jazzoLOG: Is Faith Another Word For Brainwash?    
 Is Faith Another Word For Brainwash?38 comments
picture4 Oct 2008 @ 10:59, by Richard Carlson

A well nobody dug filled with
no water
ripples and a shapeless
weightless man drinks.

---Ikkyu

The weeds at the bottom gently bending down the stream, shaken by the watery wind, still planted where their seeds had sunk, but erelong to die and go down likewise; the shining pebbles, not yet anxious to better their condition; the chips and reeds, and occasional logs and stems of trees that floated past, fulfilling their fate, were objects of singular interest to me, and at last I resolved to launch myself on its bosom and float whither it would bear me.

---Henry David Thoreau

The mind is like water: when it's still, there is reflection; when disturbed, no mirror. Muddled by folly and craving, fanned by misleading circumstances, it surges and billows, never stopping for a moment. Looking at it this way, where can you go and not be mistaken! It's like trying to look into a flowing spring to see your own appearance---it never forms.

---Seng-Chao

Let's not be irrational about this. The widely-distributed still you can see at Middle East Online [link] from the notorious video of Sarah Palin, then running for governor of Alaska I believe, receiving a blessing from a Kenyan pastor to protect her from the influence of witches, is not meant by me to mock either the vice presidential candidate or African rituals. Services and spells to ward off or cast out demons are practiced by most religions everywhere in the world. Not only that, I'm sure many of our presidents and vice presidents went through rituals like this, of one kind or another, to join a Masonic temple or Skull & Bones or even Alpha Bokka Babee fraternity. What did primitives make of Christian missionaries offering them the flesh and blood of Christ? This article is not about such rituals, hair-raising or otherwise.

I watched the vice presidential debate again last night from a tape I made of it. I was a debater in high school on a champion team, and I know very well how much theater goes into such things. When I watch a theater piece the first time, I let it take me and experience the emotional impact. I like magic tricks and marvel myself into the illusion. Later, maybe like most people, I want to know how it works. There were some moments among Biden, Palin and Iffel that I wanted to see for that reason.

I wanted to see what Biden and Palin did while the other was speaking. Were they listening to each other or preparing their next remarks? I wanted to see the moments in which one really dominated the other. I wanted to see Biden go after this "maverick" thing. (How can there be a "team of mavericks?" Is that something like an idiot savant?) But most of all, I wanted to see Sarah Palin's response to Joe Biden's recollection about losing part of his family in an accident and fearing a son was going to die. Many people have commented about how moving the senator was as he went through it, and also how the governor seemed to have no response at all.

It's only fair to say the camera was not on Sarah while Joe spoke. Unless alternate footage is produced, we don't know if she was listening or getting ready to go after her next topic. Nor would her response be particularly important, if she didn't constantly talk about home and family, the kitchen table and God...and pluck at our heartstrings about a challenged child or 2. She just had been doing that, to which Joe's extemporaneous comment was an identified reply. So, what is it in a person that brings her to block an obvious need for an honest acknowledgment of suffering?

There are a number of Evangelicals in the school where I work. I wouldn't know that, except in the past few years they have been asserting their religion more and more obviously. For a while there was a contemporary Christian radio station playing all day in the front office...and mellow vanilla-scented candles going to further the mood. My daughter received abstinence-only sex "education" in 3 different classes one year. One of the classes would have been called Home Ec in the old days, but here a 3-day old embryo, that could have become a stringbean or salamander, was identified as a "baby just like you and me." There was an optional bible study class for girls after school. I asked around if it was OK if priests came in to receive optional confession? New Testaments still get handed out to kids annually as they leave school property, cross the public sidewalk, and get on the school busses. What if pagans used the same technique to distribute free brochures about animal spirit dieties?

For the past 2 or 3 years I shared classrooms and work assignments with a member of this group. I know that because she occasionally tried to get me to go to week-long missionary evening intensives at her church. A couple of those were being led, I believe she said, by a remarkable pastor from Kenya. Could it have been the same guy? She described amazing phenomena happening, like people fainting at his touch and being healed of cancer. People regularly were ecstatically inspired to speak in tongues, and another time angel feathers came down from the sky upon the preacher. OK, but I don't go to church for spectacle...and wasn't in the mood to do research at the time, so I never took her up on it. A work colleague had tried to "save" me once before, years ago.

