As Palin’s insidious attempts to smear Obama as a candidate who’s “pallin’ around with terrorists” [alluding to his living in the same neighborhood as Bill Ayers and their brief coinciding roles on a charity board, which has been addressed and rebutted (repeatedly)] are increasing, she’s fomenting hate, violence and racism.
In light of her close and deceptive interrogation of Obama’s past, one wonders about her own potential “domestic terrorist” connections, including
• The Kenyan pastor who laid hands on Palin and prayed her to be free from witchraft. And since we’re in the realm of associations, it’s salient to note that this pastor, Thomas Muthee, got his pastoral start when after six months of “spiritual mapping,” he and local townspeople ran a Kenyan woman out of town after accusing her of casting demonic spells and causing car accidents.
But for a far better exploration of Palin’s own far more substantive and questionable associations, please watch the following:
Transcript here.
1. The AP story on Ayers is a fluff piece that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to a reasonable person. I think this CNN story is more accurate (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=dvROBLortBQ&eurl=).
And as for racism….I am interested to know if you think she is seriously fanning the flames of racism? You link to it, but I almost find it too incredulous to think you really believe that it is subtly racist. Am I incorrect?
2. As for the Palin associations, I really don’t think you can compare the associations a visiting pastor laying hands on you and someone you have known for 20 years, called a close mentor, etc. with Wright and Ayers (whom he knew for at least a decade). I certainly wouldn’t want to be judged on who has ever prayed for me. Would you?
Comment by Jonathan — October 7, 2008 @ 9:48 pm |
1. I’ll check out the CNN story this evening, when I’m not at work ☺. I do think the way Palin is playing on the “other”—a man who’s not “like us,” he doesn’t “see America the way we do,” who is linked to “terrorists” (which has been racially linked since 9/11) is a subtle racist association. And I think the fact that people in the crowd are interpreting it racially (e.g. the man who was yelling at the African American) unmasks that intention.
2.My point was to show the equivalent ridiculousness between branding someone as in league with terrorists because he sat in the same room with Ayers six times and the equally tenuous association of linking Palin to a witch hunter pastor who she received prayer from once. I think they are both equally ridiculous associations.
That said the one thing about that clip that does bother me and which I find problematic for me personally is that Palin has been part of a faith tradition that strongly holds to the belief that we can in nearly every situation unequivocally discern god’s will. That is evidenced in Thomas Muthee’s prayer and in other clips of Palin speaking to her former church about Iraq as “a holy war” and referring to the Alaskan pipeline as “god’s will.”
Comment by Amber — October 8, 2008 @ 10:38 am |
I appreciate your response.
1. Maybe its willful blindness, but connecting Obama to Ayers “the terrorist” says nothing racial. Not even if I stretch it. What is the implication, that since Obama is hanging out with a terrorist, that people of skin are terrorists? Even though Ayers is WHITE? Hogwash. That one or two individuals interpret that speech in that way says nothing about the racial intentions of the speech, given the connection between race and Ayers is so tenuous.
If that is the hermeneutical standard, I suppose we can call Obama’s “lipstick on a pig” remark as “unmasking” Obama’s sexist intentions. No?
2. As for Palin’s church ..if you are going to talk about faith traditions, Jeremiah Wright’s/Obama’s racist church is a thousand times more problematic than Palin. Talking about God’s will as if it be in line with your own is problematic, although certain people, like Lincoln presumed to think he was doing God’s will. Palin’s words on the war being God’s plan were completely distorted by ABC and the AP. Go here and I think you will agree: http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/12/abc-edits-out-palin-objection-to-holy-war-question/
Question: Do you think bringing up Ayers is a legitimate issue if Obama has praised some of his views in the past?
Comment by Jonathan — October 8, 2008 @ 8:31 pm |