Palin haters’ greatest hits

By Jennifer J. Foster

You’ve heard of David Letterman’s Top 10?

Well, detractors of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin have a tops list, too—only it’s the “Top 7 Myths, Lies and Untruths” about Sarah Palin. No doubt you’ve heard or seen most, if not all, of them by now.

Here they are, along with the facts:

Charge No. 1: Palin “Joined a Secessionist Political Party.“

The truth: Palin has been a registered Republican since 1982, and there is no evidence she was ever a member of the Alaska Independence Party.

Charge No. 2: Palin Supported a “Nazi Sympathizer.“

The truth: The characterization of Pat Buchanan as a “Nazi sympathizer” is a controversial one to begin with. As for Palin, she sometimes wore a Buchanan button when he came to Alaska on a campaign stop in 1999, but she actually supported Steve Forbes, even serving as co-chair of his campaign in the state.

Charge No. 3: Palin “Wants Creationism Taught in School.“

The truth: “Palin said during her 2006 gubernatorial campaign that she would not push the state Board of Education to add creation-based alternatives to the state’s required curriculum, or look for creationism advocates when she appointed board members. She has kept this pledge, according to the Associated Press.“

Palin “Was Nearly Recalled” While Mayor.

The truth: The rumor arose from Palin’s decision as mayor to dismiss Wasilla’s longtime fire chief, who subsequently filed suit against the city. The City Council considered, but never took up, a recall motion; a citizen’s group dropped their recall bid and a judge ruled Palin had the authority to fire the chief.

Charge No. 5: Palin “Opposes Sex Education.”

The truth: Palin is an advocate of abstinence-based sex education in public schools. She wrote in a 2006 questionnaire distributed among gubernatorial candidates, “The explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support.“  .

Charge No. 6: “This Picture Proves Palin is …” Take your pick of any number of “fake, photoshopped or misdated photographs” purporting to show Palin in embarrassing or compromising situations. The most popular right now seems to be the shot of “Palin” “wearing an American flag-themed bikini, toting a rifle with telescopic sight.“

The Facts: The various photos are being discredited and shown to be fake on a number of Web sites. The bikini picture has been shown to have been taken of another woman, and someone photoshopped Palin’s head onto the body.

Charge No. 7, and the most disgusting of them all: “Palin is the grandmother, and not the mother, of Trig Palin.“

The Facts: A veritable index of media outlets have photos and video of an obviously pregnant Palin before Trig was born. One Anchorage television station employee who frequently worked with Palin during her pregnancy calls the idea that Palin was faking it “completely, absolutely absurd.“

Now, here’s a general rule of thumb to keep in mind as Election Day approaches:

If:

A) You hear about it in an e-mail,

and/or if

B) You received it as a forward from your golfing buddy, your best gal pal, your lawyer friend, your cousin in Milwaukee, your great-aunt Sally, your high-school classmate who sends you tons of hilarious jokes, the nice lady who sits next to you in church OR ANYONE ELSE,

Chances are 99.99999999 percent that it is not true!

Do yourself (and democracy) a favor and check the claim at Snopes.com or via a simple Google search.

There is a reason the proper name “Google” also functions as a verb.

The more things like this are spread around, the more time candidates have to spend setting the record straight—and that’s time they aren’t spending on the issues.

So do what you can to keep the candidates focused on issues. Do your part to “change the tone” of politics.