing number of employers providing insurance. We need Obama to lead America back to its feet economically, an America ready to become again the powerful nation that reflects the American people.
Her speech referred to "a writer," when she spoke of small towns. The writer was Pegler, who talked hopefully of the assassination of Franklin Roosevelt, and of Bobby Kennedy. Pegler, who loved small towns where there were no Jews, few Blacks.
This puts her recent comments about Barrak Obama in a different perspective. It puts her linking Obama (when he was 8 years old) to a Viet Nam "terrorist" (an old hippie now a prof at the University of Illinois active in education) in a different perspective. She is fanning the flames of extremism not just for political gain, but because she quotes anti-semites and says of Obama "This is not a man who sees America like you and I see America," (them's who's different than us) should not lead this country.
Is Sarah Palin a bigot with a pretty smile? We don't need that nastiness with a one-in-five chance at being president (McCain is old, he has had cancer, and Republicans are hiding his health records). We have problems to solve.
We need Obama to give tax breaks to the middle class, not just the rich who own seven hosues like McCain. We need Obama to craft a health care policy that is fair to all Americans, not just those who have jobs with the decreasing number of employers providing insurance. We need Obama to lead America back to its feet economically, an America ready to become again the powerful nation that reflects the American people.
Reagan Palled Around with Terrorists, Too
(Update: Apparently Hekmatyar refused Reagan's invitation.) It was back in 1985 that (Reagan) invited Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, then a key Mujahadin leader (and major Islamo-fascist, as some might call him), at the White House. (Read it here).
"Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer."
McCain = Bush,
Palin = Cheney.
Enough = enough.
"Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer."
McCain = Bush,
Palin = Cheney.
Enough = enough.
McPalin make-believe
“I think there have been quite a few reporters recently,” said Mr. McCain’s closest adviser, Mark Salter, “who have sort of implied, or made more than implications, that somehow we’re responsible for the occasional nut who shows up and yells something about Barack Obama.” (Read it here)
After weeks of lies that Obama is "pallin' around with terrorists," after weeks of McPalin saying "it's time Obama told the truth about his relationship with terrorists" (Obama was 8 years old at the time), Salter is now saying McPalin aren't responsible for the hatred they have encouraged? That it's the fault of "reporters?"
What amazing dishonesty. It's on tape, Mr. Salter. Like Palin herself saying yesterday that the Alaska inquiry found she had done nothing illegal or unethical in firing a department head who wouldn't fire her ex-brother-in-law. True, there was nothing illegal. Governors have the right to fire people for any reason they like.
The inquiry did find the ethics questionable. Palin wouldn't recognize that, though, because she has no ethical compass to go by. Taking a man's job because he wouldn't carry out a personal vendetta is unethical in our book, an abuse of power and trust, but she plays by different rules, and always has.
McPalin has no substance at their core. They are mean, angry people. They do mean and angry things. They do little else, and it doesn't matter if they do it with a pretty smile (her) or a weird one (him). Where is their plan? Not their slogans, (it is laughable for McPalin to claim they are the ticket of change) which are lies, but their plan?
They don't have a plan, they have only a strategy, and that is to ask over and over again questions that have already been answered. That is not "Country First." That is "Win no matter what damage we do."
Americans are going to be able to work ourselves out of this crisis if we have the leadership of Obama in the White House. Americans are going to reassert our values if we can restrain the greed that McCain advocated in his Senate career. America will be strong when we are again building our own economy instead of Iraq's, our own roads and our own schools and alternative energy and efficient cars.
We are a great country and Obama will help us remember how to achieve our best.
After weeks of lies that Obama is "pallin' around with terrorists," after weeks of McPalin saying "it's time Obama told the truth about his relationship with terrorists" (Obama was 8 years old at the time), Salter is now saying McPalin aren't responsible for the hatred they have encouraged? That it's the fault of "reporters?"
What amazing dishonesty. It's on tape, Mr. Salter. Like Palin herself saying yesterday that the Alaska inquiry found she had done nothing illegal or unethical in firing a department head who wouldn't fire her ex-brother-in-law. True, there was nothing illegal. Governors have the right to fire people for any reason they like.
The inquiry did find the ethics questionable. Palin wouldn't recognize that, though, because she has no ethical compass to go by. Taking a man's job because he wouldn't carry out a personal vendetta is unethical in our book, an abuse of power and trust, but she plays by different rules, and always has.
McPalin has no substance at their core. They are mean, angry people. They do mean and angry things. They do little else, and it doesn't matter if they do it with a pretty smile (her) or a weird one (him). Where is their plan? Not their slogans, (it is laughable for McPalin to claim they are the ticket of change) which are lies, but their plan?
They don't have a plan, they have only a strategy, and that is to ask over and over again questions that have already been answered. That is not "Country First." That is "Win no matter what damage we do."
Americans are going to be able to work ourselves out of this crisis if we have the leadership of Obama in the White House. Americans are going to reassert our values if we can restrain the greed that McCain advocated in his Senate career. America will be strong when we are again building our own economy instead of Iraq's, our own roads and our own schools and alternative energy and efficient cars.
We are a great country and Obama will help us remember how to achieve our best.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Fascism, hatred, McPalin
There is something very, very, ugly about the McCain/Palin campaign, now.
They are fanning hatred, bitterness. They are saying things they know are harmful and untrue, whipping crowds into a frenzy, lighting fires in dry grass. Their rallies are taking on a strange angry intensity, almost like those of Nazi Germany, as the natural fear of the American people in these uncertain times is misdirected and focused at the opponent. Right out of the Goebbels playbook.
It is irresponsible and unconscionable to be directing this fear at Obama. It is ugly to imply that there is any real link between Obama and terrorism, or radical Islam. "He should explain," McPalin says, even though the explanation has been given hundreds of times. Everything has been explained. Everything is known.
But McPalin are letting the wounds of the economy fester, and they direct the puss of hatred against their opponent in a crass attempt to score political points.
"Country First?" Nah, that's not what McPalin are about. They are about using an infection of ignorance, fear, hatred, and perhaps inciting violence, to win, "win at all cost."
This is ugly. It is shameful. It is dangerous.
They are fanning hatred, bitterness. They are saying things they know are harmful and untrue, whipping crowds into a frenzy, lighting fires in dry grass. Their rallies are taking on a strange angry intensity, almost like those of Nazi Germany, as the natural fear of the American people in these uncertain times is misdirected and focused at the opponent. Right out of the Goebbels playbook.
It is irresponsible and unconscionable to be directing this fear at Obama. It is ugly to imply that there is any real link between Obama and terrorism, or radical Islam. "He should explain," McPalin says, even though the explanation has been given hundreds of times. Everything has been explained. Everything is known.
But McPalin are letting the wounds of the economy fester, and they direct the puss of hatred against their opponent in a crass attempt to score political points.
"Country First?" Nah, that's not what McPalin are about. They are about using an infection of ignorance, fear, hatred, and perhaps inciting violence, to win, "win at all cost."
This is ugly. It is shameful. It is dangerous.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The truth about Sarah
This letter about Sarah Palin from Anne Kilkenny needs to be read by every Republican.
Sarah put Wasilla in debt. Sarah likes big government projects. Sarah raised taxes on the middle class. Sarah doesn't "get" budgets. She is not conservative: The defining characteristics of Sarah Palin are ambition and political opportunism.
Here we present excerpts. The whole is worth reading (The original is here).
I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992. Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her father was my child’s favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the residents of the city.
She is enormously popular; in every way she’s like the most popular girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and won’t vote for her can’t quit smiling when talking about her because she is a “babe”.
.... Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000 (at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about 670,000 residents.
During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had given rise to a recall campaign.
Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6 years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over 33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation (1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they benefited residents.
