Smart Women Vote

Whenever I start to get overwhelmed at the election news, I surf on over to the Women Against Sarah Palin website and read a few pages of posts from women who are as vehement in their rejection of Palin as I am. Reading the words of those women is the online equivalent of taking several deep, calming breaths. It's all gonna be fine. They're going to vote and I'm going to vote and with our votes we're going to ensure that we're not going to have this woman in any national office. She's never ever going to have the opportunity to make a single decision that affects me. It's all going to be fine.

Here's the letter sent out by the women who began the Women Against Sarah Palin website. Go and read some of words written by some passionate, intelligent women. Or send them an email. (I did.) Or sign their petition. (I did that, too.) Then make sure you're registered to vote. And then make sure you follow through.

Friends and Compatriots,

We are writing to you because of the fury and dread we have felt since the announcement of Sarah Palin as the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Republican Party. We believe that this terrible decision has surpassed mere partisanship, and that it is a dangerous farce--on the part of a pandering and rudderless Presidential candidate—-that has a real possibility of becoming fact.

Perhaps like us, as American women, you share the fear of what Ms. Palin and her professed beliefs and proven record could lead to for ourselves and for our present and future daughters. To date, she is against a woman's right to choose, environmental protection, alternative energy development, freedom of speech (as mayor she repeatedly brought up the question of banning books), gun control, the separation of church and state, and polar bears.

We want to clarify that we are not against Sarah Palin as a woman, a mother, or, for that matter, a parent of a pregnant teenager, but solely as a rash, incompetent, and all together devastating choice for Vice President. Ms. Palin's political views are in every way a slap in the face to the accomplishments that our mothers and grandmothers so fiercely fought for, and that we've so demonstrably benefited from.

First and foremost, Ms. Palin does not represent us. She does not demonstrate or uphold our interests as American women. It is presumed that the inclusion of a woman on the Republican ticket could win over women voters. We want to disagree, publicly.

Therefore, we invite you to submit with a short, succinct message about why you, as a woman living in this country, do not support this candidate as second-in-command for our nation:

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5558/t/3691/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=466

We will post your responses on a blog called "Women Against Sarah Palin," which we intend to publicize as widely as possible. Please send us your reply at your earliest convenience-the greater the volume of responses we receive, the stronger our message will be.

Thank you for your time and action.

VIVA!

Sincerely,

Quinn L. and Lyra K.
New York, NY
womensaynopalin@gmail.com