October 23
2008
Sarah Vowell in Newsweek:
Why should we read a book about Puritans now?
Revisiting the roots of American exceptionalism is always a good idea. And in terms of choosing one's leaders, which we're about to do, the thing I love about the Puritans is the people they put on a pedestal were the best educated, the smartest, the ones they saw as the most good with a capital G. I guess I would like to make a case for that. I don't think a leader should be penalized because he or she knows stuff.
She was also on The Daily Show last week striking back hard against all the anti-East Coast crap that has been dished out lately. (It's interesting to note that NYC was not elitest when it was attacked on 9/11. How has that attitude changed so fast?)
Alaskan author Nick Jans on Sarah Palin:
Like many Alaskans, I resent Palin's claims that she speaks for all of us, and cringe when she tosses off her stump speech line, "Well, up in Alaska, we…." Not only did I not vote for her, she represents the antithesis of the Alaska I love. As mayor, she helped shape Wasilla into the chaotic, poorly planned strip mall that it is; as governor, she's promoted that same headlong drive toward development and despoilment on a grand scale, while paying lip service to her love of the place.
It's all there - including the 14 dead wolf cubs who were shot by Fish & Game in a practice that has been illegal for 40 years. What the hell those guys were thinking I'll never know, but they're dreaming if they think they'll get away with it. Too many people are too ready to file lawsuits as soon as the formal investigation is over (or if that doesn't happen). From Jans again:
Now her administration has pointedly refused to respond to repeated public information requests (I'm one of the petitioners, and a potential litigant), regarding the apparently illegal killing of 14 wolf pups at their dens on the Alaska Peninsula this spring by state personnel, including two high-level Department of Fish and Game administrators. A biologist at the scene admitted to an independent wolf scientist that the 6-week-old pups were held down and shot in the head, one by one. This inhumane practice, known as "denning," has been illegal for 40 years. But a simple request for information on the details of this operation, including to what extent the governor was involved in the decision, has resulted in a typical Palinesque roadblock and a string of untruths.
And from Alaskan author Seth Kantner:
In the Arctic, where global warming is melting our world regardless of Palin's lone charge against reality, her alleged appeal leaves many of us cold. With our long winters and tough trails, we still value a beaver hat and common sense more than high heels and clip-on hairdos. We simply don't want another leader less intelligent than we are.
Eight years with the cowboy and copilot Halliburton at the helm has been hard on our land. Too much polluting, an unnecessary war draining our economy and both men too cool for global warming. We can't afford to turn now to a beauty contestant and an old guy who's acting like he's run the Iditarod too many times without winning. (Beating his dogs, he's so desperate to win.)
Come on, people. Our ice is melting. Your jobs are turning to dust. Everyone's bank statements are on the verge of being firestarter. Your heating oil is $4 a gallon, ours is $8.
John McCain's answers to those problems? Heck, I honestly don't know what he stands for this week. Talk about a shifting ice floe. But his running mate, we've heard her answers: She's already sued the polar bears, now she's chanting, "Drill, baby, drill!"
Wake up, folks. Sarah Palin is America's bridge to nowhere. Get off it.
And in case you have forgotten why voting matters and why government must be held accountable, consider what has happened to Iranian American Esha Momeni:
Esha Momeni, a graduate student at California State University-Northridge, was arrested October 15 in Tehran for unlawfully passing another vehicle while driving, according to Change For Equality, an Iranian women's movement.
"We're seeking additional information about this case," State Department spokesman Robert Wood said Wednesday. "We stand with all those in Iran who are working for universal human rights and justice in their countries."
Momeni, who was born in Los Angeles, California, is a member of Change for Equality's California chapter. She arrived in Tehran two months ago to work on her masters thesis project on the Iranian women's movement, according to the group, which is in touch with Momeni's family in Iran.
She was interviewing Iranian women about equal rights and is now in prison. Politics matters, people. That is why you must vote - always and forever, vote. (And don't forget to spread the word on Blog the Vote which goes live the weekend of November 1st.)
[Post pics: wolf in Denali National Park, polar bears in ANWR.]
