(no longer) The Northernmost Jew

There is a local performer "Mr. Whitekeys" who does a lot of political humor, almost all focusing on Alaska. He used to have a regular act at the Fly-By-Nightclub, until they closed. My roommates and I decided to go see his performance in Valdez for a fundraiser. We had bought the tickets before Palin was added to the ticket, but once she was, we figured it could only help the show. It did. One woman in his troupe was as good at imitating Palin as Tina Fey is. I don't remember everything, but she did a great song number "Girls just wanna have guns" to the tune of "Girls just wanna have fun".

I still like Palin. Not enough to make me vote for McCain, however. I am voting for McCain mainly because I dislike Obama intensely.

There have been people complaining that she hunts. This makes no sense. The other candidates are not vegetarians. Even if they don't kill the animal themselves, someone must kill it for them.

Regarding "The bridge to nowhere" that people have been making a fuss about: Ketchikan is the at the southern tip of Alaska, next to Canada. They have about 7,400 people. Because of the topology, the city can not expand anywhere, and their airport was built on nearby Gravina Island, with a population of about 50. Because of it's location, This airport is a bit of a hub for planes flying north. Originally there were plans to build a bridge connecting Ketchikan with Gravina Island. Right now there is ferry service between them. Palin had originally been for the bridge, including while she was running for Governor in 2006. Palin supports developing Alaska, and this would be part of it. However, once she was governor, she canceled the project. People have complained about her "flip-flopping". However, she only canceled it when the cost went up dramatically. I can understand how someone can support a project at one price but not at a much higher price.

Regarding the clothing expenditure: I've heard people say that it is proof she she not a "regular person" if she spends so much money on clothes for the campaign. I think the opposite is true - the other candidates did not need to buy new clothes because they already had them! I can promise you that Palin does not need these clothes for work in Juno or Wasilla! In Alaska, the saying is "Fashion means your fur hat is dead." I could definitely see her needing other clothes for a lot of the country. (I am probably going to buy an outfit in Portland, OR before presenting my master's thesis at Portland State University.)

The report on "Troopergate" was pretty mixed, and mild in any direction. Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan said that he was reassigned because he refused to fire Mike Wooten, Palin's ex-brother-in-law. Palin said he was reassigned because of performance related issues. The investigation determined that not firing Wooten was certainly not the only reason he was reassigned, but it probably contributed to it. They said that she did abuse her power, but that she may reassign or fire the commissioners. As for Wooten, I think any police officer that uses his taser on his 12 year old stepson (Palin's nephew) and is carrying an open can of beer in his squad car should be fired. In his defense, he was not on official duty while driving and is allowed to use the car for personal use, although no one is allowed to have open alcohol while driving. And the 12 year old did ask to be tasered. No, I don't mean he was causing problems that led to be tasered, I mean he literally asked to be tasered out of curiosity. But you don't taser a curious 12 year old, you tell him no.