Help! The local Obama organizer wants me to be interviewed on TV next week

[csziggy]

On my opinion of Sarah Palin and women's issues. While I've got lots of opinions I want to make sure I have the facts right. Can you guys help me?

Off the top of my head - but I am not sure if these are proven facts or just internet factoids:
Palin is a member of a religious sect that believes women should submit to men for most decisions
Palin is against women's rights to control of their bodies, including use of birth control
Palin is against all sex education except abstinence
Palin's law enforcement appointee (Chief of Police?) in Wasilla charged rape victims for the tests to collect evidence to be used to prosecute the rapists
Palin claimed she fired the state head of law enforcement because he went over her head to get federal funds to help combat sex crimes, including incest, rape and child molestation - not because he would not fired her BIL (Olbemann said that was in the Charlie Gibson interview)

Here is a little about me and why I think the organizer wants to use me for the interview: I am a 56 year old white woman, strong supporter of Obama, very strong supporter of women's rights, but without a background of political activity. I have been vocal in the HQ office about my support of civil unions and women's issues. I have been with my husband for 31 years in what I call a civil union since we were married by a notary public. I am not a hippy type, but I am unconventional and about as opposite Palin as I can get without changing my sex.

What I want are the facts, as I said above. And sources to verify them in case someone comes back at the Obama HQ here about anything I say. Yeah, there are lots of things I could say about Palin but they are my personal opinion or internet factoid/rumor. If I am going public

Thanks! :hi:

[Matariki]

1. Not sure, but I think the Chief of Police was *against* charging for the tests

I'll look it up for you.

[Clovis Sangrail]

5. If I recall the CoP in Wassila was *for charging

and they interviewed another CoP from somewhere else in Alaska who was completely opposed.

:shrug:
from what I remember about some article

[Matariki]

8. Yeah, two different Police Chiefs

The one she fired wanted a budget for the evidence kits. His replacement began charging the victims. I posted a link further down the thread.

[lapfog_1]

6. I believe the Chief who was in office

when she was elected Mayor was against charging rape victims. She fired him and the one she appointed did charge rape victims for the cost of the forensic kit. It's not clear that this was the issue which caused her to fire the first one, I think the main issue was loyalty or something like that.

[Cha]

22. I'm wondering if that's why they're trying so hard to cover it up now?

Because that wouldn't look good for the women vote if it gets out that she fired Walt Monegan because he wanted to put the rape kits in their budget!!

[csziggy]

31. Monegan was the Alaska Public Safety Commissioner, Fannon was the Wasilla Police Chief

Palin hired that charged the victims. Former Police Chief Irl Stambaugh who had been chief since the Wasilla Police Department was formed was fired when Palin became Mayor. Apparently, he did not charge rape victims for the tests.

Monegan was fired, according to Palin, not because he would not fire her brother-in-law but because he sought federal funds to help fight sexual crimes in Alaska.

So that makes two different instances where Palin actively worked against protecting women from sex crimes.

[Cha]

33. Thank you,

ziggy..good luck in your tv appearance!

[Hissyspit]

2. Here's a resource:

http://dailysource.org/palin

[csziggy]

18. Wow! That is a firehose worth of info. Perfect, Thank You!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

34. It's also interesting to note that Alaska is the #1 state in the country

for rape, and has been for 23 out of the last 30 years. See the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2007/data/table_05.html

[Clio the Leo]

3. I would drop anything having to do with her religion.....

..... I dont know where you live, but that first argument wouldn't fly here, but I'm in the Bible belt so that may effect my rationale. Then it gets muddied into the whole freedom of religion thing ....... and people just outright dont like it when you "bring God into things." It's one thing talking to your friends and co-workers and another being on TV.

I hope you dont mind constructive criticism, but I dont want you to lose people completely on your first bullet point when there are SO many other ways to shoot her down.

Otherwise I think it's WONDERFUL that you've been honored with this and apologize I that I just woke up from my nap and can't get you any citations for anything else.

[csziggy]

11. I think you are right - while it is important to me, it would be a distraction from the main points

For many women. And I am in the South where religion is not a negative for most people. Many would admire her for being religious even if they do not like all the tenets of that religion.

I'm fuzzy today myself. I spent extra time in HQ this week and stayed late last night for the Florida Women for Obama conference call with Jill Biden and webcast with Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton - which I did not actually get to hear or watch. :shrug: The front room of HQ was so packed there was not enough room for everyone. So I stayed in the back with the volunteers that were still calling people and doing data entry - I trained five new volunteers yesterday for various kinds of data entry. :woohoo:

One of the volunteers was a young woman, probably about 14. And she is more vocal than I am about Sarah Palin. I may suggest that she take part in the interview since she is really on top of things and any decisions as to who is running the country and who is on the Supreme Court will affect her and her sisters' futures far more than they will mine. And she is far more photogenic than I am. :eyes:

[PerfectSage]

4. If you really want to expose Sarah Palin on TV

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10167

:evilgrin:

[csziggy]

19. I bookmarked that one for my own use, but I think the other poster is right

And that I should leave religion out of it. It is just too hot button an issue and not one that the Obama campaign wants to be pushed from what I can tell. The Right Wing Nuts have been distorting Obama's religious past too much to open that back up as an issue.

