On Sarah Palin

With election day just one doggone week away, you betcha I've got something to say about Joe...er...Sarah Palin. Now while I admit that I'm a fan of her accent, there are several things that, for a lack of more appropriate word, disturb me. First of all is her complete opposition against abortion. I understand that this is not anything new, but to not even consider the effect on a woman's rights to her body is a slap in the face to everyone who saw Roe v. Wade as a victory. Now, I don't mind people being pro-choice. I understand their reasoning. However, the idea that outlawing an abortion, even for extreme situations, is going to STOP abortion is just outright insane. When you oppose the legality of abortion, effectively you are opposing the opportunity for a woman to be in a safe, hygenic environment instead of a dark back alley with a coat hanger. On a different note; don't even get me started on the irony of advocating abstinence only education in schools. I was hoping her teenage daughter's pregnancy would be enough to show that knowledge is more important than dogma, and yet somehow she spinned it into trying to back up her logic. No doubt she's tought young Bristol well.
Should I go into "Dude" Palin? No? The moose hunting from a helicopter? Well, let me just say...I think the Beverly Hillbillies is a classic show but I wouldn't want the Clampetts in the White House. Swimmin' pools and politicans indeed. Now that I think of it, Palin's similarities to Jethro Bodine is just astounding.
Let's talk about the VP debate. While I grant that she did well, she didn't do well on her own. She was rehearsed, trained, and sounded more like she was reciting than truly speaking. I may sound like an elite liberal when I say this, but I also preferred Biden's "kitchen table" analogy over "Joe Six-pack" to represent the average American lifestyle.
As an environmental biology major, her "drill, baby, drill!" logic just makes me cringe completely. The only saving grace is that she wants to do it offshore...but ultimately whats next is going for the payload situated right under National Parks. Lobbyists have been trying to get resources out of parks before and this is nothing new, but I can see it escalating with having such a drilling gung-ho in office. Let me take a time out here to say something else: The thing that gets me is that this election I've noticed how oh-so cleverly "independence from foreign oil" has been played around by all sides. What REALLY should be focused on is independence from oil PERIOD. However, thats simply an ideal of my own and I can't realistically expect any politician to take that stance and still win an election.
Palin's readiness to joke about Obama's lack of experience is just frustrating, simply because she usually then throws in "as mayor of Wasilla.." which to me speaks no more than saying "oh I was President of the Student Body in college!" She also touts Alaska as the biggest state in the Union without mentioning that it has one of the smallest populations. I read somewhere the hypocrisy of a white woman attending 5 schools and not being called on it while if a black man did the same it would do nothing more than perpetuate a stereotype.
On a final note before I get rambling too much (more)...the insane logic behind those bitter die-hard Hillary supporters who turned to McCain-Palin...excuse me....Palin-McCain because of the idea that a uterus would be in the White House. Never mind what Palin stands for is a stark contrast from Clinton or that their hero Clinton has now enthusiastically endorsed Obama. I have no doubt in my mind that the minds behind the McCain campaign picked Palin largely because of her gender. The joke may be on them though; she's such a MAVERICK she's starting to piss them off too.