Drill, Drill, Drill

I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Whatever it is, I need the polar bears.

I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.

But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story -- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.

I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity.

Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as a metaphor. In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God's plan. She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered species list. The earth, in Palin's view, is here to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, "It was a task from God."

Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist's baby or not.

She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control. I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies that makes.

Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather she has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference. This is a woman who could and might very well be the next president of the United States. She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.

Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air.

Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God's name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be.

I write to my sisters. I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U.S., but of the planet. It will determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction. It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing. It will determine whether America is a free open tolerant society or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression.

If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, "Drill Drill Drill." I think of teeth when I think of drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination. I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain.

Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?

Comments

[lamarguerite]

Eve,

This is why I am putting so much energy into this project: whatssarahthinking.com. Please pass along. The truth about Sarah Palin needs to be shouted, for all men and women to get it.

[independentmom]

Feminism is not about one view, it is about allowing all woman to have their views.

Let me start by saying I am NOT voting for the McCain/Palin ticket.

However, I think this piece by Ensler is grossly unfair and is part of what is ripping our nation apart.

I believe the Feminism of today allows a woman to be whoever she wishes to be and it is our job as women to respect that. We can disagree, but respect and allow her the opportunity to have her view. Refute it in turn in a respectful way, not with only one side of the story and with gross exaggerations.

When we liberals do this, we become PART OF THE PROBLEM, not the solution.

This piece only shows the one side of issue without understanding both sides. For instance, the culling of the wolf population was done to protect the moose and caribous. The foreleg allowed for careful tracking and to estimate the age of the wolf. So she may be "against wolves" but she is "for moose."

As Feminists, whether we are liberal or conservative, it is our responsibilty now to allow Palin to have her views and then we can all choose our vote based on her views. But don't knock her feminism because she isn't liberal enough for you.

[petfish]

I couldn't have said it better. Thanks independentmom for eloquently expressing my same thoughts. This article was disappointing, and unnecessarily aggressive. It is this same angry, scared ranting that makes the word "feminist" a sometimes difficult one to hear. I was unaware that Palin identified as feminist, however if she does not, we need to remember the fact she is a woman does not imply she is or has any idea what the feminist population are about. Inform those around you graciously and openly.

[annintheus]

I agree with what you have to say, independentmom. Unfortunately I think it's accepted that liberals have adopted the term feminist so that it aligns with their belief system. I mean, really, how can women think any other way than the way they do? That kind of disconnect is dangerous to the feminism movement. Think what you want to think, I don't really care. But, don't question a women's actions under the umbrella of feminism, and then question the women who have decided on their own, to think and vote in a way that they more closely identify with.

I hate reading articles that state that feminists should be appalled by Palin. No. People who are pro-choice, pro-enviro­nment... should be appalled by Palin.

[rzan1]

Without the "liberals", the modern feminist movement would not exist. The Republicans have fought against equality for women. Palin herself is anti-female as evidenced by her stance against equal pay, and also in supporting having women in Alaska who are rape victims pay 1200 bucks for their own rape kits. She doesn't give a rat's behind about other women.

[Kris666]

Hello! The only reason hunters want to cull the wolf population is so they don't have to compete with the wolves when they go hunting. Sarah Palin is "for the moose", she wants to be able to kill them without interference from one of their natural predators. "For the moose". Right! Get real.

[LeeCalif]

This is no feminism there to be knocked, my dear.

[momof5]

Are you calling a woman and mother not feminist just because she can hunt. There are too many women in the US who are so self indulgent, caught up in their own little city lives that they have no clue. Like you. What is a feminist then? Sounds like a group i want to not be in.

[way out left in san francisco]

"Feminism which for me is part of one story -- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war." Eve, you also speaks to your brothers and their sons. My mother was a "Bra Burning" feminist. She raised her sons to be feminists. I stand with you. Your piece moved me to tears. This is the most important election of my lifetime. We face a future darker than the seemingly never ending Reagan/Bush/Rove years if McCain/Palin wins.

[mshazen]

Well said people who have a problem with this article do not understand feminism in the first place. I think the point of the article is that she has a very closed view of the world and a very low tolerence for peoople who think differently than herself. That is the part that makes me very uncomfortable with her.

[Friendofthecause]

How can anyone, anyone compare Palin to Biden or (ha,ha) to Hillary Clinton, or compare Obama to McCain. Despite unbelievable pressure and attacks, Obama remains lucid, graceful, decent in his responses to underhanded and low-level criticisms. But listen to Obama give an explanation about anything. It is clear that he knows -- and really cares -- about what he is talking about.