What I have wanted to do during these Bush years of Evangelical aggression is engage such people in talk about issues. Back when Bush/Quayle ran against Clinton/Gore, I was working in a government office and there was a superior who liked to talk politics at lunch. We were both educators who had taught social studies, and now were lending whatever skills we had to the bureaucracy. I knew she was conservative but we enjoyed comparing our views, and were delighted to find out how much we agreed about many things. She wanted to vote for Clinton/Gore...but said she couldn't. Couldn't? This is where her church came in...and the first time I learned about her religion. Clinton/Gore was in favor of women choosing for themselves about the conclusion of a pregnancy. This single issue compelled her vote for Bush/Quayle. After I left that work I tried to maintain email contact, but I never received a reply.

Anyway, I began to push back against Evangelicals at my school...and was eager for any kind of topic to come up in which I could engage them. One time the woman I mentioned was talking again in the classroom (she did this constantly) about their successful youth group. An average get-together brought out 400 kids, she said---and I have no reason to doubt it. There are summer Jesus camps too, but I think something about this group is known as The Pillar of Fire. She had been busy making a gigantic wall painting and was quite excited about it. I asked if the nature of the flame was for revelation or punishment. (I know they may not be mutually exclusive.) O, it was the judgement of the Lord...and fire rains down upon the sinners. I asked her abruptly if forgiveness ever was taught in her church. Without hesitation, she said No.

The other day, I was talking with another teacher who works in what now is called Industrial Arts. Among other things, he introduces middle school students to the precision of blueprinting or mechanical drawing. We were chatting about the troubles with the US money system. I just had attended a retirement seminar, and was sharing how every participant lamented there was no way anyone could afford to retire anymore. The cost of health insurance has all of us trapped inside our benefit package until we finally croak in the classroom. My friend shrugged, smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. No one will need money at The End of Times." He looked completely at peace.

I've noticed universally in my discussions with Evangelicals, that you can get to a certain point with them, usually a challenging one or a fact that surely should amend their argument, and they look away from you and sort of go blank. It's as if I've said something that just pulls some kind of plug connected to the juice. I realize that in their minds, they probably are identifying me at the moment as the Great Tempter himself. My words, just because of who I am, are straight from Hell, no matter what they sound like, no matter what I'm saying. I'm challenging their very Faith.

When I've been to Pentecostal meetings---and I have been---I've been struck by the intensity. Usually there's a circle---which of course we equate with some kind of cozy intimacy---or church seating itself in a semi-circle and pounding, amplified music, often rock influenced. The speakers talk through microphones at high volume, sometimes even to distortion so you have to strain to understand what's said. Sensorily you are inundated. People are gyrating, holding hands, or in a meditation with arms outstretched. One's perception is greatly heightened, and light itself seems more yellow and bright. One might think one was closer to Salvation, unless a hormone measurement at the moment would reveal that this is what such input does to any human. Bah, this is why they hate "science"!

Probably there is something about everyone's faith that defies reason or logical expectation. I guess that's why we take in on faith. Faith is supposed to make you strong in the face of temptation and catastrophe. Faith is the engine (Sarah Palin likes that word) that drives you through life---and, if necessary, through death. I do not deny faith. I have some myself. But I like to think it was not created by scary masks, bludgeoning chants, and hallucinatory magic. I even enjoy a challenge to my faith. I try not to invite it, but if it happens I hope it will survive. If it doesn't, and that has happened before, I will change it. I will improve. I will strengthen into something different.

I pray I will not tune out. I pray I will not accept coincidence as some sign that God is on my side. My greatest devotion is to refuse to accept monetary comfort as proof I have been chosen to effect the Will of God upon the world. Maybe this makes me a mystic. A great Tibetan Buddhist teacher told me I was a wild mountain monk, incapable of receiving the teachings among the rank and file. Perhaps. I like to think I'm just an old-fashioned American voter, who puts all this stuff aside when he walks into City Hall.


[< Back] [jazzoLOG]

Category:  

38 comments

5 Oct 2008 @ 01:21 by vaxen : .
.  


5 Oct 2008 @ 23:03 by quinty : That's sad
that these teachers are bringing their religious beliefs into the classroom. And you teach in a public school, don't you?

What does this say about their sense of civics, American history, understanding of the differences between church and state? Or of science too, for that matter?

In a private religious school weaving Christianity into their lessons is acceptable, as we know. It is an expression of democracy.

Anyway, your piece, in my opinion, is very well said and thought out. It must be sometimes awful working in such an environment. Perhaps you take it with good cheer, but I would be doleful.

Ah well, when things get tough we can always go back to Palin bashing. Problem is, we're the ones who are being bashed. Wouldn't it be nice to cease kicking politicians around? Will we eventually have a "new Palin to kick around" in future years? Has McCain opened up a brilliant new career in American national politics here? If they lose will she simply slink back to Alaska and hide in a tent made of rawhide and moose antlers where she can watch the Russians? And if she sees any sneaking in will she shoo them all back?

