Barbara Hirschfeld's Blog

This is not my message, it is an ok message but please scroll down to the end to read my thoughts.

Thanks.

Barbara

As an Alaskan, > I am writing to give all of you some information on Sarah Palin, > Senator McCain's choice for VP. As an Alaska voter, I know more than most of > you about her and, frankly, I am horrified that he picked > her. The most accurate description of her is red neck. Her husband works in > the oil > fields of Prudhoe Bay and races snow mobiles. She is a life time > member of the NRA and has worked tirelessly to allow indiscriminate > hunting of wildlife in Alaska, particularly wolves and bears. She has > spent millions of Alaska state dollars on aerial hunting of these > predators from helicopters and airplanes, dollars that should have > been spent, for example, on Alaska's failing school system. We have > the lowest rate of high school graduation in the country. Not all of > you may think aerial predator hunting is so bad, but how anyone (other > than Alaska wolf-haters, of which there are many, most > without teeth), could think this use of funds is appropriate is beyond > me. If you want to know more about the aerial hunting travesty, let me know > and I will send some links to informative web > sites. She has been a strong supporter of increased use of fossil fuels, yet > the McCain > campaign has the nerve to say she has 'green' policies. The only thing > green about Sarah Palin is her lack of experience. She has > consistently supported drilling in ANWR, use of coal-burning power > plants (as I write this, a new coal plant is being built in her home > town of Wasilla), strip mining, and almost anything else that will > unnecessarily exploit the diminishing resources of Alaska and destroy > its environment. Prior to her one year as governor of Alaska, she was mayor > of Wasilla, a small red neck town outside Anchorage. The average maximum > education level of > parents of junior high school kids in Wasilla is 10th grade. > Unfortunately, I have to go to Wasilla every week to get groceries and > other supplies, so I have continual contact with the people who put > Palin in office in the first place. I know what I'm talking about. > These people don't have a concept of the world around them or of the > serious issues facing the US. Furthermore, they don't care. So long as > they can go out and hunt their moose every fall, kill wolves and bears > and drive their snow mobiles and ATVs through every corner of the > wilderness, they're happy. I wish I were > exaggerating. > Sarah Palin is currently involved in a political corruption scandal. She > fired an > individual in law enforcement here because she didn't like how he > treated one of her relatives during a divorce. The man's performance > and ability weren't considered; it was a totally personal firing and > is currently under investigation. While the issue isn't close to the > scandal of Ted Steven's corruption, it shows that Palin isn't 'squeaky > clean' and causes me to think there ay be more issues that could come > to light. Clearly McCain doesn't care. > When you line Palin up with Biden, the comparison would be laughable if it > weren't > so serious. Sarah Palin knows nothing of economics (admittedly a weak > area for McCain), or of international affairs, knows nothing of > national government, Social Security, unemployment, health care > systems - you name it. The idea of her meeting with heads of foreign > governments around the world truly frightens me. > In an increasingly dangerous world, with the economy in shambles in the US, > Sarah Palin is uniquely UNqualified to be vice president. John McCain > is not a young man. Should something happen to him such that the vice > president had to step in, it would destroy our country and possibly > the world to have someone as inexperienced and inappropriate as Sarah > Palin. The choice of Palin is a cheap shot by McCain to try to get > Hillary supporters to vote for him. when McCain introduced her today, > Palin had the nerve to compare herself with Hillary and Geraldine > Ferraro. Sarah Palin, you are no Hillary Clinton. > To those of you who, like me, supported Hilary and were upset that she did > not get > the nomination, please don't think that Sarah Palin is a worthy > substitute. If you supported Hillary, regardless of what you think the > media and the Democratic party may have done to undermine her > campaign, the person to support now is Obama, not Sarah Palin. To > those of you who are independent or undecided, don't let the choice of > Palin sway you in favor of McCain. Choosing her shows how unqualified > McCain is to be president. To those of you who are conservative, I > guess you have no choice for president. But please try to see how the > poor choice of Palin tells us a great deal about McCain's judgment. > While the political posturing inherent in the choice of Palin is > obvious, the more serious issue is the fact that the VP is, literally, > a heartbeat away from the presidency. Sarah Palin is totally and > unequivocally unqualified to be vice president,... let alone president. > > I know this is a lengthy and emotional email, but the stakes are high. I > thought it > might help for all of you, regardless of political affiliation, to > know something about Palin from someone who has to live with her > administration in Alaska on a daily basis. --- On Fri, 9/5/08, barbara hirschfeld wrote:
From: barbara hirschfeld Subject: To: "Date: Friday, September 5, 2008, 8:35 PM
>
There is no question that the person who sent this e-mail and I are on the same side, but I have some comments about this e-mail

Rednecks are OK

Please understand that I think this may be one of the most important moments in the history of this country. The signing of the Declaration of Independence; the Presidency of John Adams; the Election of Abraham Lincoln; the Election of Andrew Jackson - all were important turning points for this country's development - I'm not going into the reasons, if you are a history student you know why.

That Barrack Obama be elected is of paramount importance to the future of this country and we cannot afford to make mistakes based on petty or purely emotional responses to the Republicans. We need to pinpoint McCain and Palin's real deficiencies and talk about how they affect lives.

Sarah Palin is a monkey at the end of the accordian players tether. She sings and dances for the Republican Party and gives John McCain the connection with a certain segment of the population that he needs to win this election. She is doing a stellar job.

