Sarah Palin Who? & the Hypocrisy of the GOP

Yes, that sound you hear is the collective sigh of people everywhere who are wondering who the heck Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is. The next sound you hear is the cackle made when millions of us realize WHO she is and WHAT she has done so far, and it makes the GOP leadership look like the hypocritical, opportunistic fools that we know they are. This woman's political resume is thinner than a toothpick, and it's just another great example of how the GOP repeats a talking point about their opponent over and over and over, the media runs with it like it's the Gospel truth, and then THEY end up doing the SAME exact thing they decried the Democrats for doing. Whether that talking point is "Experience", "Timetables for Withdrawing from Iraq" or "Negotiating with the Terrorists--i.e., Syria, N. Korea, Iran".

Let's start with the "inexperience" argument which we have had drilled into our heads for the last 2 years regarding Barack Obama, the 47-year-old presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. Yet, let's hold his record of 12-plus years of public service inlcuding Illinois State Legislature (1996-2004) along with being a lecturer on Constitutional Law at University of Chicago Law School (1992 to 2004) plus 4 years as a US Senator (2004-2008...). Is there even any comparison? And let's not talk about, Obama's VP choice, Joe Biden, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a man with such foreign policy expertise that he was personally requested by President Saakashvili of Georgia to come for talks during the recent crisis with Russia. Contrast this with the more "experienced" candidate who chose Palin, a political neophyte who has been Governor of Alaska for 1 1/2 years (December, 2006-present) and was former Mayor of Wasilla, population 6,715 from 1996 to 2002! Of course, at this point, her foreign policy experience comes apparently comes from her state Alaska facing Russia across the Bering Straits. Take that, North Korea! Above all, Palin's own peers in Alaska, who should be rooting for a fellow Alaskan don't think much of her executive qualifications. Says Alaska's Republican Senate President, Lyda Green, "She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president?" Most sane, political analysts wonder though, why McSame would pick Palin instead of say, Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. After all, she's TX senior Senator, has been in the Senate since 1993 (15 years), and possesses a considerable amount of national clout in the party in addition to hailing from a key southern state with 34 electoral votes (instead of only 3). Somehow, the good Senator had too much experience for the GOP ticket. In the meantime, the Candidate of Experience came to the conclusion that Palin was perfect for the position after only meeting Palin once in February and talking with her once by phone. McCain never met Palin in person prior to this weekend. As a McCain spokesperson Nancy Pfotenhauer put it, "You're running flat into the wall of my ignorance here," she said. "I truly have no indication whatsoever the extent of a relationship that exists with the Governor of Alaska.".

To her credit, Palin thinks Creationism should be taught in public schools. I agree with that, after all if evolution is recognized as a "theory" by scientists, then it stands to reason that Creationism should also be taught as a "theory" as well. OK, but that's all we have in common. Now for more of Palin's accomplishments & platform... Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest. How inflexible is that? It's commendable that she should bring into the world a child that she was warned would have Down Syndrome, but as I explained in my previous post, "Abortion & The One-Issue Party" there are exceptions to every moral rule. Palin also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska. Also, consider how the irony of Palin running for Governor on the basis of reforming a corrupt state government (Sen. "Uncle" Ted Stevens anyone?), yet Palin ran a 527 for Stevens, the aptly named Excellence in Public Service, Inc., and is herself now under ethics investigation by Alaska's Legislature for politically motivated firings. Yep, she'll definitely fit in well in Washington! Finally, let's discuss Palin's commander in chief credentials, or lack thereof.

Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell, adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard, considers Palin "extremely responsive and smart" and says she is in charge when it comes to in-state services, such as emergencies and natural disasters where the National Guard is the first responder.

But, in an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday, he said he and Palin play no role in national defense activities, even when they involve the Alaska National Guard. The entire operation is under federal control, and the governor is not briefed on situations.

