Sarah Palin is No Mother Teresa

From the moment Sarah Palin announced she was not going to seek the GOP nomination, one question has haunted me. That question is why write? I could devote every waking hour to uncovering and writing about the corruption of, and danger presented by, Rick Perry. Yet, as horrible as he has been as the Governor of Texas, the danger he poses seems less threatening. It is not that he is less threatening to the future of the country, but he seems less dangerous because people are more likely to identify him as corrupt and unworthy. Reporters have already begun to target Rick Perry. Mr. Perry can’t claim they are being “unfair” or “sexist” or play to the sympathy of the electorate because he is the father to at least two girls. He is already falling in the polls, and people seem to be catching on to the willingness of Rick Perry to use his position and power to the detriment of the America that we love.

So why are people still listening to Sarah Palin?  She is not running for any office.  She is essentially irrelevant, isn’t she?   How could she be dangerous if she is not running for office?  Who cares if she is still being paid huge amounts of money to give speeches?  The answer is that she can still be dangerous as long as she is a celebrity, and people fail to know the truth about her.  When “Robert” from Denmark is concerned about her, maybe there is still a danger.  When famous celebrities like Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger are elected to public office we must realize that it is important to understand why people become famous and distinguish between rising to celebrity status and rising to political power.  If we are to elect people to political office we must educate voters to elect leaders who are intelligent, competent, public servants, instead of another celebrity endorsed by Sarah Palin.  It is important that people understand that they should disregard Palin’s opinion regarding any political candidate, because she is not to be trusted.

Sarah Palin is a mother; maybe not of five kids, but at least she’s a mother to three. The image of “MOM” is more sacred than apple pie. While there are certainly exceptions, “mom” personifies all that is good in life. Who loves you more than your mother? Nobody can provide more comfort when you are sick or injured than “mom”. As an adult, the few times I have been unable to get out of bed due to injury or illness, it was not my husband or children that I wished for. It was mom. Only my mom’s presence could provide the comfort that I sought. Even though mom was no longer a viable option to attend to my needs as an adult, I don’t think we ever grow out of our need for “mom” to make us feel better when we are the most vulnerable. We gave Sister Teresa the title of “Mother” because she was a saint who gave her life to others. Sarah Palin and Mother Teresa should never be known by the same title.

Whenever I speak of my children, my husband tells me that I am a “homer,” reminding me that my children can do no wrong, at least in the context of the rest of the world. The image of the “mama grizzly” defending her cubs is one everyone understands. The mama grizzly would give her life without thought for her cubs. When members of society want to express the most vile of attacks, words such as “Mother F*cker” and “ Son of a Bitch” seem to be some of the most popular insults. A mother is the epitome of all that is good, holy, and revered. No matter your religious affiliation, or country of origin, if you are a “mother” you have a special place in heaven.

I realize that it is because Sarah Palin is a mother, and now a grandmother, that I feel compelled to make sure that people see her for who she really is. When she gives a speech and justifies her decision not to run for President by suggesting that she is thinking of her children, I am offended. After she has spent the last three years using and neglecting her children it is appalling to me that people still believe her when she says:

“The goal for my kids is to allow as much normalcy in their lives as we possibly can,”

“Normalcy” for Palin’s kids is riding on a bus, plastered with your mother’s name, with reporters following behind on your “family vacation”;

dancing with the stars;

staring in television reality shows where camera comes into your home and bedroom;

dropping out of school to be home-schooled without a teacher; being a special needs child whose special needs, if met, are only provided by a babysitter; riding in vehicles unrestrained by seat belts or confined by car seats; and missing so much school due to your travel schedule with mom that it is unclear what grade you are in, who your teacher is, and whether you will ever graduate from high school. “Normalcy” for one of the Palin kids is having books written about your mother, and her sexual exploits and drug usage.

“Normalcy” for Piper and Willow is watching your older sister make a living from writing a book about her sexual adventures as a young teen, and watching as mom helped promote that book by attending book signings. . The irony is that the Palin children will NEVER have a “normal” life because Sarah Palin is their mother. The irony is that while espousing her commitment to “normalcy” and being a good mother in Virginia, Sarah Palin was thousands of miles away from her children.

Perhaps her political career is over. She quit her job as Oil & Gas Commissioner and quit her job as Governor. She quit her job as a candidate for President. Long ago she quit her job as a mother but she is still pretending to be a dedicated mother. Sarah Palin has repeatedly established her inability to do what is best for her children. Those who support Sarah Palin might suggest that it is inappropriate for any one to comment on another mother’s approach to mothering. However most mothers who have abandoned, used, and abused their children don’t travel around the country giving speeches about the sacrifices they have made for their kids. It is the audacity of promoting herself as a great mother that compels me to call her out. It is shameful for Sarah Palin to be allowed to continue to promote herself as the embodiment of motherhood. She is a fraud in so many ways, and promoting herself as a mother, concerned about her children, is an offense that remains intolerable.