sarah palin?! puh-leez.

seriously? i mean, really, like seriously.

wow, i hope women (hillary supporters primarily) are not as stupid as mccain is banking on them being. of course i want to see a woman in the highest office in the land but that certainly doesn't trump my desire to see a socially liberal candidate in office--someone who supports gay rights (because gay rights are civil rights & human rights), a woman's right to control her own body (because women's rights are human rights & civil rights), and who believes in practicing a foreign policy which seeks to build bridges between the united states and the rest of the world instead of blowing them up & torching the rubble, and who supports the implementation of a health care system which treats basic health care as a basic human right for every american.

obviously, this candidate is not sarah palin. john mccain's choice for vp running mate is important because let's face it--the dude's high school graduation picture is probably a painting on a cave somewhere in france, and he's not getting any younger. so why this person?! seriously, people. let's be smarter than john mccain hopes we are.

let's take a look at a few "gems" from sarah palin's controversial wikipedia page and get to know this (un)experienced politician.

"Palin was elected governor in 2006 after defeating incumbent governor Frank Murkowski in the Republican primary and former Democratic governor Tony Knowles in the general election. She was the youngest person, and the first woman, to be elected governor of Alaska. She gained attention for publicizing ethical violations by state Republican Party leaders.^[when?] Before becoming governor, Palin served two terms on the Wasilla, Alaska, City Council from 1992 to 1996, was elected and re-elected mayor of Wasilla for two three-year terms in 1996 and 1999. She also ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2002. Palin holds a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from the University of Idaho."

---well, she barely has more credentials than me...so that's encouraging if i ever want to be a republican vp nominee!

"In May 2008, Palin objected to the decision of Dirk Kempthorne, the Republican United States Secretary of the Interior, to list polar bears as an endangered species. She threatened a lawsuit to stop the listing amid fears that it would hurt oil and gas development in the bears' habitat off Alaska's northern and northwestern coasts."

---seriously?!

"Palin's husband, Todd Palin,^[71] works for BP energy corporation at an oil field on Alaska's North Slope^[72] and works as a fisherman in his hometown in the summers."

---say WHAT?!

"She opposes same-sex marriage, but she has stated that she has gay friends and is receptive to gay and lesbian concerns about discrimination.^[16] Palin complied with an Alaskan state Supreme Court order and signed an implementation of same-sex benefits into law under protest, stating that legal options to avoid doing so had run out.^[42][43] She supported a non-binding referendum on whether there should be a constitutional amendment on the matter.^[44]

--"gay friends?" oh wow, she's so progressive! yeah, some "friend" she is.

"Alaska was one of the first U.S. states to pass a constitutional ban on gay marriage, in 1998, along with Hawaii.^[45] Palin has stated that she supported the 1998 constitutional amendment.^[16]"

---ew, ew, eeeewwww!!! is all i have to say about that. this is NOT something to be proud of. this is disgusting. god bless california and massachusetts.

"A major consideration in Palin's selection was her appeal to former Clinton supporters in the contentious Democratic primary.^[69] Palin, when asked about Senator Clinton's complaints regarding her coverage by the press, said "that doesn't do us any good, women in politics, women in general, wanting to progress this country...when I hear a statement like that from from any woman, I think that there is a perceived whine."^[70]"

--what world are you living in, sarah palin?! however, i doubt palin will face the same level of scrutiny in the media (undoubtedly the result of a systemic, internalized gender bias in this country) as hillary rodham clinton because a cunt in a vp slot is not as threatening as a cunt in the big chair to the patriarchal powers that actively (though often covertly) work from the ground-up to reinforce and reproduce the status quo (read: this is a free country--if you are heterosexual, white, male, christian and preferably upper-middle class, too).

and here's a little note to ms. palin: do you know why you are able to vote? do you know why you are considered a person under the law? it's because women--brave and empowered women--who came before you had the courage to stand up and say "enough is enough" in spite of all those masculine power-mongers who accused them of being whiney, hormonal bitches. do you know why you even live in a world in which you can entertain the notion that the feminist battles have been won and women should "quit whining?" it is because of feminists--those who have come before, those who are with us now, and those who will be--that we live in a world in which women are people, too. and do you know what? many of them were/are/will be lesbians. is that threatening to you? oh, of course not. you have gay friends. well, a fine friend you are indeed...denying your fellow citizens and fellow human beings the same rights that you yourself take for granted. get over yourself. it is my hope and belief that in the future (in my lifetime, i hope) that the struggle for gay rights will be something taught in history classes...and children will find it hard to even imagine a world in which gay and lesbian citizens were not treated as first class citizens under the law. we have to keep vigilant...we have to protect the civil and human rights of all people. hatred is alive and well in this country...and we certainly have work to do in dismantling systemic, institutionalized racism, sexism and homophobia in this nation of ours.

in conclusion: women, let's vote on the issues. let's spend our votes investing in the kind of world we want to live in. america can do better than the status quo. it's in our nature. yes, we can!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin