McCain Chooses Pro-Life, Conservative Christian Woman as VP Running Mate

I called in to ask this question on Jay Sekulow Live, but they ran out of time before they could get to my call. I was wondering if you think this selection was made to pull some of the female voters from the Clinton fan-base, and also if the fact that she is a woman may turn off some male voters?
Thanks, and God Bless.

Jordan

FROM ALASKA!!

Have you folks been able to discover what denomination of Christianity Governor Balin espouses? What church does she actually attend?
thanks,
jb

If she is so "pro-life" why did she have the prenatal test in the first place? Again conservative double talk.

If she is so "pro-life" why did she have the prenatal test in the first place? Again conservative double talk.

How is that double-talk? The scare quotes are nonsensical as well.

Well, we drift from what Jay is trying to ignite here. Any Governor, or Mayor can make proclamations for anything, whether it is religious or not.

So this lady proclaims something with a religious context. There is no mandate or law to force compliance or participation. People can celebrate it or not.

Now if she added that a Christian prayer was to be said over the loudspeakers of all the schools during the period of the proclamation, or force people to pray, or get fired, then there may be some hay to thrash around.

Edicts, Mandates, Ordinances, or Laws are the only objects that can cause a Constitutional collision.

Nice try, Jay. But I hope the Rev sees this the same way I do. Innocuous and not worthy of any more discussion.

How can she in good conscience do this huge job with a disabled infant? Who will be caring for the baby? She could be President with onequick misfortune! This isn't Alaska, where her kids can play at her feet in the office...

I am a feminist in many ways but as a mother, my family values take priority, and I just can't get past this...

BORIS SAYS "I doubt Sarah Palin, because of her beliefs, thought she even had a choice about having her last child. The problem is that she wants to make it so no one else has a choice whether or not they want to bear a child or not. What Ms. Palin wants to do is force women to undergo a nine month pregnancy they do not want to endure and then give birth to a child they never want to see.(WHICH SHE NEVER SAID)

The reason the anti-choice lobby gets such bitter resistance is that it is almost entirely Christian-based. Most pro-choice people simply don't trust religious spokespeople no matter what they are representing. Therefore the Christian anti-choice movement is seen not as being fueled by concern for the unborn but rather a male dominated authoritarian religion attempting to keep power out of the hands of women. It's hard to have sympathy for your opponent when you don't fully understand them. But that goes doubly for the anti-choice people."

MARK SAYS
This is the one of the most ignorant things I have heard spewed from a Anti-Life person. That is right, Anti-Life. No where, in anything in this article does it say that Sarah Palin will try to reverse Roe v Wade. No where does anything that BORIS is blattering about appear in what this article is about. BORIS is taking a stance of hate and ignorance, being the typical democrate, and using a party platform to ignore the issues. The article talks about her being a loving mother, not a person who is trying to shut down the female owned abortion clinics, where more black children are killed then white. John McCain's choice is bold and fresh. Here is a woman who is as untested as Obama, and yet BORIS seems to want to rant that she is all for taking away rights, and making it sound like the NAZI'S are trying to take control of the country. Why? Is it that BORIS believes in abortion as a form of birth control? Is BORIS on the government dole and just wants to sit back and collect money, and just complain that people don't understand his way of life? BORIS needs to come up and breath fresh air, and understand, what is tearing this country apart is ignorance like his, and being set in ways that just do not work anymore. Anti-Life isn't the way to go. If your life is that bad, then do somethin about it. You have the chance of life, and if you regret it, then talk to your parents, maybe they can fix that problem for you, but do not take it upon your self to be the moral monitor of life, or the lack of it. BORIS is taking issues that don't exist out of this article, just as I am answering to BORIS about what is written, not about the article that shows this is a woman of faith, which BORIS seems to not have, and a woman of conviction, of which BORIS seems to not believe in. So instead of saying, Hey, she is a woman, and as a democrat, I should say good job, and good luck, BORIS chose to make this about nothing but his own personal beliefs and life. That is about as ANTI-LIFE as there is.

