RSSWhere does Sarah Palin stand on technology issues?
by Ed Oswald
While Gov. Palin is fairly new to the political scene nationwide, the Alaska native's stance on key topics may give clues into the policies she would support if she were elected Vice President.
[M.E.'s NOTE: BetaNews contacted the press office of Gov. Sarah Palin earlier this week, and received assurances that we would be receiving responses to our inquiries about the governor's position on critical technology issues, five of which we listed and explained in detail. This has been the week of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, so any number of reasons may have delayed the press office's final response to us. However, they were aware of our already-once-postponed deadline, so in the interest of absolute fairness -- especially since we already profiled Sen. Joe Biden last week -- we will proceed with as thorough an assessment as we possibly can of Gov. Palin, given the information we do have.]
With such a short time on the national political scene on a level where technology issues are, if not paramount, then at least prominent, there hasn't been much of a technology record for Gov. Palin to run on yet. It's not her fault; it's just the fact. However, there have been a few instances where she has taken a stance, or her positions on other important matters could be used as a sort of template, to deduce her likely thoughts on parallel matters in the technology arena.
Worked to ensure students are properly skilled
In 2007, shortly after taking office as Alaska's governor, Sarah Palin took advantage of the Internet to create a online training program for workforce development. Called Work Ready/College Ready (since shortened to Alaska Career Ready), users can take a set of surveys to find out what skills they have or may need for a variety of desired jobs.
A user may select online courses for improvement in weak or under-skilled areas. Classes may be taken at the user's own pace, and are given in the context of a work environment to make them more relevant.
In recognition of completion of the courses teaching the skills necessary, a "Career Readiness Certificate" is issued. At least 40 other states also offer these certificates, which some businesses and educational institutions recognize as valid proof of a particular skill set.
Made health care transparent through the use of technology
Another part of Palin's record as governor included the Alaska Health Care Transparency Act, which helped state residents access affordable health care. This included tele-medicine and tele-health initiatives for providing care to the state's most remote municipalities.
Tele-medicine has often been lauded as a solution for providing individuals living in rural or hard-to-reach areas (and Alaska has plenty of those) with care and good judgment from a qualified doctor who would normally be easy to reach in town.
Actions on gas pipeline suggest balanced net neutrality approach
An action that defines Gov. Palin's stand on long-distance distribution of services, was her effort to rework the natural gas pipeline deal forged by her predecessor, Gov. Frank Murkowski. The former governor had struck a deal with major oil companies, prior to commencing the actual pipeline construction project.
She didn't like that much, and just about everyone in Alaska knew it. So she scrapped the deal, replacing it with one that involves a bidding process. Already, TransCanada has secured a deal with Alaska to build this pipeline which could dramatically improve the state's economy.
The way Palin approached this particular problem suggests she may be in favor of not having any one provider be given preference to build out broadband pipes to a specific area. While one Internet service provider could end up owning the entire pipe -- an approach that would be copacetic with that of her would-be boss, Sen. McCain -- that provider would likely need to provide proof of how it would handle competitors.
Transfer the natural gas pipeline affair to the net neutrality debate, and it seems like Palin would not object to companies agreeing on their own about how to handle traffic of competitors.
Broadband speeds lag in Alaska...along with candidate Palin
It does not seem that Palin has taken any substantive broadband policy as governor of her state, and has actually declined to take a position when asked. That failure to formulate an opinion could be telling, especially considering Alaska has one of the lowest median data rates in the country.
According to a study by the Communications Workers of America, Alaskans connect to the Internet at a slow average of 800 Kbps, the worst in the nation. While geography is obviously a key issue here, there's a viable argument in favor of prioritizing an information pipeline -- whether it's on the ground or in the sky -- equally with respect to a natural gas pipeline.
Stateside Associates, a government analytics firm, attempted during the 2006 gubernatorial election to get both then-Mayor Palin and Democratic candidate Tony Knowles' positions on broadband access issues. Palin declined to respond, and the agency could not find anything that indicated what position she might have taken. So there's a big blank on her record, which remains today, even after BetaNews' direct invitation for her to fill it in.