We can always dream.  



6 Oct 2008 @ 09:58 by jazzolog : Sarah Palin Is Not A Palindrome
even though she comes from Idaho. A palindrome is a word or sentence that makes sense reading it frontwards or backwards. Here is a palindrome with Idaho in it: O had I nine more hero-men in Idaho!

As you can see SarahPalin spelled backwards is NilapHaras. Obviously she makes no sense. Nil means nothing or a trifle, and upharass works only as some kind of obscene pun.

Nor is she related to Monty Python comedian Michael Palin. But according to a new book, called Joined-Up Thinking: How To Connect Everything To Everything Else by Stevyn Colgan, Palin is a name that can be traced back to 11th century Normandy. They might share ancestry. "Palin" comes from the Latin, meaning, as you might guess, "backwards." So, there you go...again.

Don't miss Maureen Dowd yesterday~~~

"I had hoped I was finally done with acting as an interpreter for politicians whose relationship with the English language was tumultuous.

"There’s W.’s gummy grammar, of course, like the classic, 'Is our children learning?' And covering the first Bush White House required doing simultaneous translation for a president who never met a personal pronoun he liked or a wacky non sequitur he could resist.

"Poppy Bush drew comparisons to Warren G. Harding, whose prose reminded H. L. Mencken of 'a string of wet sponges. ... It is so bad that a sort of grandeur creeps into it.' When Harding died, E. E. Cummings lamented, 'The only man, woman or child who wrote a simple declarative sentence with seven grammatical errors is dead.'

"Being mush-mouthed helped give the patrician Bushes the common touch. As Alistair Cooke observed, 'Americans seem to be more comfortable with Republican presidents because they share the common frailty of muddled syntax and because, when they attempt eloquence, they do tend to spout a kind of Frontier Baroque.'

"Darn right. And that, doggone it, brings us to a shout-out for the latest virtuoso of Frontier Baroque, bless her heart, the governor of the Last Frontier. Her reward’s in heaven."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/opinion/05dowd.html?_r=1&em&oref=slogin  



6 Oct 2008 @ 12:14 by vaxen : .
.  


6 Oct 2008 @ 15:30 by jazzolog : I Thought Vax Would Catch Me
"Palin" is not from Latin, but Greek. Or maybe he's just going easy on me this election season.  


6 Oct 2008 @ 17:36 by vaxen : .
.  


6 Oct 2008 @ 19:42 by vaxen : .
.  


7 Oct 2008 @ 06:07 by vaxen : .
.  


7 Oct 2008 @ 09:37 by jazzolog : The Poetry Of Sarah Palin
As most of you know, and plainly can see straight and tall, I am in love with poetry. It is life itself. Consider these gems~~~

"This is an impressive crowd: the Have's and Have-more's. Some people call you the elites. I call you my base."

- George W. Bush

=
"The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all."

- G. K. Chesterton

=
"Every 10 years or so, the US needs to pick up some small, crappy little country and throw it against the wall, just to show the world we mean business."

- Michael Ledeen

Not really poems, you say? We must keep up with the times! Therefore I am grateful to my good friend, composer Jason Hartz, for pointing out the revelatory nature of this lustrous individual~~~

The Poetry of Sarah Palin
Recent works by the Republican vice presidential candidate.
By Hart Seely
Posted Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008, at 1:25 PM ET

http://img.slate.com/media/1/123125/122964/2180676/2201341/081001_LC_PalinTN.jpg

It's been barely six weeks since the arctic-fresh voice of Alaskan poet Sarah Heath Palin burst upon the lower 48. In campaign interviews, the governor, mother, and maverick GOP vice presidential candidate has chosen to bypass the media filter and speak directly to fans through her intensely personal verses, spoken poems that drill into the vagaries of modern life as if they were oil deposits beneath a government-protected tundra.

Thursday's nationally televised debate with Democrat Joe Biden could give Palin the chance to cement her reputation as one of the country's most innovative practitioners of what she calls "verbiage."

The poems collected here were compiled verbatim from only three brief interviews. So just imagine the work Sarah Palin could produce over the next four (or eight) years.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"On Good and Evil"

It is obvious to me
Who the good guys are in this one
And who the bad guys are.
The bad guys are the ones
Who say Israel is a stinking corpse,
And should be wiped off
The face of the earth.

That's not a good guy.

(To K. Couric, CBS News, Sept. 25, 2008)

"You Can't Blink"

You can't blink.
You have to be wired
In a way of being
So committed to the mission,

The mission that we're on,
Reform of this country,
And victory in the war,
You can't blink.

