she will always be an inspiration to me. a true pioneer and freedom fighter. she avenged her husband's death in the face of a dictator by bringing democracy to the Philippines.
Please Watch
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8179397.stm
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
"The Stoning of Sarah P."
I watched a scene from the new film "The Stoning of Soraya M". I watched as a young mother was buried waist deep in the hot earth, preparing to be stoned.
What led to her stoning were lies about her moral character and her actions. False accusations.
I watched as people who were once close to her cast the first stones at her - purposefully or under pressure to do so. My heart broke as one lone loyal voice cried out and begged for them to stone her and not Soraya because Soraya has young children. Spare her life, says the woman. The woman is dragged away and tossed to the ground.
A stone is angrily pitched at Soraya's forehead. Her head is tossed back. Slowly she brings it forward to reveal a gash. There is blood. A woman in the crowd smiles excitedly with pride.
Soraya had done nothing wrong.
I was frustrated, disgusted, angry, sad, and confused at what I was watching.
This was a true story.
And this story is not old.
Nor have these stories ended.
What was shocking to me is that I thought of Sarah Palin.
Now a caveat.
Sarah and Soraya have glaringly different stories.
It's like comparing apples to oranges, but they are still both fruit.
Walk with me.
There is a terrifying similarity in their stories. Sarah has been THE target of the main stream media, the angry left, and the bitter right. They've tried to bury her in the mud of frivolous ethics complaints that they sling at her day in and day out. She gets hit with pieces from jealous op-ed writers (yes you Mo Dowd, and it's getting embarrassing for you how much time you spend on Sarah). She gets hit with sexist commentary and 'jokes'. She gets hit with every derogatory slur for a female in the book. Those who should have her back, are often the ones throwing the first not-so-subtle insults - undermining her abilities, her intelligence, her gravitas.
I watched as the haters gleefully hoped for Sarah's downfall. Reveling in rumors and falsities.
Why is it okay that this still happens? Why is it acceptable that a conservative woman can be the recipient of a maelstrom of hate? Vicious, seething, foaming at the mouth type of hate.
What has Sarah Palin done?
I really want to know.
I don't want to hear lies or rumors repeated. I don't want to hear ignorant comments like, "it's 'cause she's dumb". Frankly, if that's all you can come up with, then look in the mirror.
Is it because she doesn't belong to the Left? If you think Sarah Palin would've been persecuted and stoned the way she has had she been a Democrat, you are mistaken.
She speaks plainly as Lincoln did. She speaks truth from her heart as Reagan did. She honors the beauty and value in every individual life as MLK did.
Is it really down to the "don't hate me because I'm beautiful"? Is it because many don't like her because she's truly happy in her life?
What gives?
Why are we all not ashamed of the stoning of Sarah Palin?
What is distinguishable from Soraya's story is that there is no one lone voice in the crowd of many to speak up for Sarah. There is no ONE person willing to stand with Sarah.
Rather, there are MANY of us who will stand with Sarah. There are MANY who will make sure that the stoning of Sarah comes to an end. So that one day, there will be no more stories to tell.
What led to her stoning were lies about her moral character and her actions. False accusations.
I watched as people who were once close to her cast the first stones at her - purposefully or under pressure to do so. My heart broke as one lone loyal voice cried out and begged for them to stone her and not Soraya because Soraya has young children. Spare her life, says the woman. The woman is dragged away and tossed to the ground.
A stone is angrily pitched at Soraya's forehead. Her head is tossed back. Slowly she brings it forward to reveal a gash. There is blood. A woman in the crowd smiles excitedly with pride.
Soraya had done nothing wrong.
I was frustrated, disgusted, angry, sad, and confused at what I was watching.
This was a true story.
And this story is not old.
Nor have these stories ended.
What was shocking to me is that I thought of Sarah Palin.
Now a caveat.
Sarah and Soraya have glaringly different stories.
It's like comparing apples to oranges, but they are still both fruit.
Walk with me.
There is a terrifying similarity in their stories. Sarah has been THE target of the main stream media, the angry left, and the bitter right. They've tried to bury her in the mud of frivolous ethics complaints that they sling at her day in and day out. She gets hit with pieces from jealous op-ed writers (yes you Mo Dowd, and it's getting embarrassing for you how much time you spend on Sarah). She gets hit with sexist commentary and 'jokes'. She gets hit with every derogatory slur for a female in the book. Those who should have her back, are often the ones throwing the first not-so-subtle insults - undermining her abilities, her intelligence, her gravitas.
I watched as the haters gleefully hoped for Sarah's downfall. Reveling in rumors and falsities.
Why is it okay that this still happens? Why is it acceptable that a conservative woman can be the recipient of a maelstrom of hate? Vicious, seething, foaming at the mouth type of hate.
What has Sarah Palin done?
I really want to know.
I don't want to hear lies or rumors repeated. I don't want to hear ignorant comments like, "it's 'cause she's dumb". Frankly, if that's all you can come up with, then look in the mirror.
Is it because she doesn't belong to the Left? If you think Sarah Palin would've been persecuted and stoned the way she has had she been a Democrat, you are mistaken.
She speaks plainly as Lincoln did. She speaks truth from her heart as Reagan did. She honors the beauty and value in every individual life as MLK did.
Is it really down to the "don't hate me because I'm beautiful"? Is it because many don't like her because she's truly happy in her life?
What gives?
Why are we all not ashamed of the stoning of Sarah Palin?
What is distinguishable from Soraya's story is that there is no one lone voice in the crowd of many to speak up for Sarah. There is no ONE person willing to stand with Sarah.
Rather, there are MANY of us who will stand with Sarah. There are MANY who will make sure that the stoning of Sarah comes to an end. So that one day, there will be no more stories to tell.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Sarah with a Servant's Heart.
Sarah Palin has done it again – captured all of our attention. While pundits are all over the spectrum on Palin’s resignation and announcement that she will not run for re-election, Palin supporters have her back with even more fervor. She told us Alaskans do things differently. And she has proven that. While many speculate that there is something deeper going on behind the scenes, those who follow Sarah know that this is classically Sarah - the Sarah Brand of doing things unconventionally but with a servant’s heart. The American political scene was forever changed on August 29, 2008. Sarah Palin is the political climate change. To outsiders what Sarah did today was “shocking”, “erratic”, and “with no real explanation”. To Alaskans and to her supporters, this was Sarah putting Alaskans first. This was not about “abandoning” Alaskans. This was about saving the Governorship from ankle-biting, tax payer money wasting, vengeful, jealous Palin-haters. Let the pundits keep searching for answers between the lines of Sarah’s words. They really don’t have to. Look at her words. Her heart is true. Sarah is true.
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