Used the Internet to make Alaska government more transparent
Sen. Barack Obama has made government transparency part of his platform. Gov. Palin has indeed taken that a step further by actually taking action in Alaska government. Currently, any check written by the state government over $1,000 is posted to the Division of Finance Web site.
While the service is not yet a requirement under law, there have been attempts to codify this requirement, including an effort to make government information searchable through a Google-like Web site.
191 Comments
Why is everyone afraid of change, no matter what side you happen to be on? I noticed no one in the BetaNews site uses their real names, God givin names, sorry for the non-believers in this BetaNews site but wake up and stop hiding! "We the people" Any history buffs out there? Ok, I feel better now, I'll go see my therapist and friends at AA... Peace to all that just want a day off...24/7/365
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Why should we use our real names? And btw, I am using my real name. How did you miss my previous posts here? And I got my name from my parents, not God.
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creationism or science, god or technology?
here she is in a 2 part vid, basically describing that drilling, gas lines and the war in iraq is because god wanted it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG1vPYbRB7k
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Let me guess:
She's speaking in front of a Church congregation.
I'm sure Obama wouldn't mention God once in front of a congregation....right?
A little context and perspective make all the difference.
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Here is a letter from someone who knows her.
http://my2bucks.wordpres...-sarah-palin-since-1992/
I'm not sure if that other letter was real or not, but this one is real.
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technology?
she is all for the technology of drilling in alaska regardless if it means contaminating and killing the nature. unfortunately, the technology to clean up oil spills is still based on paper towels, sponges and elbow grease.
however, the royalties for drilling in alaska mean lots of revenue for them: lower taxes for alaskans and pay raises for the state employees, including herself.
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So we should remain dependent on foreign oil?
Or perhaps you'd rather smoke some more crack and believe we can somehow get by *without* oil...today.
What would *you* suggest?
Love the crackpot bit about "killing nature". Nice rhetoric. Did you know that the "nature" near the pipeline is actually becoming overgrown? How's *that* for "killing nature", genius?
Amazingly enough, oil can be drilled for and transported without destroying everything in it's path. We've come a ways since the Valdez...
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It's amazing how we could put a man on the moon in the 60's and yet in 2008 we can't invent a power source to to replace oil.
But I agree, drill away in Alaska. Even if it does kill nature. It's too far, too damn cold and there's nobody there to enjoy it anyway so turn it into a oil pit LOL:-)
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I wouldn't go quite that far. ;)
But if we'd put 1/2 of the money we currently put into guaranteed failures like Ethanol, we could have this problem licked in no time...
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Or maybe take a week off in Iraq and use that $2.4 billion to find a solution.
The problem is that they are trying to replace the oil. When they should be replacing the engine with one that doesn't run on oil/gas. We are still using the same mechanics of an internal combustion engine invented more than 300 years.
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...and we are still using those silly round things, called wheels. Where is that darn hover craft or super sonic jet pack that all those movies form the 50's and 60's said we be using today?
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Replacing Oil is what we need to do.
Storage of electricity for electric motors requires a battery. As it stands, we have no known way of producing one so that the production, care, and disposal of it doesn't outwiegh it's benefits.
A combustion motor running on clean fuel does not have that problem. We just need to stop subsidizing farmers and get back to actually developing that fuel.
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it is due to national security that we utilize everyone else's oil.
then when they run out, we would have our own reserves to utilize, which by some estimates would be 60 years from now.
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didn't you know that those projects were set back because our secondary moon and the moon base left our space in 1999:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space:1999
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Does that tinfoil hat chafe at all?
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Ah DatabaseBen...nice sound bite but bears no semblance to the truth. I lived in Alaska and the pipeline and drilling has caused no spills or contamination. The only spill was created by a drunken captain at the port facility and I believe he was from the lower 48.
