Re: Sarah Palin

I've had some time to gather my thoughts on Sarah Palin and what it means for her to be the on the GOP ticket.

While it is certainly a surprise that the GOP chose a female candidate, their choice is far from being as progressive as so many people are hailing it to be. Below is a list of all the issues that make her not progressive/a list of what we do not want in a leader.

1. She is anti-choice. (Even in cases of rape and incest.)

2. She is working to elect a major player in the good-old-boys network. (Which she claims to be adamantly against.)

3. She says she is against big oil yet has no environmental consciousness. (she is responsible for miles of pipelines and drilling currently being allowed in Alaska and pushes increased drilling, fishing, and mining.)

4. She was chosen, in part, because of her looks and the fact that when commentators and/or opposition candidates comment on that it makes them out to be shallow and/or sexist.

5. She is trying to take the "Hillary vote" away- to draw in their supporters.

6. She is very young and very inexperienced (used as a way to show all that McCain isn't, perhaps?).

7. In her acceptance speech she drew on the strength of the woman's suffrage movement as well as several well-known democratic woman candidates. She claims to be a proud feminist yet has many very un-feminist views.

8. She's very evangelical. We don't need another administration that is leading this country into war because of their personal/religious crusades.

9. Her 18 year-old son is in the Army. Enlisted on 09/11/2007, will be deployed 09/11/2008. Does anyone else smell a media/political stunt here?

10. She is very anti-LGBTQ (voted for DOMA and against partner health benefits).

11. She is pro-death-penalty.

12. She helped put in a legal motion to overturn listing the Polar Bear as an endangered species.

13. She is a member of the NRA, supports youth using guns, and opposed gun bans in large cities.

14. She is strongly in favor of teacher-led prayer in public schools.

15. She believes that drug use is "immoral". (She herself has used pot but said "she didn't like it.")

I'm not even going to address John McCain. His short-comings are (or should be) very plain to see.