So I didn't blink.

(To C. Gibson, ABC News, Sept. 11, 2008)

"Haiku"

These corporations.
Today it was AIG,
Important call, there.

(To S. Hannity, Fox News, Sept. 18, 2008)

"Befoulers of the Verbiage"

It was an unfair attack on the verbiage
That Senator McCain chose to use,
Because the fundamentals,
As he was having to explain afterwards,
He means our workforce.
He means the ingenuity of the American.
And of course that is strong,
And that is the foundation of our economy.
So that was an unfair attack there,
Again based on verbiage.

(To S. Hannity, Fox News, Sept. 18, 2008)

"Secret Conversation"

I asked President Karzai:

"Is that what you are seeking, also?
"That strategy that has worked in Iraq?
"That John McCain had pushed for?
"More troops?
"A counterinsurgency strategy?"

And he said, "Yes."

(To K. Couric, CBS News, Sept. 25, 2008)

"Outside"

I am a Washington outsider.
I mean,
Look at where you are.
I'm a Washington outsider.

I do not have those allegiances
To the power brokers,
To the lobbyists.
We need someone like that.

(To C. Gibson, ABC News, Sept. 11, 2008)

"On the Bailout"

Ultimately,
What the bailout does
Is help those who are concerned
About the health care reform
That is needed
To help shore up our economy,
Helping the—
It's got to be all about job creation, too.

Shoring up our economy
And putting it back on the right track.
So health care reform
And reducing taxes
And reining in spending
Has got to accompany tax reductions
And tax relief for Americans.
And trade.

We've got to see trade
As opportunity
Not as a competitive, scary thing.
But one in five jobs
Being created in the trade sector today,
We've got to look at that
As more opportunity.
All those things.

(To K. Couric, CBS News, Sept. 25, 2008)

"Challenge to a Cynic"

You are a cynic.
Because show me where
I have ever said
That there's absolute proof
That nothing that man
Has ever conducted
Or engaged in,
Has had any effect,
Or no effect,
On climate change.

(To C. Gibson, ABC News, Sept. 11, 2008)

"On Reporters"

It's funny that
A comment like that
Was kinda made to,
I don't know,
You know ...

Reporters.

(To K. Couric, CBS News, Sept. 25, 2008)

"Small Mayors"

You know,
Small mayors,
Mayors of small towns—
Quote, unquote—
They're on the front lines.

(To S. Hannity, Fox News, Sept. 19, 2008)

http://slate.com/id/2201342/  



7 Oct 2008 @ 17:41 by a-d : Good Reading here
Jazzo, by Everyone who each contributed with their particluar Twist on Life in their comments! THANKS!!!
Hugs to U all!/A-d  



8 Oct 2008 @ 04:55 by vaxen : .
.  


10 Oct 2008 @ 00:22 by a-d : Jazzo,
your Question: whether Faith is Another Word for Brain Wash...hmmmmm I'm sure people's (innocent-at-face-value/TRUSTING/: "gullible"- has been used against them as to BRAIN WASH them, while calling it all "FAITH"!.... Yet the Concept of Faith has so many "Facets" like a fine crystal, braking the "colorless"/"white" light in to all its splendor!... To me "Faith" -at least today- means to keep my conscious Focus on what is important to me, like Sustainable Living concepts. I beam my Laser like focus onto that concept every single day, so that I don't lose my focus!...Hope I'm making sense here... But, no, I was not thinking in these terms 30 years ago!...when very young and confused (by the Western Culture in my Society in Finland and Sweden. It took some time... to let it all "crystalize" in to this New Understanding.  


10 Oct 2008 @ 09:29 by vaxen : .
.  


10 Oct 2008 @ 09:40 by vaxen : .
.  


10 Oct 2008 @ 10:44 by martha : Hots for Palin
Hey Jazz I think you have the secret hots for Palin since you have so many articles on her. Sure are paying a lot of attention to a person who is not worthy of it. Like those strong religious babes eh?  


10 Oct 2008 @ 15:31 by jazzolog : Hopefully You're Kidding

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01007/palin-cover_1007297f.jpg

This candidate has been designated the Cheney attack-dog of the McCain McSame Campaign. She bears all the markings of a Rove hitjob, even down to pronouncing it "nucular." The news now is full of "Bill" Ayers, Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Illinois, supposedly "palling around" with the Democratic candidate. McCain's job is to followup if the media goes for the bait. It doesn't matter to jazzoLOG she's female. Whoever got the job of dangling the bait to drag the race into the mud would be given similar treatment at this Log. I never went for the Nazi torture babes either: not my bag.  