Having lived there, there is a reason why running lines underground is difficult and that is terrain and permafrost. That is why the Alaskan pipeline is, for the most part above ground. You also have the problem that most communities are made up of only about a couple hundred people and can only be reached by plane.
While there are many policies that I think she is wrong on, this is not one of them. No government in the lower 48 has a much transparency under her as Alaska and no government does a better job of using the internet to provide health care and transparency in health care as her administration. Even Ma, with its mandated health care, is totally opaque and now running 400-700 million over budget.
Finally, on the issue of earmarks, people need to realize that Alaska is 90% owned by the Federal government and a lot of that money goes to the National parks and not the pork barrel spending by others in Congress (except for the bridge to nowhere which she killed).
So be critical of her on a lot of issues but this isn't one of them.
The effects of Global warming and dimming are the result of pollution in the lower 48 and around the world and not based on Alaskan policy.
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What's with all the blank replies, folks?
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Thank you for a fair and balanced assessment (and avoiding partisanship). I'd certainly like to see this updated if and when Palin's office provides a response to your questionnaire.
I am encouraged that there is a lot to like in Palin's history and, in particular, her implementation of technology that improves government transparency. I am also encouraged that one of my pet issues - tele-health - has been on her radar and received her support.
I am most surprised at the fact that Palin, Obama and McCain seem to be far closer in spirit than any of them are to Biden. Biden's answers were quite unsettling for me (attempts to extend copyright aggressively to protect Hollywood interests and opposition to net neutrality).
At the risk of being a bit rude, may I suggest that Kathleen Stevenson actually learn something about Palin - rather than just mastering the crude caricature of her painted by web sites like DKos - before making such ridiculous claims? I am truly sick of "true believers" (of either stripe) gassing up non-political forums with partisan rants!
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This is an interesting review.
One correction: Gov. Palin's political record also includes a year (early 2003-early 2004) as the chair and ethics officer of the Alaska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission, which regulates the state's energy industry (which in turn provides the largest part of the state's budget). During that year, she acquired a better grounding in the intersection of government and energy. It was also from this job that she began taking on the ethically challenged GOP good-old-boy network: First she forced the resignation of her fellow commissioner, Rudy Ruedrich, who was (and is, unfortunately) the state GOP chairman. After he left, she enlisted technical help to search the government-owned computer he'd left behind, and was able to retrieve files he thought he'd deleted which proved that he'd used the computer for party business and, far worse, that he had a variety of close connections to various companies the Commission was supposed to be regulating. He ended up pleading no contest and accepting a $12k fine.
When her complaints about Ruedrich and other ethical problems continued to be ignored by state attorney general Greg Renkes and incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski (who'd appointed her and who, along with Don Young and Ted Stephens, formed the ruling troika of Alaska politics), Sarah Palin resigned from the Commission and took them on in the press, despite being threatened with prosecution by Renkes. She forced Renkes' resignation. Then she ran against, and soundly whipped, Murkowski in the 2006 GOP primary, after which she went on to beat both popular former Gov. Tony Knowles and an independent candidate, Andrew Halcro, in the general election. (It's Halcro who's been the driving force in making up the non-scandal known as "Troopergate" a/k/a "Tasergate," by the way.)
Gov. Palin's personal use of technology is suggested by recent press accounts of interviews in which she's had to set down one or the other of her two Blackberrys for a moment to begin breast-feeding her infant son Trig. Their family also owns (and has parked in their backyard, which is on a lake) a Piper Cub float-plane; I'm not sure whether both she and Todd are pilots, or only one is, but in my experience, pilots tend to be pretty technology-savvy.
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Its also worth noting that Gov Palins brother in law is a drunk and a wife beater (thats why her sister is divorcing him). And it is the contention of the governors staff that such a person has no business in a position of authority. IE a State Trooper. The police chief rightly looked into it and didn't find the brother in law having any marks on his record and didn't remove him.