Wow, it just always amazes me that religious zealots think they have the right to impose their religious practices on everyone, the ultimate in disrespect fro their fellow Americans. That is exactly what this Palin is all about. While I can respect that she, after searching her conscience, has decided that abortion is not right for her. Fine. No problem. What I can not respect is that, after she searches her conscience, she has decided that everyone must be held to her beliefs by force of law. Abortion is a very difficult personal issue. It requires that people make a personal judgment about the essence of life. The final judgment that every individual renders is not the kind of thing that is subject to scientific verification, it is all guesswork. Why someone like Palin thinks that her guesswork should trump mine is beyond belief. It always come down to the religious thinking they are imbued with special insight and deserves special rights. Pretty tired of the whole thing really.

MARK SAYS This is the one of the most ignorant things I have heard spewed from a Anti-Life person. That is right, Anti-Life.

Boris says: This is the one of the most ignorant things I have heard spewed from a Anti-Freedom person. That is right, Anti-Freedom.

MARK SAYS No where, in anything in this article does it say that Sarah Palin will try to reverse Roe v Wade. No where does anything that BORIS is blattering about appear in what this article is about. BORIS is taking a stance of hate and ignorance, being the typical democrate, and using a party platform to ignore the issues.

Boris says: The hypocrisy of neo-cons like this blogger is that they claim they don't want the courts to legislate - unless they are legislating Christian fascism like trying to strike down Roe v Wade.

MARK SAYS The article talks about her being a loving mother, not a person who is trying to shut down the female owned abortion clinics, where more black children are killed then white. John McCain's choice is bold and fresh.

Boris says: Loving mother? Sure. Then she should stay home and take care of her disabled child. The highest calling is parenting - not politics. This woman is Dick Cheney in a dress.

MARK SAYS Here is a woman who is as untested as Obama, and yet BORIS seems to want to rant that she is all for taking away rights, and making it sound like the NAZI'S are trying to take control of the country. Why? Is it that BORIS believes in abortion as a form of birth control? Is BORIS on the government dole and just wants to sit back and collect money, and just complain that people don't understand his way of life?

Boris says: I pay more in taxes than this blogger makes.

MARK SAYS BORIS needs to come up and breath fresh air, and understand, what is tearing this country apart is ignorance like his, and being set in ways that just do not work anymore. Anti-Life isn't the way to go.

Boris says: Only Christians are anti-life as things like the Crusades, Inquisitions, witch burning, the denial of scientific discoveries, the torture and murder of unbelievers, the resistance to social progress and the Holocaust clearly illustrate.

MARK SAYS If your life is that bad, then do somethin about it. You have the chance of life, and if you regret it, then talk to your parents, maybe they can fix that problem for you, but do not take it upon your self to be the moral monitor of life, or the lack of it.
Boris says: My life is great because I'm an atheist, unburdened by fear-induced superstitions and archaic preconceived notions.

MARK SAYS BORIS is taking issues that don't exist out of this article, just as I am answering to BORIS about what is written, not about the article that shows this is a woman of faith, which BORIS seems to not have, and a woman of conviction, of which BORIS seems to not believe in.

Boris says: People of good sense do not trust people of faith.

MARK SAYS So instead of saying, Hey, she is a woman, and as a democrat, I should say good job, and good luck, BORIS chose to make this about nothing but his own personal beliefs and life. That is about as ANTI-LIFE as there is.

Boris says: Again, only Christians are anti-life. I'm not a democrat and I have no personal beliefs because I'm an atheist.

Ann I didn't get on this blog to discuss what the Bible says about this subject but since you brought it up:

Ann said: "The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God."
(that's Psalm 53:1 - yeah, that Bible you don't seem to respect any)"

Boris says: This is just one of the Bible's many defenses against free inquiry and critical thinking. It's a wonder people can't see through that charade.

Ann said: However, there really is a God and the Bible is His 'instruction manual'/textbook for life.

Boris says: You mean these instructions?