10 Oct 2008 @ 21:49 by martha : Yes and No
While I am kidding I would like to point out that the more you complain about Palin the more attention you bring her. She has had more then her fifteen minutes here! Wouldn't it be more productive in this last month before the election to talk about all the POSITIVE change Obama would like to bring to our nation?
Being in a battleground state makes me want to NOT turn on the TV. The ads on all sides are disgusting and encourages me not to vote for anyone!  



10 Oct 2008 @ 23:26 by quinty : 15 minutes
versus four years. Maybe eight. Maybe even more.

There is a possibility she may be famous a long time. I wish it wouldn't last another fifteen minutes more. But this choice is utterly appalling. She may be an Alaskan version of Bush.

Bush Light.

Ol' George had his macho rush in the brush. Sarah has had her wild moose on the loose. They have both degraded American politics enormously.

What about putting George and Sarah into a game of High IQ? Who do you think would win?

The question, some might infer, is "elitist." Well, while Joe Sixpack (Sarah's words) is glorying in his Bud, would it be too much to ask for a basic modicum of brains, dignity, and an instinct toward competence?

I mean, I wouldn't want a guy who reads Popular Mechanics to perform surgery on me because he has had his hands in the grease. And knows what real things are because he has shot a moose headon in the eye. Even if he was drunk on that most memorable evening, which will surely descend into family lore.

What McCain did to us is atrocious!  



11 Oct 2008 @ 00:19 by a-d : Never seen
Anybody "dancing the Twist" as swiftly, "elegantly" as ..... Posturing, posturing, just like Rishi pointed out!  


11 Oct 2008 @ 00:25 by martha : The average IQ is 100
Quinty it doesn't matter what George and Sarah's IQ is. All politicians are appealing to the average IQ which is 100.  


11 Oct 2008 @ 07:16 by vaxen : .
.  


11 Oct 2008 @ 07:25 by vaxen : .
.  


11 Oct 2008 @ 10:37 by jazzolog : Why No Obama?
I've held off any endorsement for Barack Obama for a number of reasons, chiefly of course because he was not my first choice---at all. I've never come so close to voting Third Party as this year. One of the reasons though was that I wanted to see him in person. That has happened now, and a new entry is in the works.  


22 Oct 2008 @ 10:00 by jazzolog : How Did Sarah Palin Get Here?
By now we all know Joe the Plumber...and maybe even Jerry the Plumber, Wendy the Plumber's Daughter, Sandra the Homeschool Mom, and others that make up "Sarah's Army" http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/22/MNI013LIU2.DTL , this congregation of regular joes who switched to Republican with Reagan (Onward, Christian soldiers!). And have you heard yet of Adam the Messianic Student? Not to be made light of, if anyone gets credit for giving birth to Palin's V-P candidacy, it's this rather brilliant kid. Is he ready for primetime?

A year ago February, Adam Brickley, aged 20 and a junior at U of Colorado, posted the first entry at his new blog~~~

Why Sarah Palin?

This blog is the result of about a month worth of research on potential Republican Vice-Presidential candidates for the 2008 election. I had been considerably less than thrilled with all of the early speculation, mostly swirling around second-tier presidential candidates, so I decided to see if there was anyone better suited for the job that I hadn't been hearing about. So, I developed the following profile for the perfect VP candidate (using Rudy Giuliani as my presumptive presidential candidate):

1) A energetic, young, fresh face who will energize the electorate
2) Not connected to the current administration
3) Pro-Life
4) Pro-Gun
5) A woman or minority to counter Hillary or Obama and put to rest the idea that America only elects white males

One of the first names I found that fit these qualifications was that of Sarah Palin, the recently elected Governor of Alaska. I knew that I had stumbled upon a fantastic candidate for national office, but I kept looking in the hope that I could find other potentially viable choices. However, after looking at every GOP governor, senator, and congressperson, I found that Palin had only become more appealing.

She was certainly energetic and young, having become governor at only 42 years of age. Watching her speches and campaign ads, I discovered that she was definitely a new kid of leader, coming off more as a spunky soccer-mom than a stuffy career politician. As for abortion, she was staunchly pro-life; and as a lifetime NRA member she was the most pro-gun candidate in the country. Furthermore, her experiences in rural Alaska provided a perfect complement to the big-city credentials of candidates like Giuliani. Her moderately libertarian positions on most other issues also match up perfectly to Giuliani.