The only abuse of power that happened was that the governors office then found a new person for the chiefs position and the previous chief took retirement instead of demotion. Hence the forced retirement complaint and the investigation.
But of all the things she has done for Alaska. This one thing is the only thing they can dig up on her. well that and that her underage teenage daughter went and got herself pregers. Whoppty doo. Like that has ANYTHING to do with policy.
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She is a anti-choice, creationist, environmental exploitationist, and right wing extremist. I do not care if she wants to gpl her genome and open source her personal assistant's api, she is commonplace evil.
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- KathleenStevenson
"She is a anti-choice, creationist, environmental exploitationist, and right wing extremist. I do not care if she wants to gpl her genome and open source her personal assistant's api, she is commonplace evil. "
Kathleen -
I'm glad that you are so open minded. But since when does not wanting to murder innocent children make you "commonplace evil"? Seems kind of like the other way around, doesn't it?
Since when does acknolwedging that some people feel that God might have something to do with our existence evil?
Since when is responsible usage of natural resources evil? Do you live in a hose, or under a bridge? Were any trees cut down to make your home?
Come on. Stop throwing fire bombs w/ no factual support. It makes you look bad.
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She is a anti-choice...
I love that analysis...I also love how apparently 80% of Alaskan's approve of this "right wing extremist" and "commonplace evil". Sorry if I have more faith in the people of Alaska than you do.
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She has encouraged both creation and evolution be taught in the schools. Given the religious sentiments of many Alaskans, this seems a reasonable compromise. Also, you forgot to add the slur that she supports only abstinence sex education. In fact, she has supported teaching condom use, as well. The caricature will fade away as she is better known.
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Is this some kind of joke? Murder innocent children? Using a condom is murdering innocent children? That's pretty funny. Also, just because you religious nutjobs think that an embryo is the same as a full grown child, doesn't mean the entire country/world feels the same way. If a woman gets pregnant and doesn't want the child, it's her choice to do something about it. It has been this way since the dawn of time. No government agency should be allowed to change that.
The existence of God precludes the existence of aliens and there is far more proof of the possibility of alien life (not necessarily intelligent life, but life nonetheless) than there is of God. You may not like it, but that's how it is. Now you may think I'm some kind of atheist for saying that, but far from it. I believe in spiritualism more than I believe in religion. But to believe there is one specific God and your religion is the right one is simply ridiculous. At any rate, religion should have no place in politics. What ever happened to the separation of state and church?
Now for my favorite one "responsible usage of natural resources" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Phrases like that always make me laugh pretty hard. We've already polluted the air and devastated the land. Let's start off shore drilling and destroy whatever life is left in the oceans too! Yeah, sounds like responsible usage of resources to me. Why don't you just say what you really mean? You want cheaper gas prices and to that end, you want cheaper oil. No matter how you get it, you just want it and want it now. You're a typical American who was born into a certain lifestyle of luxury and decadence. Who cares if you destroy the planet as long as you can drive your 2 ton SUV three blocks down the street to the McDonald's because your 300 pound a** can't walk that far.
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Thank God for Palin!!!
Obama and the leftist femnazi's are the REAL radical extremists.
By the way---if you are not pro life what are you---pro death???
Our culture has been so consistently brainwashed with left wing radical femnazi bull@#$% for so long that these types of women and the so called "men" that have foolishly bought into this feminization that these left wing misfits only SEEM normal. Quite the contrary. THESE are the real radicals.
Palin is just normal---NOT a radical at all.
FYI : )
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Why are you so angry???
Thank God for Palin!!!
Obama and the leftist femnazi's are the REAL radical extremists.
By the way---if you are not pro life what the are you---pro death???
Our culture has been so consistently brainwashed with left wing radical femnazi bull@#$% for so long that these types of women and the so called "men" that have foolishly bought into this feminization that these left wing misfits only SEEM normal. Quite the contrary. THESE are the real radicals.
Palin is just normal---NOT a radical at all.