What is clear about Palin is that she "stands firmly behind John McCain to protect our country from those hell-bent on destroying it." That is her pat answer for every explanation she cannot give.

Yes, let us stand as one as women, as ethnic groups, as human beings and demand that an enlightened being lead us this time around so that we can pick ourselves up and help one another and perhaps save the planet.

Thank you for your inspired critique.

[Friendofthecause]

How can anyone, anyone compare Palin to Biden or (ha,ha) to Hillary Clinton, or compare Obama to McCain. Despite unbelievable pressure and attacks, Obama remains lucid, graceful, decent in his responses to underhanded and low-level criticisms. But listen to Obama give an explanation about anything. It is clear that he knows -- and really cares -- about what he is talking about.

What is clear about Palin is that she "stands firmly behind John McCain to protect our country from those hell-bent on destroying it." That is her pat answer for every explanation she cannot give.

Yes, let us stand as one as women, as ethnic groups, as human beings and demand that an enlightened being lead us this time around so that we can pick ourselves up and help one another and perhaps save the planet.

Thank you for your humane and inspired critique.

[Friendofthecause]

This is possibly the most moving and eloquent assessment of the Palin event that I have read thus far. It is particularly moving because it stays on the facts and doesn't harp on and on either about what Palin wears or looks like, because it remains firmly human and kind and devastatingly conscious about what electing this woman to the office of VP could mean to us all.

I couldn't agree more. I was stupefied watching Palin's programmed responses on the Nightline interview last night. She is frighteningly assertive in the way that people are who have little to back them up, and she has very little to say on practically every subject. I believe too that she is a shoot from the hip kind of gal. The last thing America needs is a hot-tempered president and an eager to kill VP. There is not a single thing that Ensler and others have mentioned about Palin that doesn't send chills up my back.

[Merzing]

What an amazing and eloquent comment on this dangerous woman. thank you, thank you, thank you!

[sjohnnie5]

"I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity­."


You mean like the Clintons?

[adream8]

**Thank you Russell Brand for stating out loud what the rest of the would thinks... and yes, most of us here in the USA DO feel the world DOES matter- as we will prove when we elect Obama.

[herpipeness]

What a lovely, well thought out and articulate article by Eve Ensler. It seems like we have the perfect chance, in the 21st century, to move beyond a place where 'feminism' is seen as 'womanism' and to start recognizing that decent, thoughtful, deep and spiritually aware people come in all sizes, shapes, colors and genders. The fact that Sara Palin is a woman has absolutely nothing to do with her apparent incompetence, undeniable inexperience, or her frighteningly short-sighted stance on pretty much everything I, and most of the people around me, hold dear. I am no more impressed by her rise to power (as she stomps over the earth, our civil rights, and her peers) as a woman than i would be if she were a man. She's just a mean-spirited and very scary person who needs to be sent home in November to the state who elected her. I am sorry for them, but we don't need them to share her with us, thanks! - J

[Elizabeth C]

Is the feminist movement liberal-only? I encourage feminists to be proud that a woman has finally received a place on the GOP ticket. Use your vote however you want, but don't dismiss an achievement within the women's movement simply because she has conservative views.

Also, I encourage all voters -- women and men -- to read www.factcheck.org before buying into any of the rhedoric.

[Yohomegirl]

No, it is all inclusive, as in choice. In the feminist movement, it is common to think that woman are intelligent enough to make up their own decisions about their own body.

[Yohomegirl]

Plus......­..Sarah shoots animals from a helicopter. That is just WRONG!

[mshazen]

Being picked is not an achievement when that it is obviously done for political reasons. A smart intelligent woman from the GOP with differing views that would have been a much more intelligent pick and there were many to chose from. You seem to disregard the fact that some of us don't find her very bright. This time I want the smart ticket, I have enough of the dumbed down one.

[Elizabeth C]

Is the feminist movement liberal only? I encourage feminists to be proud that a woman has finally received a place on the GOP ticket. Use your vote however you want, but don't dismiss an achievement within the women's movement simply because she has conservative views.

Also, I encourage all voters to read www.factcheck.org before buying into any of the rhedoric.

