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Palin's record
I've read occasional remarks to the effect that Sarah Palin's record on the environment is moderately OK, especially bearing in mind the record of the rest of her political party. I even checked out her New York Times op-ed, dating from January or February, in which she decried efforts to put polar bears onto the Endangered Species List; her argument, assuming the data she cited to support it were genuine, was not an unreasonable one, even though I disagreed with it. (I was, though, disturbed by her expressed attitude towards climate change in the op-ed, which seemed to be that this was a major and urgent problem about which we should, er, well, not do anything in too much of a hurry . . .)
Now I discover that all the stuff I'd read about her environmental good-thinking were just a matter of, as usual, our mainstream news media swallowing and regurgitating the drivel they're fed by (almost always Republican) politicians. Here's a press release, just issued, from the excellent charity Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund:
August 29, 2008
Shocking Choice by John McCain
WASHINGTON-- Senator John McCain just announced his choice for running mate: Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. To follow is a statement by Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund.
“Senator McCain’s choice for a running mate is beyond belief. By choosing Sarah Palin, McCain has clearly made a decision to continue the Bush legacy of destructive environmental policies.
“Sarah Palin, whose husband works for BP (formerly British Petroleum), has repeatedly put special interests first when it comes to the environment. In her scant two years as governor, she has lobbied aggressively to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, pushed for more drilling off of Alaska’s coasts, and put special interests above science. Ms. Palin has made it clear through her actions that she is unwilling to do even as much as the Bush administration to address the impacts of global warming. Her most recent effort has been to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the polar bear from the endangered species list, putting Big Oil before sound science. As unbelievable as this may sound, this actually puts her to the right of the Bush administration.
“This is Senator McCain’s first significant choice in building his executive team and it’s a bad one. It has to raise serious doubts in the minds of voters about John McCain’s commitment to conservation, to addressing the impacts of global warming and to ensuring our country ends its dependency on oil.”
###
The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund (www.defendersactionfund.org) provides a powerful voice in Washington to Americans who value our conservation heritage. Through grassroots lobbying, issue advocacy and political campaigns, the Action Fund champions those laws and lawmakers that protect wildlife and wild places while working against those that do them harm.
So was it just sloppy journalism? Were the mainstream journalists perhaps getting her mixed up with Michael?
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I wonder what her brother Michael thinks about all this?
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"I wonder what her brother Michael thinks about all this?"
Bearing in mind the lengths to which he goes to deny any relationship to her at all, I imagine he's not entirely gruntled by her anti-environment activities.
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Hey, remember Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life" vignette featuring Mr. Creosote? That vignette was nauseous. So are politics. I'm getting more and more nauseated with the whole shebang with each passing day.
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"The media is painting her as some kind of pro environmental activist."
As I say, they're regurgitating Repug spin. It's . . . baffling that they should think this is journalism. I guess if you're paid enough you stop asking questions.
"Hey, remember Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life" vignette featuring Mr. Creosote?"
In fact I don't. Guess I'd better watch the movie again. It's my least favourite of theirs.
"So are politics. I'm getting more and more nauseated with the whole shebang with each passing day."
And that, alas, is what the Repug spinners and their media colleagues want you to feel. Are the two parties as bad as each other? In truth, no. The Dems are hardly models of purity but the Repugs are way down there beneath the scum at the bottom of the barrel. Media "balance" likes to portray both parties as being as bad as each other, but the truth is that's like comparing a summer cold with cholera. If the country's to be improved, we need a complete ousting of Repug power.
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Is wot I fink.
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Regarding this election, I agree that the Repugs need a swift kick in the bum. McCain shot himself in the foot bringing Palin on board, thinking he'd corral Hillary Clinton supporters. What he has done is insult them, as if they'd fall for this transparent ploy.
Obama will be our next pres.
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"I agree that the Repugs need a swift kick in the bum"
I think they need a swift kick out! :-)
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Love, C.
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"Hail Mary play."
I've heard this term used and I don't understand it. Help!
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I've assumed it emerged out of Notre Dame's team, way back in the day. People who actually, you know, like football, follow football, watch it and know its rules would likely know more, since I am none of the above.
Love, C.
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Many thanks for the explanation!
I know even less about American Football than you do. Bet you thought you'd never hear anyone say that!
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Love, C.
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"It's really difficult to find anyone out of infancy who knows less about football than me."
It's easier for a Brit.
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Digging through the spin is tough. Journalists and editors can be extremely lazy, especially on TV.
Luckily we have groups like DoW to give their own spin -- in this case, the one we should listen to.
It'll be interesting to see how much play this gets in the coming days.
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You're a journalist who has nothing to be ashamed about, my friend.
Since I posted this piece I've received similarly dismayed and despairing posts from a number of other environmental/wildlife groups. Presumably at some point the tv pundits will get the message and at least stop repeating the "good on environmental concerns" lie. Whether they'll actually start telling the truth is another matter.