Palin brings out the contradictions in me.

WARNING: If you are easily offended about political stuff, please do not read.

All the talk about Palin brings out all the contradictions in me. She is a walking contradiction herself. She is purported to be a conservative and yet she is living the life of a liberal. I'm not sure what my opinion is of her just yet. I really shouldn't have an opinion about her, but as this is my blog, I'm going to.

I won't vote for her. She represents so many things that I don't want in our government and in our families.

1. First hot button is that she is pro-life even in terrible situations. Here's my stance on pro-life. For me, as it affects my life, I am pro-life. I hate abortion and if I could I would save every baby - fetus - that I could. I don't think any woman should go thru the pain that it causes and I always want to save the baby. I would raise them all if I could. For my children I will raise them to follow through with pregnancies and if they feel they can't raise the child, then consider adoption (though I will be first in line to adopt the child). If any friend asks me whether they should get an abortion, I will always say no, and help them work through any issues they are facing. I think there should be programs teaching women about adoption and valuing life.

But politically? Politically I am pro-choice. I do not think that the government should make medical decisions on whether someone should be able to get an abortion. I don't think men or women with college degrees in political science should be making a medical decision about my life and my children's life. I think that any debate about the life and soul of the unborn fetus should remain in the realm of religion and steer clear of the political arena. Although my religious beliefs tell me that my tiny fetus has a soul, I don't want my government to dictate that. It has also been proven over the years that even if government prohibits abortion, abortions still happen. They happen illegally and not only are they successful at killing the fetus, they often kill the mother. I can't understand why so many people believe this is a better system.

So, I am happy that Palin decided to have her son when she knew he was going to have difficulties. I am happy that Palin's daughter is choosing to have her child and that their family is supportive of that. I am not happy that she would want to impose her beliefs on the rest of the nation.

2. My second issue with her is the question of why she would want to leave her family and run for VP. It feels to me like she is running away from her family. She returned to work when her son was three or four days old. While this shows a great dedication to her job, it also shows a lack of dedication to her own family. I do have my old fashioned ways, and I do believe that if you have the ability, then you should put your family first. Make financial and personal sacrifices in order to provide the best for your family. And then she chose to run for a national office where everyone in the United States of America who listens to the news now knows that her daughter is 17, pregnant, and unwed. If I were that daughter I would be devastated. I would feel betrayed by my own mother.

3. And in my book, I don't think McCain should have even asked her. It's hard to turn down the VP job, and I get that, but McCain, knowing her family situation should have let her be. She could very well be ready for office in about ten years. By that time her son will be older and her daughter will be more settled. McCain wanted to gain and so he put himself before her family. No, he has no obligation to her family, but in my world, people consider others before themselves. And children first and foremost.

4. And then the news that Palin attended meetings supporting Alaska's secession from the USA. If her reason for accepting the VP position is patriotism, I think that reason just flew out the window.

5. And then there are questions as to whether she was chosen because she was qualified, or chosen because she was female. I am an electrical engineer and went to classes full of males and maybe one or two other females. People tried to give me extra opportunities because I was female or hold me back because I was female. I had different expectations because I was female. I hated it. Hated every minute of it. I wanted my opportunities because I deserved them. I wanted to get an A when I deserved an A and fail when I deserved to fail. While it would be grand to see a female as president or vice president, I would like her to be there because she worked hard and deserved to be there. I would like her to be there because she is just better at getting things done than the rest of us. I do not want her to be there because McCain wants the stubborn female Clinton voters.

6. And McCain is no spring chicken. Though he is going strong now, no one can deny that he is 72. I want his back up to be ready for anything. Ready for if McCain has to go to the hospital for a night or if he has an unexpected clot or any of the many ailments that start hitting when you get up in years.

7. And then there is her speech. She is a wonderful speaker. Her speaking can make a person become mesmerized. But.... do you know what the first half of her speech was focused on? On her family. She focused on the one thing the rest of us were not supposed to focus on. She has decided that in order for us to vote on her we need to know about her wonderful family and how they all act and how she interacts with them. But as soon as someone else focuses on her family they are being sexist. So apparently we are supposed to fixate on the great things about her family and sweep everything else under the rug. When anyone is running for one of the highest offices in America they are going to be investigated. It comes with the territory. And as has been found out by almost every news network is the majority of information she gave about her political career or Obama's stances is wrong. Not just stretching the truth, but untruths. Her speech has gathered great numbers of followers too. And being a good speaker is not a qualification for presidency - yes the same can be said about Obama. It is important, but so is being knowledgeable and having a good education and experiences.

I know politicians stretch the truth. I know it's normal. I don't do well with blatant lies though.

I'm pretty sure I could babble on about this for a long time. There are just so many things about this that bother me. I know it is her choice to run, and I would never try to take that away from her. Even so, my heart hurts for her and her family.


http://www.slate.com/id/2199131/

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13098.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-j-elisberg/the-worst-vice-presidenti_b_122491.html

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/2/163035/8405/137/583631 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_fact_check


http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hjGaAjQoUCE3VQ4N3M852LEdOVtwD9304JE80

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_popmachine/2008/09/heart-to-republ.html

http://www.crosscut.com/whitehouse/17341/

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0908/Sexism_complaints_no_longer_whining.html?showall