There was thing about Palin that initially worried me - "lack of experience". She had only been elected governor in 2006, and her only previous experience was as a two terms as a city councilwoman and two more as mayor in Wasilla, AK (population 8,471 in 2005) followed up by a failed campaign for lieutenant governor and a brief stint on Alaska's Oil and Natural Gas Conservation Commission. This didn't seem very appealing at first, but then I took the time to look closer at Palin's history. What I had failed to realize was that she had habitually knocked of powerful incumbent opponents and was a quick learner on the job. In the 2006 gubernatorial election, she rolled over scandal-prone incumbent Frank Murkowski in the GOP primary, then went on to defeat former governor Tony Knowles in the general election - pretty impressive. Further back, she had knocked off an entrenched incumbent to become mayor of Wasilla, then developed a reputation as a hard-nosed, effective mayor. Her performance in Wasilla got her elected president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors and earned her the nickname "Sarah Barracuda".

In the end, I decided that Sarah Palin had actually compiled a rather astounding record of achievements in her 42 years, and was more than capable of making the jump to the national level. So now I ask you who you would rather have as your Vice-President. You could accept conventional wisdom and choose from the lineup of old men currently being bantered about, or you could choose an inspiring leader like Sarah Palin. As for me, I'm going with "Sarah Barracuda", a candidate who will help us win the election and then deliver solid results.
Posted by Adam Brickley, aka "ElephantMan" at 2/26/2007 12:07:00 AM 56 comments
http://palinforvp.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2007-07-11T18%3A39%3A00-06%3A00&max-results=50

Adam was at home at the time, and it may be of some interest to note that Adam's family are Messianic Jews. He focuses on politics at the Palin For VP blog, but his attraction to Palin certainly comes partly from his evangelical base. Messianic Judaism is a rather complicated topic, but the Brickleys came to it from Pentecostal Christianity in order to get closer to Jesus in these "end days." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messianic_Jews Therefore, Palin's religious emphasis is of particular concern.

The thing about Adam Brickley is, if you browse through that first page of the blog---and maybe keep on clicking around ("Home" takes you to the most recent entry from a couple days ago)---is that he's very good at what he does, which is major in political science and put it to work for him on the Internet. Within a few weeks his blog was attracting attention, not only in the blogosphere but elsewhere among the media.

At this point in the story we need to move to an article in the current New Yorker, increasingly becoming a political magazine to keep track of. This time it's a feature by Jane Mayer, entitled simply "The Insiders: How John McCain came to pick Sarah Palin." What? You mean some rightwing, elitist insiders are herding all these mavericks? Ms. Mayer's book this summer, The Dark Side, about the Bush administration's interrogation techniques, is a finalist for a National Book Award. A graduate of Yale, she moved her investigative journalism skills from the Wall Street Journal to the New Yorker in 1995. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Mayer

In the article Ms. Mayer describes the jutted-jaw determination of Sarah Palin to get herself noticed and precisely how she did it. Maybe to entice you to buy a copy of the New Yorker or read it online, the key seems to have been a couple of invitations to lunch in the Governor's mansion for the main stars on cruise ships briefly docked in Juneau. You know those cruises (the lefties do it too) where you pay to sail around on boats that have famous people on board? One of those giant yachts carried the National Review, and the other featured William Kristol, generally honored as architect for both the Iraq War and Palin's vice presidency. Bon voyage!

http://www.newyorker.com/images/2008/10/27/p233/081027_r17881_p233.jpg

{link:http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/10/27/081027fa_fact_mayer}  



22 Oct 2008 @ 14:34 by Quinty @68.9.133.5 : Palin
is one of those people who digs her own hole.

While Brickley lays out the case for why a right leaning Christian constituency would back her, exposing their thinking, the choice of Palin also exposes a certain recklessness on McCain's part. No one putting the good of the country first would ever have picked her. And had McCain been wiser he would have seen she creates her own messes.....

Oct. 21: In a new NBC/WSJ poll, 55 percent said Gov. Sarah Palin is not qualified to be vice president.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27297013/  



22 Oct 2008 @ 15:53 by jazzolog : Let Them Wear Rags
Oct. 22 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Republican National Committee spent more than $150,000 on clothes, accessories, hairdressing and makeup for Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin and her family after she was selected as John McCain's running mate, the Politico.com website reported, citing financial disclosure statements.

There were bills from Saks Fifth Avenue for a total of $49,425.74 and a single visit to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis which resulted in a $75,062.63 tab early in September; the committee also authorized $4,716.49 for hair and makeup through September, the website reported.