The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece of property that the City didn’t even have clear title to, that was still in litigation 7 yrs later–to the delight of the lawyers involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.
While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office redecorated more than once.
These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.
As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.
In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today’s surplus, borrow for needs.
She’s not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren’t generated by her or her staff. Ideas weren’t evaluated on their merits, but on the basis of who proposed them.
While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin’s attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.
Sarah complained about the “old boy’s club” when she first ran for Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of “old boys”. Palin fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people, creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally grateful and fiercely loyal–loyal to the point of abusing their power to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the case of pressuring the State’s top cop (see below).
As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla’s Police Chief because he “intimidated” her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska’s top cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure and she had every legal right to fire him, but it’s pretty clear that an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn’t fire her sister’s ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew her support...
... As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the “bridge to nowhere” after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.
As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative action restored most of these projects–which had been vetoed simply because she was not aware of their importance–but with the unobservant she had gained a reputation as “anti-pork”.
She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a fiscal conservative.
Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah. They call her “Sarah Barracuda” because of her unbridled ambition and predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah’s mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.
... McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a heartbeat away from being President.
There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more knowledgeable and experienced than she.
However, there’s a lot of people who have underestimated her and are regretting it...
...WHY AM I WRITING THIS?
First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny + Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.
Secondly, I’ve always operated in the belief that “Bad things happen when good people stay silent”. Few people know as much as I do because few have gone to as many City Council meetings.
Third, I am just a housewife. I don’t have a job she can bump me out of. I don’t belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will cost me somehow in the future: that’s life.
Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100 or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah’s attempt at censorship.
Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to say anything because they were somehow vulnerable....
Anne Kilkenny
Sarah put Wasilla in debt. Sarah likes big government projects. Sarah raised taxes on the middle class. Sarah doesn't "get" budgets. She is not conservative: The defining characteristics of Sarah Palin are ambition and political opportunism.
Here we present excerpts. The whole is worth reading (The original is here).
I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992. Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her father was my child’s favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the residents of the city.
She is enormously popular; in every way she’s like the most popular girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and won’t vote for her can’t quit smiling when talking about her because she is a “babe”.
.... Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000 (at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about 670,000 residents.
During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had given rise to a recall campaign.
Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6 years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over 33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation (1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they benefited residents.
The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece of property that the City didn’t even have clear title to, that was still in litigation 7 yrs later–to the delight of the lawyers involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.
While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office redecorated more than once.
These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.
As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.
In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today’s surplus, borrow for needs.
She’s not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren’t generated by her or her staff. Ideas weren’t evaluated on their merits, but on the basis of who proposed them.
While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin’s attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.
Sarah complained about the “old boy’s club” when she first ran for Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of “old boys”. Palin fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people, creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally grateful and fiercely loyal–loyal to the point of abusing their power to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the case of pressuring the State’s top cop (see below).
As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla’s Police Chief because he “intimidated” her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska’s top cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure and she had every legal right to fire him, but it’s pretty clear that an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn’t fire her sister’s ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew her support...
... As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the “bridge to nowhere” after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.
As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative action restored most of these projects–which had been vetoed simply because she was not aware of their importance–but with the unobservant she had gained a reputation as “anti-pork”.
She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a fiscal conservative.
Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah. They call her “Sarah Barracuda” because of her unbridled ambition and predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah’s mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.
... McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a heartbeat away from being President.
There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more knowledgeable and experienced than she.
However, there’s a lot of people who have underestimated her and are regretting it...
...WHY AM I WRITING THIS?
First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny + Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.
Secondly, I’ve always operated in the belief that “Bad things happen when good people stay silent”. Few people know as much as I do because few have gone to as many City Council meetings.
Third, I am just a housewife. I don’t have a job she can bump me out of. I don’t belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will cost me somehow in the future: that’s life.
Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100 or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah’s attempt at censorship.
Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to say anything because they were somehow vulnerable....