FYI : )
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Hatred is going to lose, loser -
http://www.guardian.co.u...ons2008.republicans2008
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Kashin -
You need to practice and improve your straw-man techniques if you want anyone to believe you.
Nowhere did I mention condom use. I know of no pro-life people who equate condom use with intentional abortion.
You yourself called the unborn "a child" when you said 'If a woman gets pregnant and doesn't want the child,...". What do you call it when someone kills a child?
Obama advocates not just first, second or third trimester abortion rights, but even the denying of medical services to a child after it has been born via a botched abortion - is tis not the very same thing as infanticide?
I'm pro-choice before a child is created, and pro-life afterwards. Isn't that the civilized postion to take?
You also said "But to believe there is one specific God and your religion is the right one is simply ridiculous. " Here are two thoughts to ponder - 1) Your disagreement is with Jesus, not with me. He is he one who said "I am the way, the truth or the life, no one comes to the Father but by me". Was Jesus crazy or lying when he said this, or was he telling the truth? and 2) It would be hypocritical for me to claim to be a follower of Christ if I did not also subscribe to what He said about Himself. If other ways also lead to God, then Jesus was a fool to go through what He went through.
Finally, your characacture of my life style and lving standard is completely out of touch with the fact. Without knowing me or my lifestyle, you hurl insults and derision at me. That speaks a lot more about you than about me.
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Thanks for your close and absent minded response. God gave you a brain, start using it instead of repeating what someone else has brain washed you into thinking.
God gave everyone the right to choice, and the sins were born by Jesus. Now get over it. If someone wants to be prochoice, they have a right, even given by God and Jesus. If they want to be prolife, then all the more power to them.
Its not up to you to make someone elses choices, that's why God gave up his only son so that we, humans on this earth, have the choice to live our lives knowing our sins are already absolved.
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I would expect no other comment from extreme liberal hacks.
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There is no difference from being pro choice and being a murderer they are one in the same. Funny how you can kill a poor innocent child but its not ok to kill a convicted murderer, for God sake you are backwards.
Do you drive a vehicle? Those forms of transportation need fuel in order to run so why not find the oil and drill it untill an other form of energy can be found and implemented. I love the response of we can't drill there then b****h about importing oil from places that don't like us very much. I bet you use the energy that you are so opposed to finding to heat your house, make stuff for your everyday needs but I guess that is different. You must really live under a rock to think that we don't need those oil and natural gas fields. You really are out of touch with reality.
The last part is directed at others that comment about exploiting the earth as they say.
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Like I stated before do you own a car, heat a house, watch television, listen to the radio. All that uses electricity and that is the reason that we need the oil. Unless you use no energy then you are a hypocrite.
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Wow, implying I have a problem killing a convicted murder... over stepping your bounds aren't ya? Implying something that you have no knowledge about.
What your convictions are are yours, don't put them into my face and try to make me you. Every human being is distinct and its not only allowed, but encouraged by the most of the religions I'm aware of, including Christianity.
If you believe in Jesus, and you don't believe any and every person has a right to choose for themselves to be pro life or choice, you've missed the message. That's all I've got to say.
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"If a woman gets pregnant and doesn't want the child, it's her choice to do something about it."
How about she not have sex in the first place? If you're going to do the deed, you have to accept the consequences.
"The existence of God precludes the existence of aliens"...
No, it doesn't.
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"God gave everyone the right to choice, and the sins were born by Jesus..."
Oh I get it....murder a fetus and say "woops...well, I guess I'll be forgiven..."
So if I choose to become a serial killer, that'll be okay, 'cause Jesus is gonna make it right with God, huh?
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Do you guys seriously have to resort to the "serial killer" bit to make a point?
One would think, if you thought about it for more than 30 seconds, you'd be able to come up with something a little less absurd and perhaps even something that constitutes an actual argument...
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So I guess that partial birth is still ok as is if some how a child survives the process that they should be denied medical care. Like it or not that is a person and deserves treatment. But nope Obama has voted more than once that is ok to kill the child.
