In response to Governor Palin's question: I have been to Alaska. I was up there on a USO tour and I saw Cold Bay pictured here, Nome, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Indian Head, an numerous other radar bases monitoring flights from Russia.
Oh and all those decisions about fly overs and the security of the United States are made by the United States Military. I seriously doubt the Governor even knows.
I an the others I was traveling with were in Cold Bay, Alaska, the last piece of land before the Aleutian Islands begin, when there was a US Airspace incursion. Our scheduled two days in Cold Bay became a week because all military aircraft was busy and that was the only way in and out of here. It was salmon season and I don't remember caring that somewhere in or near the Pentagon there were probably some nervous military folks.
Alaska is a very interesting place. Bars are open for all but two hours when all the drunks are tossed out, the bars swept out, and then reopened before those you tossed out freeze. Right next to the coat check at most bars is a weapon check. While you can wear guns and knives on the streets, and many do, the civilized bars require you check them at the door. Walking home from the bar, or driving, you need to watch for moose and or bear. The average sidearm has little effect on either of these so the pickup has a gun rack with the heavy artillery.
In short I don't believe any of the problems that Governor Palin had to deal with in Alaska are transferable to our lives here in the lower 48 even though coming home at night where I live I have to watch out for the elk and black bears. She is certainly not going to understand the inner city issues. And she probably translates global warming as a chance for a longer hunting season. After Fairbanks there are not a lot of paved roads to worry about, no mass transit (unless you count the ferry from Juno), and the only immigration problems are the Japanese (the visit Alaska in endless charter flights) that missed their tourist flights back.
Alaska is a wonderful state but it is a state totally apart with all its own unique problems. I can certainly understand the independence movement up there. Heck I live in New Mexcio and I think that the four corners states ought to quietly leave the United States. Nobody in Washington seems to give a damn about us except for what they can take from us. And I can imagine that feeling is really rampant in Alaska. So as Governor she is probably not very pro United States and some Republicans want to give her control of it? Get real.
I don't know about that....I lived there for 2 years. Actually, graduated high school there. While there is no place else quite like it (though I've not been everywhere) it certainly equipped me for things i didn't expect. Another one of those life altering experiences...for me.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes living in Alaska would certainly prepare you for survival under some very difficult situations.And were I to pick hiking companions for the canyons of Utah people who lived in Alaska would be on the top of the list. Help is not at the mini-mart.
ReplyDeleteYou learn to depend on your own senses and knowledge,but running the state of Alaska for just 21 months has to be very, very, very different than being the VP of the United States.
hmmm interesting. While I don't disagree that it is very different, ok, very very, different I will volley that it is sheer opportunity that drives some of us to excellence, and while I will not claim that for myself, I think it an achievable thing..some people grow best in an environment to which they are not accustomed. Being one of them, I would say, I will watch..and yes there are only some 50 or 60 days left to decide, but I'll take them all, whatever they are, to do so. In my view, Sarah Palin is hope to me. Not she in herself, but in the total scope of opportunity her chooser has provided..regardless of who he is. It is the other picture I see. There is room for all the "me's" in the country who have that call, but think the dream unachievable. Stand up, I say. What Sarah says to me, is, I CAN. That is what Alaska said to me, and that is what this election says to me, and I WONT be voting for Obama. Sorry J, I hope this is politics and won't inhibit our friendship.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm, you do raise some interesting points, however I do not know if we are at a place in our history were we can "play" with leadership. Too very much is at stake. I certainly might feel more comfortable with Palin if she was not McCain's VP choice. I feel in my esp soul that he will not live through one term as President.
ReplyDeleteIt was GW that made politics so personal that we were all even afraid to talk to each other. He made us all terrorist or terrorist sympathizers if we did not back his lies going into Iraq.
I would like to see choosing a President a matter of logic on the issues and not name calling. I would love to see no cheating on this election and we can all get to the other side regardless of who wins not feeling as if we are going to be burned at the stake for our vote. It used to be that way. Oh, but it were again.
That we could chose a candidate based on the issues and not how we were being forced to believe. Agreement is not necessary in a friendship or a democracy but tolerance of views is. It has not been that way in the US for almost a decade. Are we returning to the burning times?
An interesting debate. Particularly in the way in which people in the outlying states often see themselves as neglected by central government. Though the scale and distances are obviously vastly different, we have the same situaion in the UK where "outliers", Wales, Scotland, even Cornwall visualise themselves in a similar way. Though of course there are many historical reasons as well, which have led to the revival of nationalism and separatism, which obviously isn't the case in the US.
ReplyDeleteBut I guess a similar situation to Governor Palin would be if a Welsh Assembly member were to somehow become Prime Minister of th UK. Experience in one doesn't necessarily equip the person for the other. And in politics, as in most other things, people may be promoted beyond their "incompetence" level. Without making any judgement on whether Mrs Palin has reached hers, it would seem sensible for a potential VP (in fact potential President) to be able to demonstrate proven ability at a level higher than Governor of Alaska
Living as I do in one of the mountain states of the United States I often feel we are ignored unless they want something from us like our water or our empty spaces for disposal of nuclear waste or our gas and oil reserves. And we are suppose to be grateful for the "work" and revenue.
ReplyDeleteNew Mexico is often not even considered part of the United States. Heck the National Geographic left us off one of their wonderful maps. And of the three computerized weather models New Mexico and it weather changing mountains did not exist in two until someone called it to their attention. Storms went to the Arizona/New Mexico border and stopped in a straight line and materialized in the Texas panhandle.
So I can understand how Gov.Palin could feel as she did. I would like to see the Rocky Mountain states just say goodbye to the United States. And I am well aware that our issues here are not of much concern for a President that would rather invade small countries. But I am not running for vice-president either. And I think she just exhibited on Charlie Gibson interview a horrid lack of understanding of world issues.
That's very like Wales, Charley. In our case its our water (due to our high rainfall) which they want. And until very recently, English cities compulsorily bought- up Welsh farms at below- market value in order to flood valleys to create reservoirs for English cities. Similarly expected to feel grateful for the "work", which was generally actually done by workers from England, and the pumping stations, manned, if manned at all, by English engineers.
ReplyDeleteI'm not even Welsh, but I can see how this grievance among others has fuelled Welsh nationalism. There are times I don't like the English very much...
Mrs Palin does not impress as a potential Vice President in her interviews. I'm not saying that is necessarily her fault. She simply does not have the depth of experience. After all, in effect, electors are being asked to vote for a "spare" President, which is what folk maybe should be thinking more carefully about.
Here it is not so much our water they want as the power they can generate off of it. Even if we are in a severe drought and water levels in lakes like Powell are going down they will release water to supply Los Angeles with lights even if it will not conserve energy and turn a few off.
ReplyDeleteThey have made such a fuss about ready to be President on Day One but I doubt that 4 years of on-job training would be adequate for Palin to be ready to lead. And given McCain's age and health she would probably not get four. We have had eight years of a redneck president that panders to the religious reconstructionists. I certainly do not want four more even from the second seat as it were.
This is the lady who, until she back-peddled a little, seemed to be suggesting that NATO should go to war over Georgia.... I don't think so- nor does this sudden concern with "little nations" square very comfortably with events over the last few years
ReplyDeleteI'd better be careful - plunging toodeeply into US politics but I do think that if November produces a McCain /Palin duo then any hope of a healing of the breach between the US and much of the rest of the world has gone, maybe for good.
And maybe there are some among the Republicans who would say that was the world's loss, not that of the US. But times change, and even the biggest boy on the block needs friends sometimes.
Ranting again ... better shut up :-0