Tracey Schmitt, a spokeswoman for McCain and Palin, said it was always intended the clothing would be donated to charity after the campaign, Politico.com said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a3h7oUibJb9M&refer=us  



22 Oct 2008 @ 18:36 by ursula : Really?
Let's see, since Obama was in the Senate, what has he accomplished? Running for President, is about it. Palin was a mayor and a governor and runs a business and she has the experience as a real leader. She also doesn't pal around with terrorsits, nor have Hamas' financial support as does Obama. Frankly, all the put-downs of Palin just stink because you don't want to get to know the woman or give her one ounce of credit for anything positive she's done. Wanna talk about that expensive haircut Edwards got? I think right now it's more important to focus on who will be President, not VP, anyway. Financial experts say: Obama made a big leap in the polls, that means higher taxes, more unionization, more regulation,more government and less incentive for people to do better because if they do, they'll be punished for having money. It's going to be tough for the economy to emerge well from the problems if Obama wins.  


22 Oct 2008 @ 21:00 by Quinty @68.9.133.5 : Like a society lady,
donating her clothes to charity once it's no longer needed. How often does a truly stylish and wealthy woman wear the same gown? Once? Twice?

I ask because "elitists" are supposed to do that sort of thing. Whereas in the Republican world elitists are never the rich. Criticizing the rich for behaving like the rich would be "class warfare."

So 150 g's for clothes is not really elitist. But one has to wonder how the nickel and dime donors to the McCain campaign feel about such expenditures? Is it okay with them?

Ironies abound.  



22 Oct 2008 @ 23:23 by ursula : So what?
If she has the money (which came from donors to the party), let her buy whatever clothes she wants to. After all, she's just spreading the wealth around, RIGHT? I thought that's what you guys wanted. How many men have you criticized for buying Armani suits? I know people from all economic positions who donate their clothes to charity. It's a good thing - why criticize it? Why not criticze Obama for buying a house that cost $1.6 million? Yeah, he's one of the poor people alright. Where does Michelle shop? Anyone care?  


23 Oct 2008 @ 09:34 by jazzolog : Rusyn's Comments
Her comment at 18:36, "She (Palin) also doesn't pal around with terrorsits (sic)," apparently is aimed at Barack Obama (although a comma after "support" later in the sentence would make the charge crystal clear). This repetition of typical Palin poison is not only libel and slander, but a serious charge of treason. Look, it's one thing to sling mud but quite another to question the very patriotism of the leading candidate for President of the United States. The Bush administration has installed a secret police network to rival any totalitarian and terrorist state in world history. If there is evidence of terrorist "pals" and influence in his candidacy and personal life, where is it---and why is Obama not hauled off to Guantanamo? Either be serious, Repubs and your cronies, or cut out this mob-inciting crap.

As for Palin's shopping spree at Sak's, spending money in there hardly spreads the cash to the homeless on the street corners outside. Palin has dished herself out as Joe Six Pack's wife, carting the kids in the SUV to the games and church fun. If Joe even makes 150 grand a year, you can bet your bottom dollar he doesn't spend it all on clothes, hair and makeup. It's another signal of how phony the whole conservative spiel really is. The Repubs have responded with a promise to donate her wardrobe to charity on November 5th. Cool, does that mean they expect to lose---and she goes back to flannel shirts in Juneau? Or does it mean she'll need a ton of new wardrobes as vice president for her foreign policy missions around the world?

Obama does have one house, not 7...and one car, not 13. No 500 dollar shoes. In fact, his staff once took up a collection for him to buy new shoes because his were so worn out. If the reader's response to that anecdote is snide, take some advice: check out just how sour you've become in the last decade, and what became of the sweetness in your life?  



23 Oct 2008 @ 12:59 by ursula : It's also another thing
to be in denial, Jazz. Ayres bombed several cities, destroyed buildings and hurt people, and he doesn't apologize for doing so. Hamas supports Obama. These are not little comments tossed about, this is what is true, so stop attacking Palin for saying the truth. Obama isn't being honest - and either he's stupid or in denial - either way it's a lack of good judgment. I'd like to see you be fair - so far, you haven't been about one thing regarding Palin or Obama. It takes a woman VP candidate for you guys to be so damned concerned about a wardrobe.  


23 Oct 2008 @ 16:20 by jazzolog : William Charles Ayers
Here's the Wikipedia entry~~~

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ayers

and his profile, publications and awards at University of Chicago~~~

http://education.uic.edu/directory/faculty_info.cfm?netid=bayers

Back in the day I stopped short of the Weather underground, but I was fascinated with them. I don't recall Bill Ayers, but I remember very well the radical nature of their writings about this country---many of them resembling precisely the kind of thing we hear now all the time around NCN. You know, the money system and banks, invading other countries, secret police, the works---only they decided to do something about it instead of just griping in the Chatroom. I probably could find comments on this very Log about revolution and manning the barricades.  