[Tiger1122]

I am not against Sarah Palin because she is a conservative. I am against her because she is woefully inexperienced, her anti-abortion stance puts women's lives at risk, she is being mentored/tutored by Bush's cronies (you remember Bush, the guy that has driven our country into the ground over the past 8 years) and she consistently tells bold-faced lies (even after being called out on them, as if she thinks if she says the lies enough times we will believe them). Why should I support her or see this as an achievment simply because she is a woman? That's exactly what the Republicans want women to do. As if it's enough to just be female and all the women will vote for her. That's an insult to all women, both liberal and conservative.

Are you trying to tell me that even if they were truly interested in putting a woman on the ticket they could not have found a more qualified one? Or is she just on the ticket to try to shore up the religious right base that McCain could not? I think the latter.

Sarah Palin is a gimmick and most women see right through it. So, no I won't support her or or see her being added as McCain's running mate an achievement. From what I have read, seen and heard, woman will bring sanity back into this presidential race and tell Sarah Palin, "thanks, but no thanks."

[Elizabeth C]

As I said, vote based on your liberal or conservative ideals -- fantastic. My comments are directed to Ms. Ensler, who said "I am a feminist and I have spent my life trying to ... help empower women." Is Sarah Palin not an empowered woman? Oh right, there is an asterick -- Ms. Ensler's quote should have read "I have spent my life trying to help empower LIBERL women who care more about polar bears than average Americans trying to provide good healthcare and education for their families." Excellent. I suggest asking any European how well their government run healthcare system works. Here's a hint -- it's a disaster by all counts.

In terms of experience, I would prefer to roll the dice on McCain's tenure than guarantee that an inexperienced member of the Chicago machine (maybe you've heard of him) takes office on day one. Last I checked, the last president to die in office was the youngest president ever elected. I'll gladly take my chances.

[mshazen]

Well rolling the dice on my childrens future in the world wars that McCain and Palin seem H*ll bent on getting us into is a concern for me so you rolling dice sounds like a lose interpretation to me. I suggest you ask the Europeans, most like there heathcare do you read at all. Or have you bothered to ask the many Americans who cant afford heathcare in this country. Odviously you don't have that problem I pray your family never does I am a nurse and the Man you are supporting would not even cover children in this country at a fraction of the cost of a week in Iraq, I see womens and childrens issues mean a lot to you.

[BeReasonable]

Ms. Ensler,

I am staunch Obama supporter and though I agree with many of the points in your September 8, 2008 post "Drill, Drill,Drill", ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eve-ensler/drill-drill-drill_b_124829.html ) and share your desire to prevent the election of Senator McCain and Governor Palin, I think your tone of outrage and propensity to predict cataclysmic consequences lessens your credibility and undermines your post's ability to succeed at what I hope is its primary purpose - to convince undecided voters not to vote the McCain-Palin ticket.

Respectfully,

J

[Yohomegirl]

Palin is very deserving of outrage. It would be outrageous not to be outraged!

[BeReasonable]

Yohomegirl,

I did not suggest that Ms. Ensler, or anyone, not be outraged. People's feelings are neither right nor wrong. I'm suggesting that communicating in a tone of outrage may effectively rally the faithful but generally fails to persuade the undecided. Also worth noting, in battle cooler heads usually prevail.

[ashuck]

This was a fantastic commentary. I couldn't have said it better myself. Excellent job, Eve Ensler.

[Tiger1122]

I cannot believe what I am reading...­seemingly intelligent women writing that they are planning to vote for McCain/Palin because of the way Obama or the Democrats treated Hillary or because they believe that somehow that will end sexism. These are women who want me to believe that they are voting for McCain as some sort punishment for how women are treated in this country by Democrats and the media. Are you serious?!!! The only thing you are doing by voting for McCain is ensuring that a woman's right to choose will be taken away, that this country will continue to be driven into the ground by a continuation of policies that brought us the Iraq war, high gas prices, the foreclosure crisis, the high unemployment rate, our historical deficit, the weak dollar, Katrina, etc. I could go on, but I think you get the picture. You cannot seriously believe that Sarah Palin is anything more than a prop to try to convince women to vote for a man who has absolutely no plans to help get this country back on track. Even the Republicans are surprised that their scheme is working so well. Wake up, women!!! We are the only ones who can bring sanity back to this race. Don't be fooled by the hype, or any of the polls. If you really care about making things better for women, all women, you could never vote for McCain/Palin.

[Elizabeth C]

If you are concerned about unemployment rates, wait until you see what happens when Obama raises the minimum wage. Expect unemployment rates to surge.

