My Sea-Side Properties In AZ: Let me shows you them

You know what's really annoying? Political chain letters. You know the ones: Obama is a Muslim and has actually trained terrorists. McCain has 9 houses, 8 of which he uses as drophouses for illegal aliens. Usually, you get these, read a few lines, roll your eyes and then hit delete as fast as you can. But every once in awhile, one catches you in a "mood." Usually this mood is boredom. So, you read it. And worse, you start thinking about it. And EVEN worse, you let it effect you so much that you decide to write a response. Not to any REAL person, but to your imaginary debating buddy--you know, the other half of yourself that you debate when no one's watching or listening. Well, this all happened to me today when K forwarded me this email she had received from an anonymous source:

"Friends, compatriots, fellow-lamenters,


We are writing to you because of the fury and dread we have felt since the announcement of Sarah Palin as the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Republican Party. We believe that this terrible decision has surpassed mere partisanship; that it is a dangerous farce on the part of a pandering and rudderless Presidential candidate and that nonetheless, it has a real possibility of becoming fact.

Perhaps like us, as American women, you share the fear of what Ms. Palin and her professed beliefs and proven record could lead to for ourselves and for our present or future daughters. To date, she is against sex education, birth control, the pro-choice platform, environmental protection, alternative energy development, freedom of speech (as mayor she wanted to ban books and attempted to fire the librarian who stood against her), gun control, the separation of church and state, and polar bears.

That says nothing about her unpreparedness to become the second-most-powerful person on the planet. We want to clarify that we are not against Sarah Palin as a woman, a mother, or, for that matter, a parent of a pregnant teenager, but solely as a rash, incompetent, and altogether devastating choice for Vice President. Ms. Palin's political views are a slap in the face to the accomplishments so fiercely fought for and from which we've so demonstrably benefited from.

Most important, Ms. Palin does not represent us. She neither expresses nor upholds our interests as American women. It is presumed that the inclusion of a woman on the Republican ticket could win over women voters. We disagree emphatically and publicly."

Here is my response (my debating buddy was TOTALLY blown away)

First, this letter is offensive because it attempts to categorize women into a single homogeneous unit. It attacks Palin because she is *gasp* a conservative woman. Because all REAL women are pro-choice, a pro-life woman is automatically a traitor and should be kicked from the flock. Instead of “Condi’s not my sister,” we have “Palin’s not my girlfriend.” Had McCain picked a male VP candidate with the exact same views (read: conservative), this letter would have never been written. This leads to the ultimate conclusion that Palin is being attacked not because she is conservative, but merely because she is a woman. The fact that the attack is made on behalf of a small group of self-appointed “womankind” delegates does not make it any less offensive. Indeed, you CAN put lipstick on a pig.

Second, much like the “Obama is a muslim” rumors, this letter attempts to spread lies and half-truths. And sadly, there’s no real need to point out the inconsistencies. Why? Because 1) the authors of the letter already know they’re spouting lies and half-truths and 2) the people who are ignorant enough to believe what they’re fed are not worth convincing anyway. However, since we’re already here, I might as well point out at least one inconsistency: Palin isn’t opposed to polar bears, she’s opposed to polar bear CUBS. Tell your neighbor.

AND NOW, FOR YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN: