Alaska’s been on my lifelong must-see list since long before the state took center stage in the current Presidential election.
Here are just a few reasons why:
5. Jaw-dropping, snow-capped scenery.
Photo by Unhindered by Talent (Creative Commons)
4. Haunting coastline.
Photo by Steve Deger (Creative Commons)
3. Cedar-planked wild salmon. ‘Nuff said.
Photo by woodleywonderworks (Creative Commons)
2. Killer wildlife.
Photo by Paul Resh (Creative Commons)
1. The Northern Lights, of course!
Photo by zhengxu (Creative Commons)
Clearly, the state packs a powerful punch in terms of travel appeal.
So what could possibly throw me off?
Just one crazy lady: Sarah Palin.
As far as I can tell, the new Vice-Presidential candidate stands for guns, abstinence-only education (how’s that goin’ for ya?), overturning Roe v. Wade, hockey (okay, I’m with her on that one), drilling for oil in Alaska’s wilderness refuges – and, of course, being pretty.
Give that ex-beauty queen a new tiara and a sash: she takes the prize for Scariest Up-and-Coming Politician on the scene in ‘08.
Note: The above pic is photoshopped and is not legit.
But I’d bet it’s how “2nd Amendment Barbie” pictures herself in her dreams…
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24 Comments... join the discussion!
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I'm not afraid to admit I'm a Georgia Boy who grew up shooting and learned to be respectful around firearms, and all I can say is shit–the first rule is KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOU'RE READY TO SHOOT. Look at her posture there, her finger on the trigger, or at least in the trigger guard. This is a person we want with her finger on our national trigger?
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Ha, yeah it should be known though that the photo is fake. Damn funny though…
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Since the photo is fake, isn't this post irrelevant? It really isn't about travel – it looks like that was just a lead for the final photo. Also, it isn't about Palin – or about a non-imaginary Palin anyway. This photo is on the same level as all the fake photos of Obama and Osama that are around the web. People of all political parties spread this kind of non-news, but I find it distasteful and misleading.
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LOL, oh yeah
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Come on, its a funny picture… nobody is stupid enough to think it is real… look at her head. It was a good post.
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oh man, hilarious! i love the expression they got her with lol
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Hey Theodore, I'm not sure how I was being misleading since I didn't try to pass the photo off as real? Caricatures are fair game in politics (cartoons, much?) as long as they're labeled as such, I think. As for being travel-related, I was being honest about the reasons why I WOULD like to visit Alaska – and yeah, for potential travelers, I think Palin gives the state a bad rep. (Not that I am going to write all Alaskans off, of course!) The text, if not the photo, is certainly about a non-imaginary Palin – would you dispute that she is for abstinence-only education and drilling for oil in Alaska? Besides, Pulse is a news blog – we routinely range far beyond the strict boundaries of 'travel-related content' but it's never elicited an objection from you before…
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I'd also like to object to the Osama/Obama comparison – a stars'n'stripes bikini is hardly on the same level as a mass murderer!
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Wow. You guys never quit. A small print disclaimer about the photo of her being shopped is as close to honesty as you get. I love that you moron libtards are trying to pass her off as a beauty queen, etc. Keep it up. You're pissing off working mothers and losing their votes. Can't wait to see McCain/Palin in the White House
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I'm with Theodore on this one. I think Palin would be a horrific addition to the Executive Branch. Satire is an important part of the media's job and this is still a free country. But, Democrats need to be extremely careful here. Frivolous, demeaning and personal attacks on Mrs. Palin will play right into Republican hands, and that photo is frivolous, demeaning and personal. Obama is desperately trying to keep this election discourse civil, because it's too important an election to make it "about small issues." To end the long nightmare of corporate Republican rule, we can't afford to roll in the gutter.
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Gee, guys, I dunno what to say. I really didn't think I was engaging in irrelevant gutter-rolling, or that the pic was all that boundary-pushing. Taking it as a caricature, I actually think that – far from being a purely personal attack – it represents perfectly several of the things about Palin that I object to most. 1) The stars'n'stripes: The dangers of excessive nationalism. The Republican Party's repeated demands for visible, and orthodox (ie flag pins, hands over hearts) displays of nationalism scare the hell out of me. I think it's shades (light shades) of Fascist Europe, frankly. Loving your country isn't about putting on a show, and putting down others who refuse to do the same. 2) The gun: "The right to bear arms" – This is one of my biggest beefs with the US government as a whole: the near-complete lack of restrictions on gun ownership and possession. It's not just a domestic issue, either – most of Toronto's murders are committed by gang members who cross the border and buy guns legally in the States. Palin is on the more extreme end of the group who would do anything in their power to prevent that from changing, regardless of the bodies piling up. 3) The bikini: Ok, maybe the bikini seems like it crosses the line, but considering as a beauty pageant contestant Palin would have posed publicly, and in televised events, in bathing suits for years, is it really that disrespectful? The pageantry thing might seem personal, but for me it's one of those things where an aspect of the candidate's personal life makes me distrust their judgment and perspective even more. I DESPISE pageants – I think they're one of several forces in society that teach little girls their only worth is derived from how they look (and of course, their ability to say "world peace" for the cameras…) Sure, it's her life and her choices – but it's one more reason why I would never want this woman to have any say in my (hypothetical) daughters' education. I really don't see any of those things as not being fair game for attack – certainly not as bad as "frivolous, demeaning and personal." So I'd ask, if this was a cartoon, would you find it as offensive?Let's say the caption was, Miss Gun Rights USA? And since it is a photo, not a cartoon, given that I made it clear it was photoshopped (and, uh, it and the originals have been ALL over the web) is using an alternative medium to caricature someone really stepping that far over the line?