She is being dressed in finery and paraded through the streets to let a very worried working class, predominantly white, know they have a champion??!! ( I don't think so)

She is a poster child for gun control, drilling for oil on sacroscant land and in general accepting the socio-economic hierarchy as it exists today.

So, my problem is this - she was selected (not just by John McCain I think you are naive if you believe this) but by the leadership of the Republican Party who felt the need to balance his candidacy with a "tough (conservative) cookie". They don't think he can win on his own.

Left alone there is little question McCain would lose this election. He is not that attractive to the "right wing conservative element of the Republican constitucency" - the very people who brought us George W. Bush.

Actually, if you look at her she is George Bush.

She can talk cowboy.

So don't think you are insulting her by calling her a redneck - and don't think you will win over many people by calling her a redneck - you will only solidify her power base. They love rednecks.

Any balanced person recoils in horror from her candidacy. Not because she is a redneck but because she is a sham.

Her case for being Mayor of a small Alsakan town preparing her for the presidency is about as accurate as saying being president of the PTA would make you a good candidate for the presidency. It might give you some good basic people skills, but in no way does it prepare you for dealing with world issues. As I remember small towns are cliqueish, narrowly focused and have very little experience with broader world issues. I doubt that Sarah Palin ever had to deal with diversity in her Alaskan township. It doesn't matter that she is a "redneck" it matters that she is a culturally inexperienced redneck.

I don't care that she hunts. Let her go out and hunt whatever legal game she is licensed to kill. Dick Cheney does. If you try to attack her there you will bring every licensed hunter to her defense. She is way too cute to lose that argument.

Oil drilling in restricted areas - you bet that is a problem. However, given the current situation with the cost of fuel, try to understand why people who make under $50,000 a year are in a panic and might be swayed by someone who says "Let's go out and get that oil". A lot of working class people don't live in areas that have good quality public transportation. I live in Chicago, I can go anywhere in Chicago without a car, easily, at any time of day, very little cost. If I travel 15 miles outside of Chicago I'm screwed without a car. Guess where the majority of the working middle class live.

Why are we arguing about drilling for oil? We should be making a very strong case for alternative energy (you know that). Why don't we point out that no matter how much oil we drill in Alaska it is not going to lower the price of gasoline at the pump. In 1965 (when I graduated from high school and got my first car) I paid something like a dollar a gallon for gasoline. I got my windows washed and they gave me a premium for buying gasoline - a drinking glass, some stamps - something extra. That died in the 70's and folks it is not coming back - no matter how much oil we find in Alaska. The way to help working people in the outlaying suburban areas is to find a cheap, efficient, clean (my concern) way to power their transportation. Don't pontificate - find a workable energy resource, support it and get it to people at a fair price. SCREW THE OIL COMPANIES - Let them eat their oil.

However if they destroy the pristine lands that inspire artists, bring solice to the heart and soul of all of us - what do we gain. The price of gasoline will not decrease if they drill in ANWAR. The oil refineries will need that money to build their plants and refineries. Those plants and refineries will destroy the wildlife surrounding them. The money will go to pay dividends to their shareholders. It is not going in our pockets. Go anywhere there are refineries - they are not beautiful. We will get nothing for our pristine, beautiful wild land - just like the Native Americans - it will be taken away from us and we won't even get a handful of beads.

Her 17 year old pregnant daughter, how sad. Who really thinks these poor kids have any chance for a fulfilling life. They are being railroaded into making decisions based on what is good for Sarah Palin. Abortion isn't the only answer. This 17 year old could have her child and Sarah Palin certainly has the ability to take care of it. Why are they (at 5 months of pregnancy) talking about weddings. Wouldn't she have been married months ago if love were the answer. They are making these kids get married to foster their own ambitions. This is so apparent and so apalling.

I don't want to denigrate Sarah Palin because she is a redneck. I like a lot of rednecks - Willie Nelson for instance - and so do a lot of other people.

I don't like Sarah Palin because she doesn't serve my interests. She is not going to make my life better as a working woman - she doesn't support the issues of economic security and equality for all. She is not going to support Health Care, Education, Freedom of choice (which by the way is also important to the religious right - Hello - do they want someone tellng them HOW they can worship or not worship their God?

Think Supreme Court, think socio economic policy, think what is good for broad segments of the population. Leave the rednecks alone - they can be both good and bad - but they gather support when they are belittled.

As for John McCain - how would a man who can't remember how many houses he owns - relate to people who are losing theirs because they can't afford the mortgage payments. Do not buy the trickle down theory of economic policy. Not much has ever trickled down to the middle class and even less to the poor.

Let's go with real issues. It's enough that tabloids rule our news and tv's. Please let's keep them from ruling our lives with their endless focus on the mundane.

Vote for Barrack Obama he supports the issues that effect the broadest segment of the American population. He is a black man of integrity and intelligence, he is educated, worldly and yes I do feel that his position as a community organizer in Chicago, and his Senate experience have prepared him far better than Sarah Palin for the White House. He is what this country needs to benefit the majority of its population - he is the president we need and deserve. Don't be distracted. Stay on focus. Follow the real issues and decide who has the best policy on the real issues.

Study the issues and explain to everyone you meet why Barrack Obama is a better choice for the Leader of this Country from that perspective. Vote!! Get like minded People to get to the polls - convince at least 3 people they need to vote for Obama as if their life depended on it. It does.

Thanks for reading all of this.