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That is the right solution. It seems that people now a days no longer feel that actions have consequences. Morals down the dumper. Also men need to step up and be men about their actions. To many men seem to think that their responsibility is finished when they are. To many women forced into raising a child because the men won't accept their responsibility.
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I think it illustrates the point quite nicely.
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Oil is not the only way to produce electricity. One new approach I found interesting is the Japanese team that plans to beam energy down from space. http://www.sciam.com/art...g-solar-energy-in-space
20 years off and quite expensive, but food for thought.
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We in the good old USA call it solar power :)
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So we deal with High costs and dwindling supply, and continue our dependence on th Middle East while we wait?
No, not if I have anything to say about it.
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The point that you can make totally absurd statements?
Sure.
*Anything* compared with absurd extremes, makes the point that the person making the comparison can't argue logically or coherently, thus resorting to such emotional rhetoric.
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Absurd extremes? Such as sarcasm? I notice you employ the device quite frequently (and quite effectively, I might add.) I personally have no problem with sarcasm; I use it myself. However, there would seem to be little difference between rhetoric and sarcasm. Before you go about giving tutorials on arguing logically or coherently, perhaps a *personal* inventory would be in order.
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Perfect response!
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*laughs*
Point, but there's a big difference:
I use sarcasm to point out the absurd, you use it to *argue* the absurd.
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Semantics, Mr. Tool. I "pointed out" the absurdity of thinking one can go around sinning at will, because after all, Jesus has given we mortals a sin debit card.
Little difference.
Now, that's all I have to say on the matter, you cantankerous man. ;-)
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Cantankerous?
How *dare* you speak the truth. ;)
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Big Business doesn't like Net Neutrality, so she won't like it.
We don't need her record, look at the way this country has been ran the last 8 years. They are pro-big business.
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Tell us please, about the giant strides made by the Democratically controlled Congress responsible for passing all laws and reform during the past two years, Nimrod?
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Yes, the Democrats should have been able to accomplish miracles. I mean, two whole years. Right.
So what if there's a Republican president read to veto every new legislation that the Dems pass that is supposed to bring about change...
To the author of the article: the fact that you would extrapolate from the gas pipeline to the internet...do you also consider the internets to be a series of tubes?
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"Yes, the Democrats should have been able to accomplish miracles. I mean, two whole years. Right."
Well, Sarah Palin's accomplishments in less than two years in office as governor certainly outshine the almost complete lack of accomplishments of a Democratic Congress.
*Following her electoral success supplanting the "good old boy" network of corruption in her own party, Palin followed that up with actually throwing out the good old boy appointees.
*Still not sitting on her laurels (as the Democratic Congress has sat on something situated at a lower anatomical position), Palin then proceeded to veto wasteful spending--and get her vetos upheld in a legislature filled with good old boy animosity--but also worked--and succeded--to worthwhile expand programs (such as those for special needs children, quite contra to the Lefty lies)
*Still has--as of last week's polling in Alaska--an 80% approval of her constituency, whereas the Democratic Congress has sunk to the low 20% range.
*One reason for her popularity in Alaska can be traced to the fact thaty she DID say
No thanks" to the bridge to nowhere... and "Thanks bunches!" for the money which she used on legitimate, needed infrastructure that real people saw was needed (rather thasn spending it, as Senator Stevens had designed, to simply enrich a few fat cats in the old boy network). That's sticking it to remote pols and bureaucrats in D.C. and asserting a little of that old 10th Amendment vigor more States need to. (Oh, yeh, that nasty 10th Amendment that no Lefty has ever liked.)
Oh, there's more, for folks willing to do their own homework. Folks who just parrot whatever Moveon.org, DailyKos or Mass Media Podpeople Hivemind Dhimmicrappic propaganda they've heard recently don't have any facts available to argue, though.
"To the author of the article: the fact that you would extrapolate from the gas pipeline to the internet...do you also consider the internets to be a series of tubes?"