[Matariki]

7. Here you go.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-alperinsheriff/sarah-palin-instituted-ra_b_125833.html

However, I was able to eventually track down Irl Stambaugh, police chief of Wasilla from the founding of the department until Sarah Palin fired him for "not fully supporting her efforts to govern." Stambaugh sued for breach of contract, but lost when a federal judge ruled that "police chiefs serve at the behest of the mayor unless otherwise specified." He later served as the executive director of the Alaska Police Standards Council.

It turns out that Wasilla did not bill sexual assault victims for the cost of rape exams while Irl Stambaugh was chief of police. As chief, he had included a line item in the budget to pay for the cost of such exams. He had only just heard about the Mayor Palin/Chief Fannon policy today, and was just as shocked to hear about it as I was.

Checking the budget confirmed former Chief Stambaugh's claim. He had included a contingency of $15,000 in his budget for the department's 1st year of existence (1993-1994), $5,000 for 1994-1995 and 1995-1996, and $13,000 for his final year as police chief in 1996-1997, spending $11,625.

Duwayne Charles Fannon, his replacement, halved the budget request in 1997-1998, with a request of $7,298, spending $3,454. However, it seems he began the "victim pays" policy in the 1998-1999 fiscal year. That year, he requested $3,000 but spent only $205. This data can be found in the Document Central section of Wasilla's website.

[csziggy]

20. That is exactly what I need to back up the info I have heard

Straight out of the Wasilla public records! Thank you!

[No Elephants]

9. Submission by women to men is part of the New Testament,.

[Joe the Revelator]

10. Don't talk about her religion and stay away from anything that is even remotely tin foil....that

just turns people off.

Of your ideas, these are the good ones:

Palin is militantly pro life and wants victims of rape and incest to go through birth these children born from horrible and or violent encounters

Abstinence only education has been proven again and again not to work. I like the line "She insists on beating her fists on reality, hoping that it will somehow break"

Rape tests
The troopergate angle mentioned above

[Matariki]

12. Also (subtly) push the LIAR meme

A passing statement about her inability to tell the truth.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

15. Like it.

[csziggy]

24. I'll try but I am not that fast with my verbal responses

That is one reason I like forum discussions - I can think about my response and dig up the data to support my points. That is why I want to go into this prepared as if I were taking an exam.

From what I have read and heard of Palin's comments, she is unapologetic about charging rape victims for the tests and might actually be proud that she claims she fired Monegan for looking for federal funds to fight sex crimes. So it would be hard to bring in the liar label on the points I am supposed to discuss.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

14. I agree that these are the points you want to hit. I also agree that

you want to stay away from religion and the other scandalous stuff.

I do think that you might want to consider working the aerial hunting and polar bear hating in if you can. I'm a guy, but my sense is that women get especially upset about this. Just an observation.

I think that your primary job is to convince other women why Caribou Barbie is completely unacceptable.

[csziggy]

25. Protection of our environment and of animals IS important to me

I raise horses and have adopted a lot of abandoned animals. And I pretty much keep my farm as a wildlife refuge, as much as I can and still have places for my horses. So I could discuss how it distresses me that Gov. Palin does not want to protect the endangered wildlife in Alaska.

[mikekohr]

13. Published at Bureau County Republican, Princeton, IL

Palin who spent 5 years pursuing a degree in journalism, does possess a stage presence. Palin can smile, look straight into the camera and reel off a whopper without shame. That much can not be denied. Palin has mastered style and delivery. Substance? Not so much.

Palin continues to claim credit for killing the “Bridge to Nowhere,” when it’s been conclusively established that she was for it before she was against it. Palin is under investigation for lying about her role in the firing of Alaska's Safety Commissioner. Her testimony in this matter has slowly evolved as evidence has been uncovered.

As mayor, Palin demanded personal loyalty oaths be signed by city employees of Wasilla. She had to reinstate the town librarian to head off a recall effort, and was forced by Republican operatives to hire an administrator to run Wasilla after her power grabs outraged the village’s citizens.

When Palin was elected mayor of Wasilla the village had no long term debt. Palin hired a Washington DC lobbyist, connected to felon Jack Abramoff and indicted Senator Ted Stephens ® AK, who helped Palin suck $27,000,000.00 of pork from the Federal trough. In-spite of this, Palin still managed to leave the village over $19,000,000.00 in debt after 6 years in office.

Alaska has the highest incidence of rape and incest in the nation. Alaskan Senator Barbara Murkowski ® AK said, “"Our statistics are almost unimaginable… more adult women have been raped than wear glasses or contacts.” Yet as mayor, Palin’s administration charged victims of rape and incest for their own rape kits, ($230.00) an action so outrageous that it was cited as the reason that the Alaskan State legislature passed a law forbidding the practice.

