Anchorage Daily News

Dowd's views on Palin are trite

I'm disgusted at Maureen Dowd's clumsy cartoonish column on Sarah Palin. This smarmy lip-curling elitist in New York thinks Alaska is a land of wackos shooting all that move.

I don't remember Sarah preaching her views on abortion at anyone. Her decision to have a Down syndrome child was a family's personal choice even though my own may have opted for the opposite. Here we respect personal choice unlike Maureen Dowd, obviously.

Dowd stuffs phrases like "uppity black contender" in the mouths of her opponents as if any African American is automatically qualified for the presidency, as racist as it gets. It's below any and all pay grades. The Times is actually paying her?

After rattling off a few things she gleaned from the Web about Sarah, she devolves into some high noon parody of a showdown with Putin and snide remarks about caribou stew and mooseburgers with a nastiness that's symptomatic amongst democrats today. Unfortunately, the same thing was used to tear down Hillary in the primaries. Hillary or Sarah would both make better commanders in chief than Obama. In Dowd's New York mean girl language, when it comes to rational discourse, Dowd can't accessorize.

-- Bruce Orton

Anchorage

'Experience' can be overrated

As Obama so eloquently stated in his acceptance speech, something in our country is stirring. The American people are tired of politics are usual, and the major political parties are starting to get it.

So enters Sarah Palin, Republican VP candidate.

Shame on the Republicans and Democrats for criticizing Obama and Palin for lack of experience. May I be so bold to suggest that qualifications for the highest office in the land have more to do with character, judgment and intelligence than with experience.

Ted Stevens has 40-plus years of experience in the Senate, and that's put him closer to jail than to the White House. Bush has eight years of experience as president. Need I say more?

I want a president who is connected to the people, someone who gets what it means to be a member of the working class, someone who is still rooted in the convictions of public service and social change that lead them to a political position in the first place.

I am thrilled for Palin -- it's just too bad she is on McCain's ticket, which sadly means business as usual. And honestly, I don't want to lose her as governor. But Palin's nomination is significant, and the symbolism is powerful, so let's keep things stirring.

-- Marla McPherson

Homer

Featuring Bristol was despicable

The headline and picture of Bristol Palin that you chose for your front page on Sept. 2 is, even for you, the lowest of lows. It is a well-known fact that the ADN is not a fan of Gov. Palin, and to make her daughter's situation your headline is despicable. You owe Bristol an apology, and not in an obscure section of your newspaper -- it should be tomorrow's headline. You should be ashamed.

-- Roberta Townes

Anchorage

Pregnancy was not Page 1 news

The Daily News has done it again by placing a poor choice of headlines announcing the governor's daughter's pregnancy on the front page! Can't the Daily News use any better judgment to refrain from impugning people that may not fit the ADN political bias?

-- Sam Gimelli

Anchorage

Photo, headline were an outrage

I cannot believe your headline story and front page photo of Sarah Palin's pregnant little daughter in Tuesday's paper. This is an outrage! Have you no shame?

What a shame you are the only "newspaper" in Anchorage.

-- Dennis Lattery

Eagle River

Let's respect Bristol's privacy

It sickens me to see all this media coverage digging into the personal life of a teenager. As if it's not difficult enough for a 17-year-old girl to go through an unexpected pregnancy, Bristol Palin is bearing this unimaginable burden being broadcast, scrutinized and smeared all over the world.

Was it her choice her mother was selected to run for VP of the free world? No. Do you think it wasn't heartbreaking for her parents to learn of their child's unexpected pregnancy? Do you think they didn't shed a few tears over the fact that their daughter would face the challenges of parenting so early in life? They could have shunned her and shipped her off to a foreign country or locked her up for nine months, but instead they did the right thing and chose to support her and raise the baby in a loving home. That decision represents a respectful human being who has raised a family with great values.

Let's face it, some of us are just lucky to have our kids make it through high school without incident. We are no different from the Palins. It's not going to be an easy road for Bristol so let's do the same as her family has done by supporting her and respecting her privacy.

-- Cindy Lewis

Anchorage

Look who's casting the stones

Notice: The line for the Sarah Palin stoning forms to the left. Only those who have never had pre-marital sex -- and whose children have never had pre-marital sex -- are permitted to participate.

Hmmm. Where'd everybody go???

-- Eric Treider

Soldotna

Palin's decision betrays Alaska

Am I the only person who thinks that Gov. Palin's decision to accept the vice-presidential nomination was selfish and a betrayal of the Alaskan people?

In her inauguration speech Gov. Palin asked us to hold her accountable. How can we hold her accountable when she is no longer governor?

She is less than halfway through her term as she's abandoning ship. She decided to abandon ship without knowing whether Alaska will even have a lieutenant governor for the next several months. Alaskans are still awaiting the final vote count for the Republican congressional candidate and the winner may well be Sean Parnell. Is this being accountable?

I feel it is fine for a father or a nanny to raise children. But doesn't anyone else see the hypocrisy in praising Palin for carrying her pregnancy to term knowing the child will suffer from Down syndrome, while not questioning her wisdom in getting pregnant early in her first term as governor and now her willingness to sacrifice her infant son's needs for her own interest in being vice president?

Doesn't anyone else expect state employees to finish the jobs they've been hired to do and not jump ship just because some more interesting or lucrative position presents itself? Doesn't anyone else think elected officials have an even greater responsibility for staying the course?

-- Kirsten Bey

Nome

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