McCain / Palin: Women should pay to collect evidence against their rapists.

(Original Photoillustration from Stephanie Miller, "Guys and Gals, the Terrifying New Musical from the GOP". Photoillustration by Evan Robinson, Group News Blog)

[1] http://shannynmoore.wordpress.com/2008/09/15/life-begins-at-rapeask-mayor-palin-2/

Sarah Palin hired Charlie Fannon as the new Wasilla Chief of Police and said it was one of her best decisions as mayor. Fannon eliminated the forensic rape kits from the budget.

[2] http://www.frontiersman.com/articles/2000/05/23/news.txt

Gov. Tony Knowles recently signed legislation protecting victims of sexual assault from being billed for tests to collect evidence of the crime, but one local police chief said the new law will further burden taxpayers.
The governor signed House Bill 270, sponsored by Rep. Eric Croft, D-Anchorage, outside the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) exam room at Alaska Regional Hospital. In attendance at the signing were members of victims advocate groups, law enforcement agencies and legislators.
The new law makes it illegal for any law enforcement agency to bill victims or victims insurance companies for the costs of examinations that take place to collect evidence of a sexual assault or determine if a sexual assault did occur.

[3] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/01/AR2008090102305.html

Except Sarah Palin opposes programs that teach teenagers anything about contraception. "The explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support," she said in answering a questionnaire from the conservative Eagle Forum during her 2006 gubernatorial race.

[4] http://www.jedreport.com/2008/09/mccain-voted-against-biden-law.html

In 1994, John McCain voted against legislation -- pushed through Congress by Joe Biden -- that helped put an end to the practice of charging rape victims for sexual assault exams.
...
McCain not only opposed Biden's legislation, but also has voted against funding it as recently as October 2007.
McCain voted against final passage of Biden's legislation. He had supported an earlier version, but on the question of actually making the legislation the law of the land, McCain joined 35 conservative Republicans (and 2 Democrats) and said "no" to ensuring that all women had access to rape exams free of charge.

There's more...

More on Banning Books and Intimidating Librarians

More links and back story on Palin's Librarian Scandal.

I want to do my best to keep this story front and center in people's minds. Reasons are too numerous to relate in full, but two words sum it up, "The Constitution."

Now, I know this "heart of our country" has been weakened over the last 8 years by attacks from the right and weak and pathetic non-defense-defenses from the left, but even the current Commander in Thief has not banned books, talked about banning books, or fired Librarians.

Bush's attacks on the library have been privacy related. And the ALA has fought back valiantly for each and every one of us since Sept. 11th. Bush wants to see what you check out and read. He wants libraries to spy on local citizens. I don't know if you know any librarians personally, I do. And it is not likely that they will stop fighting back. Ever.

But this new Palin-creature? She poses an clear and additional threat. If she has even thought about the process and merits of book banning we need to remember, discuss and remind anyone who might consider pulling the lever for McCain that this woman would have a serious chance of becoming the president. What right does she have to tell people what they can and can't read?

The Wasilla Library story also highlights a pattern of intimidating employees that disagree with her, and firing people who get in her way.

For some back story Batocchio at Vagabond Scholar has a comprehensive post with links upon links.

I found this section of that post about the incident particularly damning, it comes from the Frontiersman in 1996;

Emmons said in the first conversation, before being sworn in as mayor, Palin briefly touched on the subject of censorship.

But on Monday, Oct. 28, Emmons said Palin asked her outright if she could live with censorship of library books. This was during a weak when Palin was requesting resignations from all the city's department heads as a way of expressing loyalty.

“This is different than a normal book-selection procedure or a book-challenge policy,” Emmons stressed Saturday. “She was asking me how I would deal with her saying a book can't be in the library.

Thankfully the Librarian, with the confidence of ACLU (and I am sure ALA) support behind her, pushed back, hard.

She asked me if I would object to censorship, and I replied 'Yup',” Emmons recounted Saturday. “And I told her it would not be just me. This was a constitutional question, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) would get involved, too.

Palin's lies are already becoming old news. She seems catagorically incapable of telling the truth, she's a bully who threatened or fired at least 3 employees that we know of so far, she is an extemist on religious and social issues, and she makes her decisions, "From the gut, without blinking an eye."

So, what are you doing today to make sure she does not become our VP and potential president? It's back to phone banking for me.

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BFF, But I Won't Say That I Will Vote For You

So her best friends love her-- but that doesn't mean they'll vote for her. It seems like a fluff piece but it actually felt really telling to me. (oh and she hates cats)

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