What's the difference between Palin and Muslim fundamentalists? Lipstick

[Joanne98]

Sept. 9, 2008 | John McCain announced that he was running for president to confront the "transcendent challenge" of the 21st century, "radical Islamic extremism," contrasting it with "stability, tolerance and democracy." But the values of his handpicked running mate, Sarah Palin, more resemble those of Muslim fundamentalists than they do those of the Founding Fathers. On censorship, the teaching of creationism in schools, reproductive rights, attributing government policy to God's will and climate change, Palin agrees with Hamas and Saudi Arabia rather than supporting tolerance and democratic precepts. What is the difference between Palin and a Muslim fundamentalist? Lipstick.

McCain pledged to work for peace based on "the transformative ideals on which we were founded." Tolerance and democracy require freedom of speech and the press, but while mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, Palin inquired of the local librarian how to go about banning books that some of her constituents thought contained inappropriate language. She tried to fire the librarian for defying her. Book banning is common to fundamentalisms around the world, and the mind-set Palin displayed did not differ from that of the Hamas minister of education in the Palestinian government who banned a book of Palestinian folk tales for its sexually explicit language. In contrast, Thomas Jefferson wrote, "Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it."

Palin argued when running for governor that creationism should be taught in public schools, at taxpayers' expense, alongside real science. Antipathy to Darwin for providing an alternative to the creation stories of the Bible and the Quran has also become a feature of Muslim fundamentalism. Saudi Arabia prohibits the study, even in universities, of evolution, Freud and Marx. Malaysia has banned a translation of "The Origin of the Species." Likewise, fundamentalists in Turkey have pressured the government to teach creationism in the public schools. McCain has praised Turkey as an anchor of democracy in the region, but Turkey's secular traditions are under severe pressure from fundamentalists in that country. McCain does them no favors by choosing a running mate who wishes to destroy the First Amendment's establishment clause, which forbids the state to give official support to any particular theology. Turkish religious activists would thereby be enabled to cite an American precedent for their own quest to put religion back at the center of Ankara's public and foreign policies.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/09/09/palin_fundamentalist/index.html?source=newsletter

[mwb970]

1. This should be requred reading for all Americans.

Palin represents the forces of darkness and should be considered an enemy of the state, as detailed in this article. We need to oppose her for exactly the same reason we need to oppose her extremist Muslim fundamentalist brethren: because they will destroy us otherwise.

The fact that she has so many sympathizers posing as Americans here is deeply disturbing. We were worried about Muslim terrorists having "sleeper cells" here, but this is much, much worse.

[pegleg]

2. If it were teaching ONLY creationism in schools, I would be worried.

But allowing only Darwinism and nothing else can certainly be seen as a threat to free and open education. I want my children to be exposed to as many viewpoints as possible and not just secular humanism and not just a religious viewpoint.

[SurfingAtWork]

5. I agree, and why limit it to Creationism vs Darwinism? I want all sides of the debate.

The Flying Spaghetti Monster must be included in the curriculum as well.

:eyes:

[pegleg]

6. I agree.

[pkz]

3. All religious extremists are a threat

They damn all of us that do not believe the same to HELL.

They preach with terror....but no...in this country we would never call them Terrorists!

:sarcasm:

by definition that is exactly what they are:

ter·ror·ist ~ a person who terrorizes or frightens others

[Donald Ian Rankin]

4. You're unduly lenient towards Muslim fundamentalism.

Palin is bad, but nowhere *near* that bad.