About Plain and this list

[Guest guest]

I thought this conversation was over, but I started taking some things

personally, because I believe that I'm being personally attacked for

bringing up Palin's private life.

Palin's private life is relevant only in so far as it is a potential

distraction for the very serious job of presidency. I judge this

woman's candidacy with the possibility in mind that she may become the

president of the United States, and thereby leader of the free world

(God forbid), by DEFAULT and with zero experience in foreign policy,

law, and with the most right-wing politics on the political spectrum.

Do you think that will make her the president of the majority of the

Amrican people? I don't want anybody to get to that position, whether

they are a man, woman, or transsexual. She is a radical. If you oppose

radicalism and extremism on both sides of the isle, you should oppose

her too. But of course you won't.

Palin's private life is relevant to her public life. Why? Because it

is the republican agenda to make it so. The republicans with their

family values discourse have made family and private life a central

public issue, so much so that the 2000 presidential election was

determined by a few zealots caring so much about other people's

private lives. Why else would they care about who is married to who,

what marriage is, who engages in sodomy, who is gay, who uses

contraception, who aborts their pregnancy and on and on. Here people,

get a taste of your own medicine.

Palin has over and over objected to contraception and sex education

programs. How ironic is it that her under-aged daughter is pregnant.

That's the connection folks. Yeah, she's pregnant at age 44

" accidentally. " You buy that. This woman risks miscarriage by getting

an amnio, even though the outcome should be entirely irrelevant to

her. Preparing for what? That's bull! You don't do highly risky tests

to " prepare. " This woman finishes her speech after her water breaks,

instead of rushing to the hospital first thing, thereby further

complicating her pregnancy and possibly endangering that baby. Three

days after delivery she goes to work. Excuse me folks, I'm just as

much a feminist as anyone here and certainly more than some, so don't

give me that equality argument. A newborn, and especially a special

newborn needs their mother to BOND to say the least. You can't do that

in three days. She's going to leave that child to nanny's anyway, you

may say. Nothing for special needs can come from a woman who doesn't

stop for a moment and digest the " awe " of having a special child. Oh

yeah, she was prepared, I forgot. She will never know the difficulties

of having a special child, because she personally will not have the

time to attend to that child's very demanding needs and she certainly

doesn't have insurance, housing, and financial aspects of it to worry

about.

She wants creationism to be taught at schools. Do you think with her

anti-abortion and creationist views she'll back most valuable types of

stem cell and other research that might save our children from autism?

Wake up and smell the coffee! She's against banning semi-automatic

rifles, like a licensed gun is not enough to protect yourself from

whatever, but you need the big enchilada. The woman doesn't believe in

global warming and she is in favor of more oil drilling. How do you

people square all that with the mercury-autism connection? I haven't

heard a single response about that on this list.

I never said Palin is a bad mother. I pointed to some things

that she seems to have done irresponsibly, imo, and her very chaotic

private life is relevant to me as a voter (just as Clinton's poor

sexual choices were so relevant to you people) in so far as they might

interfere with her work. The U.S. presidency is a job like no other.

You can use no other woman's and certainly not your own experience as

a precedent. And yes, there is a difference between five children and

no, one, two, or even three. Time doesn't expand.

I kept my opinion confined to Palin. I did not go after anyone

on this list personally. But I noticed that people who think like me

on this list or I personally have been indirectly called " trash, " " a

woman with high school still in her " or some other bull like that,

" backstabbing, " and more. Lenny Schaefer not only did not warn anyone

to refrain from personal attacks, but he actually joined some with his

own inflammatory statements.

You lowered the bar and I had to respond. This list needs better

moderation and less groupthink. I sure hope this is a self-selected

group and does not reflect the majority of America come November.

Because it is clear to me that you'd expect more for your children's

cause and other serious troubles this country is in from someone like

Palin than someone who has devoted their whole life advocating,

studying, legislating issues as serious as education, health care,

environment and science.

I like to be informed by this list because I care about mercury-autism

connection dearly. But I'm extremely disappointed and frankly

disgusted by how fanatically people can attack another list member in

personal terms for their views and do that with the blessing of the

moderator.

If the moderator continues to not " moderate, " then I will immediately

unsubscribe. I appreciate the Schaefer report very much, but it and

this list is not indispensable for our cause.

Beti