Election time in the US. I can't avoid it if I try!

I am still depressed from 2004... and here we go again. The main reason I am depressed is that it seems to me that the American voting population does not use the same kind of logic and reasoning to evaluate political candidates as I do. I'm not saying my way is The Right Way (even though I really do!), I'm just sick to the stomach with the direction the US is tumbling into and I attribute most of it to poor education of the masses. I'm talking about the quality of an average high school education. Kids coming out of your average high school have challenges reading and couldn't find Moscow on the map for their life! Not only that, they might not even know that Moscow is the capital city of Russia which used to be the Soviet Union and that they have enough nuclear missiles to pulverize the Western Hemisphere. Oh, sorry - they don't know what that is either! We are doomed!

Back to the US elections. My current gripe is related to the catastrophic state of education of the masses. Sarah Palin. Never mind if it's a Republican or a Democrat we're picking but let's at least have competent people with some experience and a smidgen of a proven track record. Today we have ,on the Republican ticket, an old man (McCain, age 72) who I don't agree with in terms of policy (but that's beside the point) with a relatively young woman from Alaska (Palin, age 44) who knows very little about the global politics, world economics and... philosophy. Yes, I think philosophy is essential to be in charge of this wobbly superpower. Since the old man might keel over before his term ends she just might end up in charge here. THAT FREAKS ME OUT! And I'm not alone.

Here is what my friend Janis B who is an engineer forwarded to me today:

Okay, I never send chain letters and very rarely forward a joke so please cut me some slack. I have seen this particular letter in various places and am forwarding it anyway because I have to do something to try to stop this unconscionable marketing blitz of Sarah Palin. I have been competing and contributing as a professional female in a male dominated industry for the past 21 + years and find the selection and marketing of Sarah Palin insulting. It is unbelievable that any scrutiny of Governor Palin is considered sexist. These complaints only deteriorate the hard earned professional respect that women in my industry have gained through many years of going toe-to-toe (when necessary) with others who have differing ideas – not crying foul when they question me, but evaluating approaches through discussion. I do not agree with Ms. Palin’s anti-choice position, nor do I find her obvious lack of honesty (delivered in a folksy tone) appropriate for someone only a heartbeat away from the presidency!

Anyway, take a look. If you feel compelled, write a letter!

*Say no to Palin* Friends, compatriots, fellow-lamenters,

We are writing to you because of the fury and dread we have felt since the announcement of Sarah Palin as the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Republican Party. We believe that this terrible decision has surpassed mere partisanship, and that it is a dangerous farce on the part of a pandering and rudderless Presidential candidate that has a real possibility of becoming fact.

Perhaps like us, as American women, you share the fear of what Ms. Palin and her professed beliefs and proven record could lead to for ourselves and for our present or future daughters. To date, she is against sex education, birth control, the pro-choice platform, environmental protection, alternative energy development, freedom of speech (as mayor she wanted to ban books and attempted to fire the librarian who stood against her), gun control, the separation of church and state, and polar bears. To say nothing of her complete lack of real preparation to become the second-most-powerful person on the planet.

We want to clarify that we are not against Sarah Palin as a woman, a mother, or, for that matter, a parent of a pregnant teenager, but solely as a rash, incompetent, and altogether devastating choice for Vice President. Ms. Palin's political views are in every way a slap in the face to the accomplishments that our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers so fiercely fought for, and that we've so demonstrably benefited from.

First and foremost, Ms. Palin does not represent us. She does not demonstrate or uphold our interests as American women. It is presumed that the inclusion of a woman on the Republican ticket could win over women voters. We want to disagree, publicly.

Therefore, we invite you to reply here womensaynopalin@gmail.com with a short, succinct message about why you, as a woman living in this country, do not support this candidate as second-in-command for our nation.

Please include your name (last initial is fine), age, and place of residence.

We will post your responses on a blog called "Women Against Sarah Palin," which we intend to publicize as widely as possible. Please send us your reply at your earliest convenience. The greater the volume of responses we receive, the stronger our message will be. Thank you for your time and action.

VIVA!

Sincerely, Quinn Latimer and Lyra Kilston New York, NY womensaynopalin@gmail.com

**PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY! If you send this to 20 women in the next hour, you could be blessed with a country that takes your concerns seriously. Stranger things have happened.
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I couldn't agree more!