Certainly if strong beliefs are all one needs to run for Executive Office in US government, then Sarah Palin definitely has what it takes to run as a Republican candidate. I have no problem with Governor Sarah Palin--0r any woman, for that matter--being considered for VPOTUS, if she actually had significant experience and legislative accomplishments to back up her ambition, but she doesn't.

Of course, if there is any indication from the rousing domestic and foreign policy "successes" of our current President Who's-Name-I-Don't-Like-to-Mention, maybe it really doesn't take that much experience to be Clown-in-Chief of the USA! After all we (not me of course, because I never voted for him) twice elected (and allowed to steal the election) a man who's only claim to fame was being the C-grade son of old money Texas/Connecticut oil barons and bankers. Certainly President George W. Shrub has lowered the bar so that anyone can be President of the US. So if you are a moron, but at least a little bit connected, you too could be President one day!

Why Black Men Don't Go to Church (Part 2)

Wednesday, 8/20/08 was the 2nd Annual edition of the Wide aWoke Wednesday's Live Interactive Talk Show topic "Why Black Men Don't Go to Church" as hosted by Motown Maurice, & The Combination . Motown moderated as panelists and audience debated this issue from varying view points. That's what The Combination and Wide aWoke Wednesday are all about--uniting us despite our many differing perspectives on the same topics.

As a born-again, Black, Christian male under age 30, I believe there are a couple reasons specifically why more Black men are not in church or many Black men who attend church during youth stop attending once they reach the teen years. These include relationship and hypocrisy, but wait, I'll explain.

I feel blessed to have come from a religious family, with my family in Haiti being traditionally Catholic as are most folks in the Caribbean and South American cultures. Once I moved to the United States, my adoptive mother, Ruth E. Hodges, a missionary to Haiti since 1969 was a Pentecostal, so I was raised in Pentecostal and non-denominational Pentecostal churches since age 5. Because I was raised in church, church became a natural part of my life, just like eating. My Ma also sent me to private Christian schools where Christian values were further emphasized as part of the education. So in addition to getting a great education with individual attention, I learned quite a bit about the Christian faith both at school and at home where we read the Bible and prayed daily (to this day, I have read the Holy Bible 10 times cover to cover). Eventually I became born again at a meeting for Christian youth in California. Then I began to develop a relationship with Christ and church continued to be part of my lifestyle. As I grew up beyond my teen years, I began to become a more independent and became more conscious of who I was in the world, but at the same time because of my upbringing and my relationship with God, there was no way I could leave church to the side as if I had somehow outgrown it because of my education or life experiences. The key though is that I had a relationship with God, so church was the least I could do as far as feeding my soul.

When you value something, you enter into relationship with that thing or its representation. For example, I have been taught to value marriage, therefore it was not a problem for me to enter into the commitment of marriage. I believe that many men, not just Black men, who attended church in their youth, no longer attend because they were forced to attend church (by their parents), and never sought out the relationship aspect of church. For them it was a chore and an obligation, not an opportunity to become a better person. Others use the reason that there are too many hypocrites. Let me address that statement as well. There is no where in the world you will ever go where there are not hypocrites. And truth be told we are ALL hypocrites at some time. You see, the English word "hypocrite" (derived as hupokrisis in Greek) simply means someone who acts one way in one situation and a different way in another situation. It was a term used to describe actors in a theater setting who would wear tragedy masks to conceal their true identity. Therefore, if you act one way at work, another way at school, another way at sporting activities, another way at church, etc.--which we all do--then you too are technically a hypocrite. Besides which, all the hypocrites SHOULD be in church, because that is where they can get help!

For more information on Wide aWoke Wednesdays, please visit http://www.wideawoke.com/ or http://www.thecombinationtv.com/ or call 813-951-0794. Our once monthly forums are typically held the 3rd Wednesday, 7:30pm with refreshments & a Meet & Greet at 6:30pm at USF Alumni Center - Traditions Hall 4202 E. Fowler Ave. Tampa, FL 33620.