23 Oct 2008 @ 17:07 by quinty : The Weathermen
were nuts.

I think a gage of the health of a society can be seen through its young people. If they are in open revolt there is something wrong..... And I would include punks and skiin heads along with all the hippies.

I was in revolt (ask Jazzo) myself when I was a kid. And could be pretty obnoxious. The only reason I may not have joined the Weather group is because they were too conformist. Though I was also thoroughly put off by their use of terror tactics and violence. I found all that crazy and abhorrent.

I don't know why Bill Ayers has been "rehabilitated," and has become a "respectable" member of the Chicago community. I would think that his past activities might permanently brand him. Was he ever engaged in actual acts of violence? Is he connected with anyone's death?

But when we judge Obama's tie to Ayers we have to remember that Ayers appears to have been honored and accepted by Chicago society. The establishment. And that includes not only community activists but prominent academics, politicians, Republicans, teachers, Democrats and local celebrities.

Maybe Chicago is a funny place. (I always enjoyed visiting.) Maybe not. But what is clear is that the McCain campaign's use of Bill Ayers is a crude attempt to smear Barack Obama. That they have dived head first into the gutter.  



24 Oct 2008 @ 04:55 by mortimer : Educational Background Comparison
(The U.S. Republican National Committee spent more than $150,000 on clothes,
accessories, hairdressing and makeup. Appearing To Be is not Being.)

Presidential candidates
Let's look at the educational background of the
candidates and see what they bring to the job:

Obama:
Occidental College - Two years.
Columbia University - B.A. political science with a
specialization in international relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna *** Laude

Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in history and B.A. in
political science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank 894 out of 899
(meaning that, like George Bush, McCain was at the bottom of
his class)

Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in journalism
 



24 Oct 2008 @ 06:31 by ursula : You intentionally omit
Mayor and Governor Palin, and businesswoman Palin - each one a huge educational experience. Can't say that about Obama. Can't be fair or honest, can ya? Trying to discredit her experience. Did you really think that nobody knows Palin was a Mayor and is the Governor? haahahha  


24 Oct 2008 @ 10:24 by mortimer : Rusyn Mirror-Image

''Intentionally omit'', ''Can't be fair or honest'', ''Trying to discredit'' ~Rusyn mirror-image  



24 Oct 2008 @ 15:02 by quinty : I agree
just yesterday McCain claimed that Obama would be willing to say anything to win the election. And this right on top of an amazing series of attacks including Ayers and patriotism and constant misrepresentations of Obama's tax plan. They do "mirror-image" themselves when they attack others.

Was it McCain or Palin who accused the Obama camp of "sexism" for dwelling on that shopping spree?

Okay. Let's pretend Biden had gone on a 150,000 dollar shopping spree on the contributors' dime? Let's not also assume that Biden, like Palin, had been presenting himself as "Joe Sixpack," the regular guy who understands everyday household problems.

Let's just leave it at this vain and exploitive waste of their backers' money. I would be thoroughly disgusted. And would find myself in a quandary about who to vote for.

As for running a business being a fit preparation for becoming President of the United States, well, apart from the fact that the two areas have next to nothing to do with one another (Only in the US would such an assumption be made) I might, for the sake of argument, be a good bike rider but that wouldn't qualify me to operate a jet plane.

There is an aspect of rigid denial in refusing to see the obvious. If a businessman were that unrealistic he would soon make all his decisions on the basis of wishful thinking and would go broke.  



24 Oct 2008 @ 15:40 by Quinty @68.9.133.5 : More in the
"let them eat cake" department.

This just in on Palin's makeup artist.....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/24/palins-makeup-artist-is-m_n_137513.html

who happens to be the highest paid staffer on the McCain team.  



Your Name:
Your URL: (or email)
Subject:       
Comment:
For verification, please type the word you see on the left:


Other entries in
30 Apr 2008 @ 09:54: The Foothill Fanfairs
29 Feb 2008 @ 06:49: Vote For MRS. Barack Obama!
6 Dec 2007 @ 14:13: Need Some Cheer? Here's Dennis!
20 Oct 2007 @ 12:23: FactCheck Checks Itself In...And Out
1 Jun 2007 @ 07:00: The Divine Feminine
18 Mar 2007 @ 10:46: Blogs: Journalism At Its Finest
3 Feb 2007 @ 06:59: Molly: Enough Is Enough
3 Dec 2006 @ 12:01: Bill Moyers Addresses West Point
26 Aug 2006 @ 15:33: Maynard The Fox
17 Jun 2006 @ 18:04: Ilona: Back In The B-USA



[< Back] [jazzoLOG] [PermaLink]?