(Some people are immune to information.) Shelleyp, since you've apparently been sleeping in a corner in a box under a bridge somewhere, here's a cluebat: technically savvy folks (and even pseudo, semi-savvy wannabes who have at least been exposed to something more technically sophisticated than the "12:00" blinking on their outdated VCR) ALL know that "pipes" and "pipelines" have been a ready metaphor for connectivity for the better part of two decades. Rip Van Shelleys, of course, haven't a clue.
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"To the author of the article: the fact that you would extrapolate from the gas pipeline to the internet...do you also consider the internets to be a series of tubes?"
Actually, the backbone fiberoptic cables are analogous to tubes or pipelines. What would you call them ? In fact, some fiberoptic cable sets are run through pipelines or pipeline rights of way. You knew that, didn't you ?
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"...has been ran the last 8 years..."?
That's "has been run," my obviously Democratic friend. Let me guess: BA in General Studies?
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You are right they should have done something but instead did nothing.
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So True. Current congress = Lowest...Approval...Rating...Ever. 100% fluff and no substance as usual.
You go Democrats.
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I can't believe you didn't give her press office a chance. I mean you didn't have to post this today. Next week would of been fine. Just think how many requests for information they have received since she was named McCain's VP. Plus her positions only matter if something happens to McCain. The vice president only has two jobs. Break a tie in the senate (when was the last time that happened) and to check on the health of the president everyday. Yeah McCain is old, but so is his mom and look she looks like she's doing well in her nineties. I personally think that she will make a good vice president and eventually a good president. What other politician has an approval rating over 80%. I also think she has more experience at being president then Obama does, but that doesn't matter since Obama is running against McCain.
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My prediction is that this story will disappear from the BetaNews front page as quickly as the McCain one did. On the other hand Obama's stand on technology seemed to be up for days.
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I noticed that as well...
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Gov. Palin's office has the same chance today that we've offered all week. Our door is open; if we get a response any time between now and November 4, you'll read it.
-SF3
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How does being the Governor of Alaska (for 19 months) give her even "a short time on the national political scene"? That's her first experience on the *state* level.
She hasn't operated on the national level at all, we don't know that she knows anything about life in the 48 contiguous states, and it seems wholly improbable she has contemplated international level issues. That does not mean she was not a terrific City Councilwoman for a little town of 9,000 people, but we're talking about electing her to lead the World (if anything happens to McCain).
Why did McCain choose the most inexperienced VP candidate he could find? Maverick or bonehead?- he's got me confused now. What an insult to the qualified Republican VP candidates who have experience, vision, and had something to say.
Somebody should have intervened.
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Washington needs a dramatic change. Sometimes the biggest gains come from individuals who have no preconcieved ideas about how to accomplish something. Many of our greatest accomplishments come from people who weren't aware that what they were doing was not possible. She comes with no preconcieved ideas about some issues. I like what McCain did. If he cannot finish serving his term, maybe she will be there long enough to learn how to be president before he leaves.
I'm tired of the same old Washington. Any new idea that stirs the way things are done in Washington is fine with me. Lets give her a chance.
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It's funny you should say that about the Republicans. Your argument totally disregards the fact that the democrats chose a nominee for PRESIDENT who has ABSOLUTELY NO EXPERIENCE WHATSOEVER, IN ANYTHING. Funny isn't it?
Obama has not operated at the "national" level either, he has no record, and everything he's ever done is something that he eventually changed his mind on. What an insult to America.
And then he chooses a VP whose been in politics since Jesus was a boyscout. (Oops! did I just mention religion??!)
So much for change.
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Loving it...
b**** about her Executive experience, Dems.
We love watching you complain about her limited experience while you back a guy with *none*.
Entertaining as hell.
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@Patriot4Ever: "it seems wholly improbable she has contemplated international level issues"
Improbable, true, since most governors do not ever have reason to deal with international issues at all and have no "foreign policy experience. Kind of like Ronald Reagan, you know?
