Anchorage Daily News

Suppose McCain wins election; where exactly does Palin fit in?

If John McCain were elected president, I am trying to imagine the role Sarah would play in his administration. "Hey Sarah, come on in. We were just discussing North Korea, the national debt, Iran, China," etc. Does anyone really believe she will be part of his inner circle?

-- Kathy Trump

Talkeetna

Should Palin become president. the US would not be doomed

I am 70, have voted Republican on occasion, but never for president. I didn't vote for Obama, but for Hillary. Fears for his safety concerned me. I will vote Democrat because I believe Democrats have a better record for governing. What if McCain wins? At 72, having fought the worst kind of skin cancer, and, though it is in remission, he has not been cured of it. It is possible it will kill him if elected, then Sarah would be president. Is that so scary? Not really! Since the founding of our country, presidents and vice presidents have been men. Maybe having a female president is what this country needs because Sarah certainly could not screw up the country any worse than male leaders have throughout history. Racial attitudes today are entrenched partly because our first two presidents were slave owners and slavery was OK. The universe has a way of bringing change. Change is what our country needs! Great Britain had Margaret Thatcher. Germany has a female chancellor. Maybe now it's our turn? So, though not Republican, I say Go on Sarah, do your thing, and no matter what your views, views are capable of change, since change is the only game in the universe.

-- Roger Duncan Anchorage

Punning for Sarah

Republican Sen. John McCain's choice of Sarah for vice president makes the Democratic ticket of Obama/Biden look "Palin" comparison.

-- Joe Brammer

Anchorage

Hurricane Sarah unable to knock French off his assigned perch

At the end of the summer special session the Republican-led Senate voted 12 to 0 to investigate the firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. They unanimously picked Steve Branchflower as the investigator and paid him $100,000 to do the job. As the chair of the Judiciary Committee Hollis French was the logical pick to implement the investigation -- start to finish. Sarah Palin agreed to comply with the investigation and instructed her family and aides to comply also. After her nomination as vice president the investigation suddenly became a smear campaign and French was leading the witch hunt. What a reversal! Hollis French deserves a big thank you for doing the job he was asked to do and not backing down in the face of Hurricane Sarah. Thanks Hollis.

-- Jean Stage

Anchorage

Garnishing the energy rebate doesn't seem to be justified

I am writing this letter because my Permanent Fund dividend was garnished, and that is fine, but the energy assistance we got from our state was garnished also. How can that money be garnished? It's like garnishing a disaster fund. I believe that money should not be garnished because there will be a lot of people freezing this winter.

-- Jerome Trigg III

Anchorage

Alexander Creek group thanks Rep. Young for his support

I am a member of Alexander Creek, Inc., and we are a group waiting to become certified a village under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. We have been waiting for about 36 years. That's a long time to be patient. I would like to thank Don Young for his concern and support. I would like to thank anyone else who has also shown their support.

-- Theresa Thiele

Seward

Alaskans should beware of Washington, D.C., politics

Alaskans, welcome to the world of Washington, D.C., politics. You thought your politics had been rough and tumble in the past? Well, get ready for the real thing. But I am sure you folks up there are tough enough to withstand it.

God bless you and Sarah Palin. Beware of the vultures that have dropped in on you. I suspect they are offering big money for trash and dirt, so be on your toes. Do not let partisan politics divide you and scorch your beautiful homeland.

-- James A. Fleming

Bennettsville, S.C.

After millions in federal dollars, you slight us by sending us of this?

We send you more federal dollars than any other state, and you send us this vitriolic, mean-spirited, 19th-century thinking, narrow-minded person, a hypocrite whose speech values sarcasm over eloquence, and wit over intelligence?

Thanks, Alaska. Thanks for nothing.

-- Richard Lerner

Framingham, Mass.

Obama deserves same scrutiny that has been forced on Palin

Mayor versus community organizer: Both are important, both have value. Pointing out the differences, and making comparisons is a requirement in politics.

Is there record-keeping, full accountability or state, federal, and local legal responsibilities for a community organizer? There certainly is when one is a mayor. A mayor is elected into the position so they are responsible to serve all of the people, of all religions, of all races, in all of the neighborhoods, rich and poor. They don't get to pick out the streets that they are fond of, at the exclusion of the others. A community organizer has that luxury.

Send a team of investigators, lawyers and reporters to the location where Barack Obama volunteered his time. Show Americans his office and photographs of him serving in that capacity. Interview the pastor of the church that Obama speaks about, interview the residents that he worked with. Video the location, in the same manner, with the same thorough fact-finding methodology that is being applied to Sarah Palin as the mayor of Wasilla. Then let Americans consider the facts and decide for themselves.

-- Sherrie Morrison

Kenai

We deserve a lot more than a 'sneering former beauty queen'

What a sad statement on America to have Sarah Palin being considered as VP. She is ignorant of issues and proud of it. Global warming is real. Teen pregnancy is a problem. War is not something to glorify as "God's task." We need to think more like Native Americans, taking into account the results of our actions seven generations from now. The earth cannot stand much more drilling/polluting/pillaging.

It would be lovely if Sarah could show some intelligence and integrity, but all I saw in her latest speech was a sneering former beauty queen with no agenda other than to increase her own popularity by degrading others. At the very least she could try to get her facts straight, but then she'd have to research and write her own speeches instead of being a mouthpiece for right-wing ideologues.

-- Cari Sayre

Talkeetna

Most voters will not be fooled by media's bias toward Obama

It is obvious that ADN, like the rest of the mainstream media, is in the tank for Barack Obama. Why else would the headlines, feature articles and editorial commentaries regularly reflect negatively on Sarah Palin, the most popular governor among constituents in the United States? The majority of voters are not going to be fooled by this not-so-subtle campaign of destruction.

-- Roger E. Henderson

Anchorage

Forget campaign tactics, McCain is one who must face real issues

John McCain needed a cheerleader and he found one. She can incite the fans and distract the crowd but ultimately, after the pompoms are put away, McCain must face the issues on the field. The focus remains on John McCain and the perpetuation of failed Republican policies and politicians, not only in Washington but here in Alaska. He can suit her up for the second string but she's still only a bench warmer.

-- Richard Hanas

Anchorage

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