Alaska leads the nation in other shameful statistics. It has the highest per capita taxes, and spending and is the highest per capita recipient of Federal earmarks, (10x that of Illinois).

Alaska’s lack of state income tax and yearly rebate checks to its citizens are luxuries that are financed by the taxes it imposes on the oil exported to the lower 48 states. Not bad work if you can get it. But not exactly self reliance either. High taxes, high spending, and income redistribution are Republican self described abominations. It is ironic that the red state of Alaska is the biggest single violator of these sins and the leading example of the nation-wide phenomenon of red states being net takers from the federal slop-pile while blue states, like Illinois, are net givers to the federal treasury.

Hypocrisy, extremist views, fiscal irresponsibility, abuse of power and dishonesty are tendencies that have not served George W. Bush well as president. These shared traits will wear thin on, Alaskan Governor, VP candidate, Sarah Palin as well.


by mike kohr

[csziggy]

26. Oh, those are good - and straight from a Republican source, too?

That is perfect! Thank you!

[mikekohr]

37. It's a newspaper nt

mike kohr

[polichick]

16. Women should also be concerned about her hawkish views...

...if they don't want their kids to be drafted for more unnecessary wars.

[csziggy]

27. Heck, I can bring up that the first half of my life was lived during the Cold War

And I do not want to go back to the time before the Berlin Wall was torn down. Nothing warps a child's life to live your entire teens with "Duck & Cover!" and drills on what to do if missles are headed for the close by military base.

Our country and the world does not need a hawk, chicken or otherwise, any where near the White House.

[DeeDeeNY]

17. Palin wasn't chosen for her experience or her judgment

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/09/17/palin_mayor/

http://www.americatotherescue.com/pdf/palin.pdf

[csziggy]

28. Palin's office makeover included flocked, red wallpaper. "It looked like a bordello."

:rofl:
Oh, I can't imagine what she would do to the White House if she ever got a chance - it's probably end up looking like some of the horridly over decorated McMansions I've seen pictures of.


But this is the important part of that Salon article:

Carney confronted Mayor Palin at a City Council hearing, and was shocked by her response.

"I braced her about it," he said. "I told her it was against the law to make such a large expenditure without the council taking a vote. She said, 'I'm the mayor, I can do whatever I want until the courts tell me I can't.'"

"I'll never forget it -- it's one of the few times in my life I've been speechless," Carney added. "It would have been easier for her to finesse it. She had the votes on the council by then, she controlled it. But she just pushed forward. That's Sarah. She just has no respect for rules and regulations."

We do NOT need another pResident with no respect for the other branches of the government and with no discretion. And frankly, I think McCain should be declared incompetent now. He is just no longer in touch with reality.

[DeeDeeNY]

35. That quote is scary and says a lot -- no respect for rules and regulations

Maybe it's a good idea to bring some articles of this sort with you and highlight the quotes you want to use to back up any general points you make.
This is such a wonderful opportunity to make your voice heard. Good luck!!

:bounce:

[brooklynite]

21. Before taking any of this advice...

Tell us WHERE this is being broadcast and who is interviewing you (local news? features producer? cable?) What you say should be appropriate to the audience.

[csziggy]

29. I am not sure who will be interviewing - I was asked in the middle of the chaos yesterday

I'm in Tallahassee, Florida, but the local news rag has a fairly small distribution. It would depend on which TV station, if it is TV, as to how big a viewing area it would cover. The TV stations do extend into South Georgia and to the neighboring Florida counties, which are strongly Republican. If it is the local CBS affiliate, they cover a large part of the Florida Big Bend area and well into South Georgia. Those areas are very conservative, religious, right wing areas. I'll find out more tomorrow when I will hopefully have a better chance to talk it over with the organizer.

[stillcool]

23. I have some articles..

in my journal..and there are links to the articles and where you can find more dirt..
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/stillcool47

[csziggy]

30. Lots of good stuff there - I will have to spend a lot of the weekend sifting through it

At a glance, some of that info is new to me. Thanks!

[stillcool]

32. That newsaper is great..

because of the archives..they make it really easy to search. This blog is good too...
http://mudflats.wordpress.com/

[DangerousRhythm]

36. I might bring up the aerial hunting of wolves...

...and taking polar bears off the endangered list so she can drill in ANWR.

Animal lovers won't take kindly to the cruel chasing of wolves in an airplane and shooting them when the wolves get tired.

[fiorello]

38. A different view: Equal pay and the Supreme Court fiasco!

That's the one womens issue everyone can relate to - and everyone but an idiot supports. You know, that nice lady who spoke at the Democratic convention who found out she had been paid half as much as men doing the same job - and the Supreme Court threw out her suit (on a 1963 basic equal rights law) because "you have to sue within 18 months of the time the event happened". (Of course she didn't find out about it until years afterwards.) McCain then voted AGAINST fixing the law to close this loophole the Supreme Court so cleverly opened. Palin? Well, we know McCain is against it - and he promised to appoint Supreme Courties who are just as mean-spirited, who will use every loophole to screw people over...