If you are concerned about the deficit, wait until you see how much it costs to fund Obama's healthcare plans, among others.

Palin is not responsible for Bush's mistakes (e.g. Iraq, Katrina) -- for heaven's sake, she couldn't be farther from Washington DC. How is this relevant?

To discredit Palin and suggest her nomination is only because of her womanhood is a slap in the face to feminist principles.

Finally, you should read the Wall Street Journal. US Dollar has rallied versus the Euro and Sterling (that's Great British Pounds for the Art History majors out there), and front month crude oil contracts closed at $101. How is Bush responsible for free market floating rate currencies and barrels of crude traded in NYC and London? Did they not have economics classes at Smith? Securitization of mortgages and over-leveraged investment banks is not part of a President's purview. When is the last time NoBama did financial statement analysis to determine that BSC and LEH were overleveraged?

Get a clue or don't vote.

[Martel]

"Securitization of mortgages and over-leveraged investment banks is not part of a President's purview."

Ronnie Reagan and George Bush eliminated government oversight, after all. Who are these ridiculous liberals to think that government should stick its nose into private business?

[moderatestudent]

Dear Elizabeth_C:

I respect your opinion. Dialogue is a good thing- we need more of it in this country. Especially Respectful Non Hateful dialogue. In my opinion, your point about the economy is valid, as are some of Ms. Ensler's points. Everyone should, of course, check their facts. There is a lot of hype on both sides BUT there is also a lot of substance. It is important to consider the other side's point BEFORE attacking it with your own.

So in that strain I would like to say that my respect for you went down significantly with the final impassioned phrase "Get a clue or don't vote." Everyone on this page has the right to vote, no matter their opinion. In fact, their comments show that they are informed and care about the election and in this country those people ESPECIALLY should vote. And we will never get anywhere if we always simply assume that the Other Side is stupid, illinformed or evil and forget the fact that they represent half the American population and that their opinions, biases notwithstanding, are valid.

Thank you for being active in democracy. Just please respect other people's right to do so as well.

[Tiger1122]

As if unemployment rates are not already skyrocketing as a result of jobs being sent overseas. Moreover, the current minimum wage lags far behind the cost of living creating the working poor, people who have jobs but are still unable to pay their bills.

You are truly naive if you believe that Palin is anything but a pawn. She had to be chosen simply because she is a woman because not only is she inexperienced, but she's clueless as well.

I did not write that she could be blamed for Bush's actions. But I do believe that because she has no knowledge of foreign or domestic policy and she is being tutored by Bush's cronies she will continue his policies. If you don't think that's relevant, then you are the clueless one.

Any rally of the U.S. dollar will be short lived. Being trillions of dollars in debt as a result of borrowing money from China and Saudi Arabia to fund the Iraq war will do that. Also, the last time I looked the price of oil per barrel was at $100 but gas prices at the pump were the same. Moreover, in order to drive the price of oil per barrel back up the Saudi's are reducing their output.

I find it interesting that you are advising me to get a clue or not vote when it is you who has mindlessly accepted all the Republican propoganda.

[corinam]

Let's be honest here - If we were talking about Sam Palin do you really think that he would be on the ticket with the thin resume that Palin has? If you do, I think you are kidding yourself. She is on the ticket because she is a woman.

[elizaW]

Elizabeth_C

Finally someone with a perspective speaks. Thank you.

[Idontnormallypost]

Smags72 writes..."­if you got raped and got pregnant as a result, you would actually carry that child to term for 9 months? SICK"...ou­t of all the posts I read ( I did not read beyond the 1st page) this is the most offesive. I believe in a womans right to CHOOSE. Many people believe that children, regardless of where they came from" are a gift and we shouldn't call a woman brave enough to carry a baby inocently concived out of that circumstance sick.

The beauty of this country is our ability to vote for who we want for the reasons we want. I personally don't think you should vote for someone just because they are a man, woman, black or purple, but if it moves you to "break the ceiling" and open up more possibilites than that is your right in this country.

I don't know yet who I'm voting for - what I do know is that you cannot beleive what you hear on TV, in speeches or in BLOGS - they ALL lie and/or exxagerate to get their own agenda across. Did Eve or Smags72 acually speak to everyone in the town about banning books, I doubt it. That doesn't mean the fact is not true - it's just who you decide to beleive.

We all have the right to our opinions and to shout them from the rooftops, I just wish, we would stop painting everyone with the same bruch.

[imfedup]

Factcheck.org, PLEASE.