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I think the big issue is the fact that it is a photo, and the untrained eye would not be able to tell it's photoshopped. A cartoon, of course, is a different story. It's not so much the content of the photo, but that it's false, which makes it an easy target to dismiss all actual criticism against Palin.
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Good points, Eva, good discussion. If it was a cartoon I wouldn't find it offensive. Let me say too, that I don't find it offensive as it is. But look at the comment below by Proud Republican. He's an asshole, but he's also right. The more Democrats attack Palin, the more votes we'll lose. It's so important for this election to be about the issues, because there's no way rational thinkers will choose McCain over Obama.
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That's what I'm trying to say, Tim – I think I am attacking Palin on the issues, albeit in an informal, (attempted) humourous way. I am against almost everything she stands for, and that's what I was trying to express. I don't care whether her daughter is pregnant or how many hockey practices she's driven her son to over the years – what matters to me are the issues she represents. If expressing my disagreement drives "working mothers" away (and with a phrase like "moron libtard" in play, I sincerely hope that Proud Republican does NOT have kids) then so be it. "There's no way rational thinkers will choose McCain over Obama." This is a popular belief, and to me, it's as big a problem as the personal attacks – the Democratic refusal to believe that some Republicans are informed, educated, and firmly believe in their positions. That's how Dems prove themselves to be out of touch election after election – the condescension and inability to comprehend (some of) their opponents. My stepdad's a Republican (well, in his heart – being Canadian and all) and I'd bet he'd be far more offended by that comment than by anything I have to say about Palin.
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Wow! This whole thing seemed to have gotten blown out of control. Unless Eva moonlights as the Chairman of the DNC I think she's alright here. Isn't individual expression of opinion what this country is all about? That really seems to be all she's doing here–articulating her dislike of Gov. Palin in her own form. I don't see anything particularly offensive or distasteful about it and I appreciate her point of view. Quite frankly, it's not much different than negative ads we see from both sides of the aisle in every election. As for claims that it's off topic: I thought it was an interesting way of tying a valid travel topic (AK being one of the most beautiful destinations in the hemisphere) with a very general political conversation. Eva, I like what you did there and any reaction that you've generated is all the more to your credit–that's what this type of discourse is all about.
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Well David, I'm a Georgia Boy also. I remember a few things about firearms. As for her finger placement , I couldn't see it. I guess I was distracted.
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Just now checking back since my first comment. Since there has been so much debate, I want to respond to a few of the questions and comments. @Eva "I'd also like to object to the Osama/Obama comparison" Not if fake photos are to be considered caricatures, and thus "fair game in politics" as you say. "a stars'n'stripes bikini is hardly on the same level as a mass murderer!" I wasn't equating the actions of the people in the photos or the message. To be more clear, I just wanted to point out that the act of creating those images and the act of spreading them are both immature. Can we agree that political debate would be better if these kind of dirty tricks were not carried out by any party? I don't believe that people will stop it – but why encourage it? "would you dispute that she is for abstinence-only education and drilling for oil in Alaska?" No. "if this was a cartoon, would you find it as offensive?" Similar to what Ian and Tim said above, I wouldn't have had the same reaction if it was a cartoon. Posting a fake photo of Palin holding a pellet gun with the words "crazy lady" in bold above it looks like a pointless personal attack, even when you state it is fake. After reading your comment above, outlining your interpretation of the image, I now understand your position MUCH better. Thanks for taking the time to explain it. Without that explanation, it does look "frivolous, demeaning, and personal" – to some of us anyway. What it really comes down to, is that when you attempt this kind of humor on controversial topics (politics, religion, etc), some people are going to find it distasteful and might hold it against the author or website. Of course, that doesn't mean that you should change anything! It is just something to consider. @Chris Weiss Yes, individual expression of opinion is great! And that covers the comments as well. We are all just sharing. I hope that Eva doesn't feel attacked.
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I see your point about condescension, but I honestly think that if all Americans voted in their interests this election, which is to say rationally, McCain would lose in a landslide. The republican foreign policy is nothing more than ignorance and fear. Anyway, moving on…gotta get my absentee ballot. Someday maybe Vermont will secede and all our troubles will be over. Or something like that. Maybe see how it works for Quebec first.
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Thanks for the reply Theodore. Group hug everyone!
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here's an excellent article on the American reaction to Palin – it's called No Laughing Matter: ” target=”_blank”>http://warner.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/no-lau...
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here's an excellent article on the American reaction to Palin – it's called No Laughing Matter: ” target=”_blank”>http://warner.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/no-lau...
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that's the whole point. it's all about distraction.
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Dude it's so weird to be randomly browsing reddit links, and finding one of my pictures.
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