The
Terrible Error of Sarah Palin
Commentary and Panel from On The Issues Magazine
In the Fall edition of On The Issues Magazine on “What is Terror for Women,” publisher Merle Hoffman penned an essay, Sarah Palin and the Apocalypse.
On October 20 in New York, a panel of writers on Christian fundamentalism co-sponsored by On The Issues Magazine and The World Can’t Wait — Drive Out the Bush Regime expanded on the dangers that Sarah Palin represents. Their comments, carried more fully in the The Café of On The Issues Magazine.com provide powerful insights:
Kathryn Joyce (author of Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement):
On
the day she was announced, Janice Crouse of Concerned Women for America
released a statement saying: “Take that, feminists – here is a woman of
accomplishment who brings a fresh face to traditional values and models
the type of woman most girls want to become. For years, the feminist
movement has acknowledged for leadership only those women who embrace a
radical agenda. How refreshing that we have a woman who reflects the
values of mainstream American women, pro-life, pro-marriage and
pro-family.”
That the Christian Right has found a way to
approve of Palin’s candidacy should not be seen as a comforting move
towards modern gender roles, but rather a stark reminder of how far
afield from the mainstream the people Palin appeals to and represents
are.
Esther Kaplan (author of With God on Their Side, George Bush and the Christian Right):
Sarah
Palin is an enormous, enormous star on the Christian Right now. Even
though the polls are pointing to an Obama-Biden victory, this is just a
prelude to a mega political career for this woman.
Another
really important thing is, as we see in her rallies, Sarah Palin has
really unleashed something or exposed something really significant
about the Christian Right, that it’s a white racist movement.
Sunsara Taylor (writer for Revolution Newspaper):
Palin’s
candidacy – as extreme as she is — is in a lot of ways the logical
conclusion of the whole political spectrum and discourse in this
country on abortion and women’s rights for the last 15 years. It’s one
that’s been initiated and led by the Christian Right, but conceded to
and adhered to by the Democrats, and it’s a framework that needs to be
decisively ruptured if we’re not going to witness the ushering in of
the horrific dark ages view of women that Palin concentrates.
The
only way you can bring together two antagonistic positions – the view
that women’s role is to be enslaved to their biology and to their
husbands and the idea that women are human beings and are capable of
participating fully and equally in every sphere of society together
with men – is by having one side capitulate to the other.
And
the Christian fundamentalist movement, the pro-natalist movement and
the movement to criminalize abortion are not capitulating and they are
not toning it down.
Dear World Can\’t Wait, and especially Sunsara Taylor:
How refreshing it is to see young people who are NOT buying into the big lie that is espoused by the ultra right wing neo-cons in this country. You and I both know that too many of them do. I know especially, because I have two daughters who buy into, not only the rhetoric of Bush, but are aligned with the Radical Christian Right. How do they feel about their father? Well, I hope they love me very much, as I do them. But we have had many discussions about politics; they don\’t agree with me, nor I them. The hard, cold reality is – Socialism is the ONLY thing that has ever really worked for workers of the world. It is the same philosophy espoused by Jesus and all the prophets. I am 65 years old, but I want in this fight!!! I hope that somebody does contact me. If you contact me by e-mail, I will give you more contact information for me. I am also a Viet Nam Veteran, and I rue the day I ever fought against the Viet Cong. We were there to bolster a corrupt regime; they were there to feed the people.
Power To The People, Brothers & Sisters.
With all the sincerity I have to give, Ed Cook.