Politics as usual

All of the hoopla over Senator John McCain “suspending” his campaign and threatening to not show up for tonight’s first Presidential Debate in Oxford, Mississippi because he wanted to concentrate on fixing American’s economic crisis by jetting back to Washington D.C. was a ridiculous political ploy that failed. Senator McCain will be present to give his ass handed to him by Senator Obama on the campus of Ole Miss University. I guess McCain’s old buddy ex-Senator Phil Gramm was off-target when he called America a nation of “whiners” in regards to the current economic struggles.

Yes, the debate tonight will go on as scheduled and I am looking forward to it. But there is far more disturbing news that has come to light recently in regards to McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin. Apparently while the mayor of the small Alaskan town of Wasilla; Palin began billing sexual-assault victims for the cost of rape kits and other forensic exams. WOW!

Just think about that for a moment. Republicans decry the estate tax but charging victims of sexual based crimes for investigating said crimes is OK?! WOW! And what a better way to discourage women or men who have been victims of a sexual-assault to not report the incident if they know they are going to be taking a financial hit up front as well. I wonder if these victims were ever reimbursed when the forensic testing was conclusive and helped get a conviction. Or as former Alaskan Governor put it -- “We would never bill the victim of a burglary for fingerprinting and photographing the crime scene, or for the cost of gathering other evidence.”

In 2000, the Alaskan legislature approved a bill to stop this practice in Wasilla. There is no record of Palin speaking out about the issue then or now and of course the way the campaign is keeping her so safe guarded from the press we are not likely to get any info from her anytime soon, but I think it’s certainly worth some discussion.

Ugh! John McCain and Sarah Palin. You’d think Bush/Cheney would have desensitized me, but my stomach is knots thinking about the possibility of them actually winning. Gotta keep the hope alive. America is not this fucking stupid, we’re just not. We have our moments sure, but come on.