Anne Kilkenny
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Sarah's shame
How does a woman who prides herself on "values" tell such a lie in a grab for power? Does it mean her values are a lie? Or that she doesn't have any values, besides raw ambition? What will Sarah Palin tell that grandchild in 20 years, when her lies are dissected in a classroom?
"Our opponent ... is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect, imperfect enough, that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country," Palin told a group of donors in Englewood, Colo. A deliberate attempt to smear Obama, McCain's ticket-mate echoed the line at three separate events Saturday. (Read it here)
The problems is, this is not true. It is a lie. Obama is not "palling around" with terrorists. He never "palled around," any more than Palin is "palling around" with white supremacists. Certainly not as true as Palin's "palling around" with Alaskan separatists.
America doesn't need Sarah Palin lies. America needs health care. America needs jobs. America needs clean energy. America needs Obama.
"Our opponent ... is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect, imperfect enough, that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country," Palin told a group of donors in Englewood, Colo. A deliberate attempt to smear Obama, McCain's ticket-mate echoed the line at three separate events Saturday. (Read it here)
The problems is, this is not true. It is a lie. Obama is not "palling around" with terrorists. He never "palled around," any more than Palin is "palling around" with white supremacists. Certainly not as true as Palin's "palling around" with Alaskan separatists.
America doesn't need Sarah Palin lies. America needs health care. America needs jobs. America needs clean energy. America needs Obama.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Obama and Biden the true working class heroes
It is so odd the way the Republicans have resorted to class warfare in this election, and claim populist ground they don't deserve.
John McCain, a son of an admiral, privileged his whole life except for that time as a POW, married rich. He can't count his houses. Sarah Palin never really wanted for much, she's ambitious, yes, but ambitious like that popular high school girl who wanted to get on student body council.
Obama was raised poor and worked hard and studied and managed to get into and graduate from Harvard. His story is the American dream. Joe Biden was from tough mill Pennsylvania. Worked hard, went to Congress young, still doesn't have much money but has passion for our country.
The working class have so much more in common with Obama/Biden than with the Republicans. These are men who will fight for the values of the working class, not simply use their fear and bigotry against them.
May the genius of our democracy lead us from the dark illusions of right wing power mongers.
John McCain, a son of an admiral, privileged his whole life except for that time as a POW, married rich. He can't count his houses. Sarah Palin never really wanted for much, she's ambitious, yes, but ambitious like that popular high school girl who wanted to get on student body council.
Obama was raised poor and worked hard and studied and managed to get into and graduate from Harvard. His story is the American dream. Joe Biden was from tough mill Pennsylvania. Worked hard, went to Congress young, still doesn't have much money but has passion for our country.
The working class have so much more in common with Obama/Biden than with the Republicans. These are men who will fight for the values of the working class, not simply use their fear and bigotry against them.
May the genius of our democracy lead us from the dark illusions of right wing power mongers.
Joe Sixpack for president?
It just keeps coming:
" It’s time that a normal Joe Six-Pack American is finally represented in the position of vice presidency..." said Sarah Palin of herself this week.
We agree that she represents Joe Sixpack. We disagree that qualifies her in any way to be a heart beat away from leading the free world. It's too complicated for that, now. Joe Sixpack can't understand a financial crisis and credit markets. We need someone who does.
Can it be true? Can it really be true that we have gone from Washington and Jefferson, John Adams and Ben Franklin, to a self-proclaimed "Joe Sixpack?"
" It’s time that a normal Joe Six-Pack American is finally represented in the position of vice presidency..." said Sarah Palin of herself this week.
We agree that she represents Joe Sixpack. We disagree that qualifies her in any way to be a heart beat away from leading the free world. It's too complicated for that, now. Joe Sixpack can't understand a financial crisis and credit markets. We need someone who does.
Can it be true? Can it really be true that we have gone from Washington and Jefferson, John Adams and Ben Franklin, to a self-proclaimed "Joe Sixpack?"
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