You must kill those who worship another god. Exodus 22:20

Kill any friends or family that worship a god that is different than your own. Deuteronomy 13:6-10

Kill all the inhabitants of any city where you find people that worship differently than you. Deuteronomy 13:12-16

Kill everyone who has religious views that are different than your own. Deuteronomy 17:2-7

Kill anyone who refuses to listen to a priest. Deuteronomy 17:12-13

Kill any false prophets. Deuteronomy 18:20

Don’t associate with non-Christians. Don’t receive them into your house or even exchange greeting with them. 2 John 1:10

Shun those who disagree with your religious views. Romans 16:17

Paul, knowing that their faith would crumble if subjected to free and critical inquiry, tells his followers to avoid philosophy. Colossians 2:8

Everyone will have to worship Jesus -- whether they want to or not. Philippians 2:10

Let's call our Christian leaders who put politics ahead of Jesus into accountability. For months we have heard attacks against Barack Obama calling him anything from the anti-christ, to a radical Muslim, to a black militant, to an elitist. Yet within hours of Sarah Palin's announcement as the vice-president pick for John McCain, James Dobson and others praised the pick with rousing endorsements.

Yet if we were to take the same microscope to Palin as with Obama, we would find a completely different story.

1. In the past 2 months, she has stated in an interview that she doesn't know what the VP does.
2. She appeared with Director of Stevens PAC to support him last summer.
3. She supported the "Bridge to Nowhere" legislation before she stated she opposed it in her initial vice president speech.
4. She and her husband were members of the extremist Alaskan Independent Party advocating for the secession of Alaska from the United States.
5. She needed to obtain a passport to visit troops, suggesting almost no foreign travel.
6. She has stated that "Under God" should be kept in the Pledge of Allegiance because of the founding fathers despite the fact that the statement was added in 1948.
7. She is involved in an investigation where she is accused of firing the head of police in her state over a family vendetta.
8. She has stated in interviews that the Iraq war was for oil and hadn't given it much thought despite son's enlistment.
9. She belongs to Assemblies of God church, which Dr. Dobson and others have previously spoken out against.
10. The McCain campaign has issued a statement that as a parent, it is not her fault that her teenage daughter is pregnant.
11. Palin's statement about her daughter's pregnancy states that the couple intend to marry, but the "alleged" father of the child only found out about the pregnancy this weekend through the press release and has made no statement of his intent to marry the daughter.

This list is not intended to attack any of the personal decisions of Sarah Palin. It does not address other rumors that cannot be backed up by any of Palin's or McCain's statements actions. Sarah Palin may or may not be a worthy vice president pick. But for the “Christian” leadership to come out so quickly and get behind her without any information on her exposes their blind faith in men and the Republican party.
Its time to call out our so called Christian leadership that has aligned itself with the Republican party over Jesus. If you can't speak for Jesus when it comes to politics, please stay out of the arena and focus on the "family."

I find some of the whereas clauses, especially those quoting such strict separationists as Jefferson and Madison, annoyingly taken out of context.

Many believed that religion was necessary to a successful republic, including individual believers/citizens regularly taking part in the ceremonies and rituals of their faith.

This does not mean they all wanted OFFICIAL recognition of specific religious paths. I surely don't understand how references to "God" are (on a neutral level) relevant to such an official support to honoring Christianity!

I'm dubious of some national day of prayer or such, but at least there the breadth of beliefs covered are obvious, if not all of them. Here "God" is implied to equal "Christ" and people like Franklin and Jefferson, who truly doubted (at best for the latter, see Jefferson's Bible) that connection used to help things is honestly offensive.

The comment about the state's orthodox history is also rather telling.

I am glad Gov. Palin has strong values and that she is not afraid to show them in her political life to compliment her personal life. I recognize this nation is made up of people who believe in many different religions, and that is okay. Nonetheless, the US was founded on Judeo-Christian values and still is an overwhelmingly predominant Christian country. Therefore, Christian Heritage Week is appropriate both on a state and national level.