Several days have passed since Sarah Palin's final stop on the "Quitstock" Tour. I feel like I've awoken from a strange, surreal dream. I can't yet tell if it was real or not.
I listened closely to Palin's final speech as governor. Her classic "word salad" style is no less confusing in print. What Palin was supposed to read off the teleprompter--what was released as the transcript, and what she actually said, are two different things. AKM at The Mudflats blog transcribed the actual speech and deserves the "Golden Comma Award" for her efforts.
Palin's politicization of the troops was vulgar. Her right-wing claim to the second amendment was offensive. Her verbal spanking of the "media" was laughable-the same media she was so grateful for covering her "exit strategy" from the governorship of Alaska.
With such a large national audience, Palin didn't talk about the plethora of issues facing Alaska. Why would she? She has much bigger fish to fry. She decided to slam Ashley Judd instead. Yes, really.
I don't know Ashley Judd, but I like her. I know this must shock the Palinistas; they think I dislike Sarah because she's pretty. According to Palin, she is some sort of Hollywood pixie; a "delicate, tiny, very talented celebrity starlet." I don't judge Ms. Judd on her stunning appearance; but on the criteria of her politics...just like Palin.
"...you're going to see anti-hunting, anti-second amendment circuses from Hollywood and here's how they do it. They use these delicate, tiny, very talented celebrity starlets, they use Alaska as a fundraising tool for their anti-second amendment causes. Stand strong, and remind them patriots will protect our guaranteed, individual right to bear arms, and by the way, Hollywood needs to know, we eat, therefore we hunt."
The second amendment doesn't afford citizens the right to shoot wolves and bears out of airplanes. I know. Why the founding fathers didn't think of that is puzzling...oh, wait, the Wright Brothers weren't born yet. I don't remember Palin mentioning that the only president to suspend the right to bear arms was George W. Bush during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Sarah brought up a fight she lost. Ashley Judd's ads fighting Palin's policy on aerial hunting and the gassing of wolf pups still in their den, were effective. While governor, Palin dedicated $400,000 to fight against the citizen initiative to ban the practice. Her faith based science included bears in the aerial program. As incendiary as the topic is, bringing it up in her final speech was more telling. Mean-girl, high school, vindictive Palin had to get another shot across the bow of the SS Ashley Judd.
The late Charlton Heston, president of the NRA, was from Hollywood. The lionized President Reagan was from Hollywood.
As an Alaskan who has trapped and hunted, the aerial killing of animals is to hunting what hiring a hooker is to dating. A sure thing, with no work. No wonder it appealed to former governor Palin.
Just this week, Congressman George Miller and Senator Dianne Feinstein have introduced the Protect America's Wildlife (PAW) Act, federal legislation to end the controversial practice of using aircraft and gunmen to chase and kill wolves in Alaska. Please contact your legislators and tell them to support the PAW Act.