But no, not like Reagan, since in her slightly less than 2 years as governor she has at least negotiated an international gas pipeline (and taken it out of the hands of the good old boy/big oil hands and placed it sqaurely in an open, public arena); dealt with international fishing rights with Canada, Russia, Japan, and South Korea.
Sure, these aren't deals staring down nuclear proliferation, but her international experience as an executive with broad powers (Alaska's a "powerful executive" state, by constitution) is at least an order of magnitude greater than either Obama OR Biden (a political hack who has been wrong on every single foreign policy issue for at least the last two decades and whose every decent original idea has been plagiarized).
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He was President of Harvard Law Review, if I'm not mistaken. And while that's not anything even close to a Mayor or Governor position...it shows that he has been in a position of Authority and Leadership before. And those are principles which can travel from job to job. Just making sure the "facts" don't get skipped here.
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What are the Democrats so afraid of they won't let Larry King interview Palin? If she can't answer questions from Mr. Suspenders asks how will she be able to stand up to terrorists, and God help up if McCain dies in office leaving her commander and chief of this country.
http://thinkprogress.org.../09/05/palin-larry-king/
http://thinkprogress.org...09/02/mccain-cancel-cnn/
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Um.. Dude, was that a typo?
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Uh...you mean the Republicans? Rest assured, she's not afraid of Larry King. Sarah would figuratively chew him up one side and down the other, field dress him, and serve him for supper! And she wouldn't need a teleprompter to do it.
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same old lies, different faces.. want real change, want to see this country restored to greatness? then dont vote obama or mcCain... vote Baldwin. http://www.baldwin08.com
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I'd rather vote for someone who has more than one tenth of a percentage of actually winning, thank you.
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Yeah -
Afterall, better broadband proliferation is just like adding more tubes. (Ignore the fact that Sarah Palin has 0 technologically demonstrative experience and Alaska is light years away from residing inline with existing backbone topologies. Its not just tubes that make the internet work ya know.)
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Isn't she the extremist biggot who's fighting for the secession of Alaska? So much for the "Republic".
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Perhaps you should change to a reliable source of news. She's certainly not fighting for the secession of Alaska and perhaps you're the one who's an extremist biggot
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I think he has Palin confused with Pelosi...
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LOL!!! God what a shrew Pelosi is.
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Hatred and stupidity are going to lose, loser
http://www.guardian.co.u...ons2008.republicans2008
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True we don't know her views on Alaska and the US, and even if she told us, we couldn't trust a word she says.
However we do know her husband belongs to the party that wants Alaska to seceed, and she addressed and supported the party many times.
That is a little close to home.
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I do not trust her, and this has seriously damaged any trust I had in McCain, since as rational people we know she is NOT the 'most qualified' Republican he could have picked.
On policy I can't trust her positions, especially the ones that conflict with McCain severely.
She pushed and got more earmarks for her little town than Boise, ID, and originally supported the Bridge to Nowhere.
She also campaigned for Stevens (Internet tubes guy), and he won the primary with 7 federal indictments, and now she claims she isn't one of his supporters. WTF?
Is this good policy or even change? The answer is no...
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She may have supported Stevens 5-6 years ago. That's 5 yeears before he was indicted. She has never actively campaigned for Stevens. She now doesn't even feel comfortable even sitting next to the guy. (Good for her.)
She did campaign for the guy (Sean Parnell) running against Don Young.
>trust I had in McCain,
You trusted McCain? Now that is the real WTF!
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If he was going for most qualified, then no.
But he wasn't...obviously.
He was losing support of the Conservative Base. She'll bring them back.
On the off chance that his people are smart enough, it is also possible that one of the reasons they picked her was her limited experience.
It's been nothing but a pleasure to listen to all the Obama supporters whine and moan about her limited executive experience when Obama himself...has *none*.
If they wanted to pick someone who would show the absolute hypocrisy and to