Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the big bus ride of Palin dear
On the third of June, in two thousand 'leven
Hardly a man this side of heaven
Who doesn't know Sarah both far and near.
She said to her dude, "If the libruls ask
By land or by sea how the British came
I'll blame it on Katie who took me to task
Who asked me the papers and mags to name
Write on my hand, and two scams we'll see
And I with the confusing tale will be
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
So sure of my sex and with you on my arm
For the country folk, they love all my charm"
Well, that's enough of that. If you need a context then watch the video.
The thing is, it is true that the British were coming to secure the arsenal in Concord. So, you can twist it around enough to say that the British were "coming for our arms." And Revere directed the lanterns in the church, if not placing them there himself, to serve as a signal to Charlestown if he and the other riders didn't get through. So again, she is sorta right about him and the lanterns. (And I admit I refreshed myself on Wikipedia. But you'd think she could check it on her blackberry or something.)
Revere's midnight ride was clearly not a "warning to the British" but an attempt to hide from them as he made his way to warn the Revolutionary Patriots that the British were coming. And everybody knows that (well, I guess not). And her delivery clearly leaves something to be desired unless that still resonates with the anti-elitists she seems to connect with so well.
The main problem is that whatever the question was, Sarah responded in a "proof-texting" way by pulling parts out of the story and twisting them to serve some preconceived agenda of hers about the Second Amendment. Now, all politicians do that but not nearly so ham-handed as she did.
And I'll bet you there's more to come. I still say she is not seriously running for president but sticking herself out there for more fame and glory as she wrestles with the forces of evil (our free press, elitist American historians, and Tina Fey.) So, it will be a fun presidential season. And Bachman hasn't even announced yet!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
8 comments:
Comments are welcome. Feel free to disagree as many do. You can even be passionate (in moderation). Comments that contain offensive language, too many caps, conspiracy theories, gratuitous Mormon bashing, personal attacks on others who comment, or commercial solicitations- I send to spam. This is a troll-free zone. Charity always!
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You know, I said the same thing about proof-texting with a Second Amendment agenda when we watched the YouTube video. It reminds me a lot of my critical theory class - some people just always see something through one filter. For Palin, everything she interacts with must be passed through the filter of pro or anti Second Amendment (even if it is irrelevant.)
ReplyDeleteYou're being more than kind to give her credit for knowing the story so very, very well that she completely bypassed the main point and zeroed in on the obscure in order to make a clumsy point.
ReplyDeleteI don't for a moment think she had analyzed the history to deliberately make such a point. For one thing, nothing in her past shows her to be that knowledgeable about anything. More seriously, she got everything else wrong (Revere was ridin' through town, he was shootin' his guns, he was ringin' his bells). That one detail of her ramble could, by some stretch, be made to appear not as stupid as it really was, means only that she accidentally said something that, with the proper massaging, can be spun to remotely, kinda sorta, barely reflect something that might, by some stretch, be considered roughly true.
Not that her partisans aren't going to shout this spin for all they're worth, and possibly even cause the public to forget what Revere was trying to do in favor of this new, twisted, mischaracterization.
Yeah, Ardis, you're probably right. But I was just having to much fun with it trying to be nice. No matter how the crazy right try to spin this one, they simply can't get away with it - this time. I mean, who doesn't know the phrase, "The British are Coming! The British are Coming!!" (outside of Wasilla). But I guess that could be another one of those traps like Katie Couric sprang on her. I still think Sarah made Revere, as you so aptly describe, look like Lee Marvin in "Cat Ballou" which would be funny if it wasn't so very, very sad.
ReplyDeleteAnd, thanks, Stephannie!!
ReplyDeleteShe's so obtuse, and clearly - and thankfully - demonstrating how unprepared she is for any serious public office of any kind - sorry Alaska ...
ReplyDelete(Anon/M) Entertainment has infiltrated every subject, even politics. Sarah Palin is the "it" girl because she is good looking and makes statements that are stunningly idiotic (either out of her being obtuse or really shrewd, I don't know which). We want bread and games? We'll get them (not much of the former, but plenty of the rest).
ReplyDeleteAnon/M. Sadly true. The only part I disagree with is the "good looking" part I do NOT find her physically attractive and never have. Maybe I'm the only male in America, but that little hook nose thing she's got going is not appealing (besides the obviously difficult personality). I think Michelle Bachman is much more attractive - which shows how sick I am.
ReplyDelete(Anon/M) You know something that bothers me about her and her obsession with the Second Amendment? Back a few months, I was intrigued enough to watch a special where she went hunting with her Dad (I liked him a lot, btw). That woman had an elk within easy shooting distance and SHE COULDN'T HIT the poor thing to save her life. I am totally useless in the outdoors and haven't been around guns much, but I could have hit that elk. Mama bear, indeed! Phony!
ReplyDelete