Where Have I Seen Sarah Palin Before?

[Herb Schaffler]

September 6, 2008 Where Have I Seen Sarah Palin Before?
by Arash KamangeerI grew up in Iran and immigrated to US to avoid living in a theocracy. Lately though, the trajectory of US politics is something to worry about, not only to me, but also to many others in my predicament.
Wednesday night at the Republican convention was an especially poignant moment. I was watching Sarah Palin deliver her acceptance speech. As I was watching her, her family, and her adoring fans in the Republican convention, I could not overcome a feeling that I have seen this scene before...
Right after the Revolution in Iran and the establishment of the Islamic Republic, the Iran-Iraq war was started. To be fair, Iraq started that war, but the new revolutionary leaders of Iran saw the war as a godsend. They milked it for all it was worth. They labeled anyone against the war as a traitor or unpatriotic. Anyone who suggested that there may be a negotiated settlement was ridiculed and purged from power. Even Ayatollah Khomeini once said that this war is a blessing from God himself. You may see the parallels here already, but keep reading.
One of the problems the government faced was opposition from legions of mothers whose sons had been maimed or died in the war. To confront this problem, the government-controlled TV would parade a mother whose son had died in the war in front of the TV on a regular basis. Invariably, this "show mom" would be carrying an infant child and a few other siblings with her. And invariably, she would say something to the effect that "I have given one child to this 'sacred' war, and I am ready to give the next one." Almost always, there would be an adoring crowd who would follow her statements by chants of "Allaho-Akbar" (God is Great). And again invariably, her statements would follow by a not-so-veiled threat from her and the adoring crowd. She would say something like "I and my family would not tolerate traitors and betrayals to the faith and country". Then the crowd would break into several standard chants such as "Death to traitors" or "War, war, until victory."
Sarah Palin was much better dressed than the average show mom paraded on Iranian TV more than 20 years ago. The show moms were typically dressed in a black veil. But that’s about the biggest difference. The rhetoric was eerily familiar. When she was finished, I knew I had seen her before. Only that it wasn’t her. It was her ideological predecessors at a different time in a different country.
Now, I am not a politician. I just cannot understand the need to drag a child afflicted with Down syndrome in front of national TV at 10:00pm. Is that good for him? Or does the need to rally the base trump the needs of a child? Whatever the explanation, I am sure I have seen that child when he was carried in the arms of the Iranian show moms for the cameras. So much for family values.
And then I wake the next morning and read that Sarah Palin is quoted as saying that the Iraq war is a "task that is from God." It’s like déjà-vu all over again.

[nohil-billy]

Sob, sob, cough, sniffle, waaahhhhhhh!!!!

[Corvair]

What's this guy's point? Palin has a son who volunteered for the military, she's proud of him, and....?

Originally Posted by Arash Kamangeer

...I just cannot understand the need to drag a child afflicted with Down syndrome in front of national TV at 10:00pm. Is that good for him?...

For cryin' out loud, 0bie paraded his kids on stage at the convention, so why shouldn't Palin? An infant, with Down syndrome or not, isn't going to know whether or not he's been on national TV at 10:00pm!

Originally Posted by nohil-billy

Sob, sob, cough, sniffle, waaahhhhhhh!!!!

...and a big boo-hooooo!!!

[Herb Schaffler]

The author's point was that he saw theocracy come to his country, Iran. He is seeing the same thing happening in this country with the Republicans' promotion on religion on the public. It's why I left the Republican Party in 1976. The Republican Party gives lip service to individual freedom, but they're very inconsistent. The freedoms they support don't include a woman's reproductive rights. They don't include what drugs we choose to ingest. Apparently, they think they own our bodies. They don't believe we have the right to read or look at whatever books or movies we choose. Witness Palin's attempts to censure books from the Wasilla library. Our freedoms don't only apply to gun rights and property, they also apply to our whole lives and how we choose to live them as long as we don't infringe on the rights of others.

[nohil-billy]

We know what he's saying Herb, we just don't share in your or his belief that it's happening here. Intriguing story though!

When Sarah Palin starts strapping belt bombs around the body of her disabled son and sending him into a crowd of people, which was recently done to two mentally handicapped women in Islamoland, then I'll worry.

It's funny that the only person really denied reproductive rights during an abortion is the reproduction itself. Why don't you people just call it what it is rather than "reproductive rights" or "Pro-choice." To me, wanton killing for the sake of ideological expediency is more akin to the beliefs of a Middle Eastern theocracy than protecting the life of the unborn. With the amount of birth control choices, including the morning after pill and of course, abstinence, abortion on demand should be unnecessary. To use it as a means to replace responsibility or common sense is criminal.

As for drugs, and pornography, these things, as well as drinking, were frowned upon and seriously punished before the Islamic Revolution in Iran, so you picked a poor comparison for your case. All of these past times are legal here, and have been as long as I can remember. Even under Reagan!!!

For the record, Herb. Sarah Palin never attempted to ban one single title from the Wasilla library.

Research, research, research.

[Herb Schaffler]

"As for drugs, and pornography, these things, as well as drinking, were frowned upon and seriously punished before the Islamic Revolution in Iran, so you picked a poor comparison for your case. All of these past times are legal here, and have been as long as I can remember. Even under Reagan!!!"

You don't remember Ed Meese and his war on pornography, nohil-billy?

Regarding the sactity of life, why is it that so many pro-life people are such warmongers? Look at how many deaths Bush is responsible for in the unnecessary war in Iraq. Anybody who supports that war has no business criticizing abortion.

[nohil-billy]

Oh cr#p!!! Sorry about that Herb, I forgot about those millions of drug ingesters who are left wanting every day.

[Herb Schaffler]

Originally Posted by nohil-billy

Oh cr#p!!! Sorry about that Herb, I forgot about those millions of drug ingesters who are left wanting every day.

Who owns your body, you or the government?

You yourself have admitted to using marijuana in the past. Do you think you should have been thrown in jail over it?

[hrdman2luv]

Herb, You have to understand the moronic hillbillyish mentality of the NEOCONS. They don't like the idea of abortions, but love the idea of the USA bombing and killing pregnant women. They love the idea that women being forced to have kids that will be hated, abused and malnurished, as long as they don't have to adopt em. They love the idea that we can build empires around the world. Because they don't realize that those empires will be brought down for the very same reasons they were built.

If the NEOCONS only knew as much as they believed, then they wouldn't be NEOCONS.

I don't support abortion in any way, shape or form. But I don't think the federal government should have that much power. The states can handle that on their own. And personally, I think states rights are ok. At least it gives people a place to go who want to live like that. They can go to California to have an abortion, marry their gay friend. They can go to NV to have sex with a prostitute.
But here in Texas, we don't, and never will allow any of those things if the Federal Government would get it's nose out of our business.

You know, the federal Government is always sticking it's "unconstitutional" nose where it don't belong.

[nohil-billy]

OK, Sarah Palin said that she would like to see Roe vs Wade overturned and that it be turned over to the states. H2L, GO!!