The Onion Takes Over Yahoo News?

Is it a prank or did The Onion really take over Yahoo News?  Today’s headlines have me shaking my head in disbelief.

The first story is an appalling commentary on the prevalence of ignorance and racism in the US and the next two make me extremely concerned about our future. These incidents are inconceivable in Europe.

$240,000 awarded to man forced to cover up Arabic T-shirt Jet Blue refused to board this passenger because of Arabic writing on his T-shirt.  Not racism?  He is a terrorist because he speaks the same language? Hundreds of millions of people all around the world speak Arabic, shall we try to ban it?  I only wish each passenger that complained about his T-shirt had to chip in on the $240,000.

Angry Ohio Boy, 4, Shoots Babysitter None Very few families have a gun in their home in the Netherlands.  It is one of the things I like most about living here!

6 Year old boy misses school bus, takes family car, crashes This would never happen here, but only because all the kids are riding their bikes to school (even today with temperature of -5).

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Why Sarah Palin Makes Women Cringe

John McCain may have thought he would win over women voters with his choice of Sarah Palin, but he was so wrong.  Especially since all the housewives women who vote for whoever their husbands (or clergymen) tell them to, were already going to vote for McCain anyway. Free-thinking women wouldn’t dream of voting for a candidate like Palin, man or women, that stands strongly opposed to issues that improve the lives of women.  Sarah Palin is no hero for modern women of any age!

I hesitate to get into politics on this blog, but I work every day to empower women and strive for them to succeed professionally and personally.  Seeing every cliche about women play out with Sarah Palin’s nomination is beyond disappointing.  The Sarah Palin choice was a giant step backward for women.  When an unqualified and unsuitable woman candidate is put forward in any organization, the repercussions of her failure endure.

Sarah Palin was obviously a mistake, and since the shock value of the announcement wore off, she has only become a liability.  I was convinced she would withdraw from the campaign before November for “Personal Reasons”, but the more that comes out against her, the more McCain digs in.

Here is a shortlist of the absurdities:

• The only thing Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have in common are their XX chromosomes.  She doesn’t stand a chance of picking up HIllary supporters.
• The Republicans underestimate women, assuming any skirt woman will do.
• Women cope with a lot of guilt in their lives, but women will not feel guilty voting against this particular woman.  Yes, we’ve waited a long time, but she is not “The One”.
• Sarah Palin is completely unqualified for this job or to be President, she would never have been considered if she was a man!
• The top quality of Sarah Palin’s that people recognize and agree on is that she is photogenic.
• Sarah Palin using her newborn with down syndrome as a badge of honor demonstrating her opposition to abortion in all circumstances, even incest and rape, is repulsive.
• Spinning the teenage pregnancy of her daughter into another anti-abortion story is really too much.  I do not judge her daughter for getting pregnant, it only reinforces the fact that it should be a private choice without interference from a government of morality police.
• She does not represent Modern Women in her strong stance against birth control and her preaching of abstinence.
• Sarah Palin must have seemed like a safe pick because she married her sweetheart and is a mother of five.  No chance of affairs or scandals?  Not exactly.  Investigation already pending…
• The biggest cringe factor is to see her standing on stage talking about shattering the glass ceiling, while if elected, she would single-handedly put the struggle for women’s rights back 40 years!

Finally, please throw her to the wolves!  Why is everyone being so polite, nice and gentle with her?    If she were a man, her lack of experience and incompetence would have been ripped to shreds.  She is being presented as tough and rugged and as a gun enthusiast, she is even armed after all, so throw off the gloves andlet her take it like a real woman!

Filed under Blogging, Politics, Social Issues, Women | Comments (6)