Dear Uncle Chuck…
I wonder if you realize who sent you that email, for you to have sent such a hateful reply. I’ve never generated emails of a political nature before, but I did this time, in the interest of my country. Initially, I was really hurt by your reply. After consideration though, I became angry. After further consideration, well, you’re not the man I always envisioned.
Is this what you think of me? Am I a “no-good white bitch” because I fell in love with a Black man? And yes, he was married. Am I the “socialist/commie” you talk about? Or the “rotten…no good, stupid butthead? Or am I the “irresponsible no good rabble rousing jerk”? Thank you so much, Uncle Chuck. I appreciate, after all these years, knowing exactly how you feel.
The difference between you and me, Uncle Chuck, is that I read documented information. I make my choice of candidate, Democrat or Republican, based on solid information, not the ravings of a super right OR super left fringe element that spouts hateful garbage without any reference to the solid issues at hand.
Documented Facts:
As mayor of Wasila, Alaska, Palin wanted to build an ice rink for the city (an honorable goal). She failed to purchase the land in time and someone else purchased it. Upset, because she wanted that particular piece of property, she filed a law suit against the businessman who then owned the property. The case went on for some time only to have a judge rule in the businessman’s favor. He purchased the land in good faith and did not have to give it up to eminent domain, which is what Palin tried to do. The ice rink eventually got built, but when Palin left Wasila to become governor, she also left behind a $19 million debt in legal fees for the small town to pay.
As mayor of Wasila, Palin got rid of one police chief when he crossed her. The man who replaced him gave Palin an outline of his budget plans which included no longer paying for the medical kit used in the investigation of rape and sexual assault on women. Victims during that time, were forced to pay anywhere from $500 to $1200 for their own rape examinations in order to gather evidence to pursue criminal investigation of their attackers.
As governor of Alaska, Palin was a strong supporter of what is now being called the “Bridge to Nowhere.” She supported it as long as she thought the federal government was going to pay for it. It was only after Washington said “no” to the billion dollar enterprise that she backed down. Now she touts herself has having never supported it to begin with.
As governor of Alaska, Palin supports drilling on the Alaska North Slope which includes a wildlife refuge center. When the Secretary of the Interior put polar bears on the endangered species list, Gov. Palin sued the federal government to have polar bears removed from the list – not because they aren’t an endangered species, but because it would have precluded drilling in the wildlife reserve. She could have continued with plans to drill, but simply excluded the reserve. Instead, she chose to use taxpayer dollars in another costly legal battle.
As governor of Alaska, Palin sided with the oil companies (understandably since the oil and gas industry make up 80% of Alaska revenues) in a pipeline construction from Alaska to the “lower 48.” But she also, signing it into law, gave the whole project, all the jobs for construction and long-term maintenance, to a Canadian company.
As for the education you so eloquently (and I do use a bit of sarcasm here) cite, think about this:
McCain: the United State Naval Academy – impressive until you realize he was 894 out of a class of 899.
Palin: total 9 semesters, 5 different schools, with a Bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Idaho.
Biden: a double Bachelors degree in political science and history, and his Juris degree from Syracuse University.
Obama: 2 years at Occidental College, a Bachelors degree from Columbia University and his Juris Doctorate from Harvard where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.
I salute our men and women in the Armed Forces and respect them for their contribution to our security. However, service in the Armed Forces is not what I would consider adequate experience for the position of President of the United States. If that were the case, you would certainly qualify.
As for “trying to destroy the Mother of a typical American family,” I never said anything about her family or her state of motherhood. I’m certainly not trying to destroy the woman at all. I AM trying to look at the facts surrounding her abilities and past record to determine who is the best person for the job at hand…and I certainly don’t believe the ability to spit out babies is adequate experience for the position of Vice President (or President) of the United States.
So, Uncle Chuck, as much as I love you, I’ve lost a certain level of respect I’ve always held for you in the past. You and I have had our differences, but I always thought you were an intelligent man, open to the truth. Your email reply has certainly shown me another side of you. Ignorance can be corrected with knowledge. Refusing to seek out the knowledge is stupidity and there is no cure for that.
Your loving niece,
Laurie
