Broc Lee the Blog

Did you watch Sarah Palin's speech last night? The speech told us a lot about her.

It told us that she can distort the facts and deliver mean-spirited zingers with the best of them. It told us that if Rush
Limbaugh or Ann Coulter ever need a stand-in, she'd be a great pick.

It told us that she can be condescending and dismissive of the real work Barack Obama did helping real people on the South
Side of Chicago. It told us that she can uphold the long Republican tradition of lying about Democratic tax cuts—even
though Obama's plan would give Americans a bigger break than McCain's.

But the speech—written by one of President Bush's speechwriters—didn't tell us the truth about Sarah Palin's
extremist positions. And the more that people know her far-right views, the less they support her. (There's a partial
list below.)

Palin's speech and the reaction to it also made clear why McCain picked her. It wasn't a decision about who's most qualified
to serve a heart-beat away from the presidency—it was a political decision about pleasing the far-right base of the
Republican party.

Writing a letter to
your local paper is a great way to make sure voters understand that.
The opinion pages are the most widely-read
pages of the newspaper. Write today, and your letter's a lot more
likely to get published because it's so topical. It'll
help sway the editorial board too.

Here are a bunch of points you might want to include in your letter:

• Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task." She's even admitted she hasn't thought
  about the war much—just last year she was quoted saying, "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't
  really focused much on the war in Iraq." ^{1, 2}
• Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party. Six months ago, Palin told
  members of the group—who advocate for a vote on secession from the union—to "keep up the good work"
  and "wished the party luck on what she called its 'inspiring convention.'" ³
• Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools. She hasn't made clear whether she thinks evolution
  is a fact.⁴
• Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking about climate change, she said,
  "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being manmade." ⁵
• Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP. ⁶
• Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the case of rape or incest. ⁷
• Palin opposes comprehensive sex-ed in public schools. She's said she will only support abstinence-only
  approaches. ⁸
• As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library. Palin asked the library how she might go about banning
  books because some had inappropriate language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, "news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for
  not giving "full support" to the mayor." ⁹
• She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). Palin claimed that she said "thanks,
  but no thanks" to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. But in 2006, Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that
  Alaska should take advantage of earmarks "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist."
  ¹⁰

The plain fact of the matter is that Sarah Palin did a bang-up job delivering a Karl Rove-style political attack speech
last night. That makes her a skilled politician but it doesn't make her views any more palatable for voters. Americans don't
really want another far-right, anti-science ideologue in the White House.

Link: https://pol.moveon.org/donate/inyourhead.html?id=13272-3723439-T9ovUax&t=1

Have you noticed that President Bush and John McCain keep telling Americans our problems are all in our heads and that we just need to feel better?

Late last night, McCain's campaign co-chair Phil Gramm had to step down because of controversy over his comment that we were in the middle of a "mental recession." But the the truth is, McCain himself has repeatedly said our problems are merely "psychological"—Gramm was just more openly condescending about it.

Gramm's gone—but so far, the media's giving McCain a free pass for saying similar things. So we made a video. It's short, and funny, and it'll help spread the word. Please check it out, then pass it on!

With banks failing, foreclosures and bankruptcies skyrocketing, inflation at the highest level in years, and thousands losing their jobs, these comments are a measure of just how out of touch with reality John McCain and George Bush are. Let's make sure their comments don't slip under the radar.

God Bless America!

Our elected leaders are paid to work for the American public, not rich forigners and corporations!

We need a serious change... not 4 more years of BUSH!!!!

I love the crap that these politicians are spewing at you to get your vote.... more wells mean more oil....

Let's examine this a little closer....

New wells cost money, who is going to pay for that and where is that money coming from?  The oil companies?  or your pocket with new taxes or still high gas prices.

Another thing is the refineries... one excuse that was used not too long ago was that gas prices were rising because there was not enough refinaries to produce the gas.

McCain is handing out a reward to car companies that produce alternatives, yet there are alternatives other than electric or gas powered vehicles.... one company produced a car that runs on compressed air....

Another thing to keep in mind is that Big Oil is a business just like any other business.... they have CEO's that need to be paid, shareholders, etc....  Do you really think that with the record profits that these people are making will stop?  No, stockholders don't want their stock to go down, CEO's do not want to take less of a salary... so if you actually think that more oil wells are going to lower prices, then you are a fool!!! 

Too many people are making too much money to let that heppen, otherwise, these other new technologies would be pushed through giving big oil a run for their money. The only way to bring down oil prices is to make competition with big oil.  Right now, you are dependant on their product to get you around with your car, if you car ran on compressed air, hydrogen, or any other product than gas, there wouldn't be such a demand for oil and prices would fall.  Thank about that for a minute!

All I am trying to say here is... DON'T be fooled by political bullshit and lies to get your vote.  Do some research on the topic they are trying to sell you. Be informed before making this decision.... this does not only effect you, but your childern and grandchildren, and maybe even more generations to come.

They say the children are our future, but it's still up to us to make sure then have a future.