The last ten days has been largely the tale of two women: one who has been fighting for her life with the love and support of those close to her as well as those who are represented by her, and one who has attempted to use the fight of the first woman as a platform to enhance her already undeserved public persona and political base.
A comparison of the lives, and of the last two weeks in the lives of, these two women, tell us all we need to know about the difference in values and priorities between those who support Representative Giffords and those who support Sarah Palin
Gabrielle Giffords received a BA in Sociology and Latin American history from the extremely well-respected Scripps College. She went on to receive a Masters in Regional Planning from Cornell University and to be a Fulbright Scholar in Chihuahua, Mexico. She was also a fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
Sarah Palin won a beauty pageant, and then attended the University of Hawaii, Hawaii Pacific University, North Idaho College, the University of Idaho, Matanuska-Susitna College, and the University of Idaho again before attaining her BA in communications with an emphasis in journalism.
Gabrielle Giffords served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2001 to 2003. She served in the Arizona Senate from 2003 to 2005, when she resigned to prepare for her race for a seat in the House of Representatives. She was elected as a member of that House in November of 2006, and won reelection in 2008 and 2010.
Sarah Palin won a seat on the Wasila, Alaska, city council in 1992. She became mayor of Wasila in 1996. In 2003, she was appointed to the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. She was elected governor of Alaska in November of 2006 and resigned the post in July of 2009, about two years into her four year term. She then plunged into a life of paid speaking engagements and book tours in friendly jurisdictions, making about $12 million dollars in 9 months.
Gabrielle Giffords spent the last ten days fighting heroically to recover from a through-and-through bullet wound to the brain. In that fight, she has shown her awareness of, and caring for, other people. She battled her injuries to give her loving, and loved, husband a neck rub and to squeeze the hands of her beloved friends.
Sarah Palin spent the last ten days attempting to make herself the center of attention by comparing her treatment in the media to the persecution and genocide of Jews. She finished up by whining that any criticism of her is an effort to stop her from expressing her opinions, although, for only the good Christ knows what reasons, every media outlet on the planet would put her on the air in a nanosecond to say whatever stupid piece of shit falls out of her mouth at any given moment.
Two women. One a well-educated, intelligent, hard-working, principled woman who has used her education and intelligence to serve the people of her community. This woman has spent the last ten days fighting, with the help of her love for others, to survive. The other a poorly-educated, not-so-bright woman who has used her political capital for personal gain. This woman has spent the last ten days fighting to build support for herself by acquring martyrdom on a scale not seen since Eva Peron used her lower-class upbringing to justify ripping off her own people to keep herself in jewels and furs. One whose concern in the midst of her physical agony is to show her connection to and love for others; the other whose concern in the midst of the pain of the people of Tucson is how the slaughter of innocent victims affects her public persona.
My question to American parents is: after which woman would you like your daughter to model herself? My question to American voters is: which woman would you like to have making decisions that affect your day-to-day lives?