Environmentalism needs good villains. Rather than rely on the public’s ability to blame its own high-consuming tendencies, it’s nice if we can let them point to somsebody who’s trying to kill us all. Sarah Palin is just the thing.
I mean, look at her. That is the smile of the demonically possessed. More substantively, she is typical of Alaskan Republicans in that she’s a staunch ally of big oil. She supports drilling in ANWR, and generally comes down in favor of letting energy companies run pipelines wherever they want. They in turn have contributed generously to her campaigns.
She has apparently already caused Hurricane Gustav, which, according to New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, who has orchestrated a relatively orderly evacuation, looks to be a worse storm than Katrina.
Image: flickr/Thomas Roche
August 31st, 2008 at 12:32 am
A lot of people are mad at you for posting this stupid article. Even saying they will cancel their subscription. What is wrong with you? How long have you been writing for this magazine? You are ruining an otherwise great magazine unless this article is satire, which I don’t believe it is.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:33 am
Um…okay, talk about a mixed message.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:35 am
D@mn this was stupid! You just get out of Soc101?
August 31st, 2008 at 12:38 am
I hope this is a tounge in cheek type of humor. If not, you need to get out more often.
Palin has been a foe of big oil in that her adiministration has revoked a lease held by Exxon. And raised taxes on the Oil companies. She is however hard to pigeon-hole on being against development.
She does support drilling in ANWR which seems to be at odds with McCain.
An odd mix that spells disaster for the Democrats….
Don’t agree with everything she or McCain have done but they get my vote.
Sarah, give them hell.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:46 am
Hey buddy,
Why don’t you stick to your little blurbs of nonsense before you start attacking people you do not know.
And what the hell do you mean that Palin caused Gustav?
What an ignorant buffoon. Does this describe everyone at Discover Magazine?
August 31st, 2008 at 1:00 am
I don’t get angry. I’m going to donate another $1 to the tally I’m keeping for the McCain campaign for this ill conceived article. See, everytime a liberal goes nuts and posts their real thougths online that I see, it’s another motivation.
I hate Oil, but it runs our little world. Blame Rockefeller family, if you want. We need to get off the Oil and move to alternatives. Have you a car that runs on pure Hydrogen, no, well then gas is still king.
‘DrillHeads’
Nancy Pelosi recently told protesters outside the Democratic Convention “I’d Like to Drill Your Heads”.
She’d rather perform torture on protesting American citizens than drill for oil.
August 31st, 2008 at 1:05 am
The Democrats are so fucked this November it’s not funny. And this Benjamin Nugent douche bag masquerading as a writer only hurts the liberals.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:13 am
Congratulations, Mr. Nugent.
Your insane little diatribe easily qualifies as the dumbest, most hysterically over-the-top commentary I’ve seen to date on John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate. And believe me, the competition for that “honor” is as fierce as anything I’ve seen. I am, of course, assuming that this is not some kind of parody.
It’s rubbish like this appearing in supposedly respected scientific publications that does more to fuel AGW skepticism than a lifetime of listening to Rush Limbaugh could ever hope to accomplish.
While I’m sure that your colleagues in the lunatic environmental left will soon outdo even your heroic efforts here, you should take a moment anyway to bask in the glory of your own ridiculousness. You done good - I’m proud of you.
Where do I go now to get my missing IQ points back?
August 31st, 2008 at 2:20 am
Wow did you goof. I realize that you are just being smart-aleky but you are just too close to reality.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:26 am
Just canceled my Discover subscription.
August 31st, 2008 at 3:25 am
lol, this “Benjamin Nugent” is quite silly. A bit biased and didn’t care to do any research, hmm?
August 31st, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Though this is a blog, it is posted above the regular Discover articles and placed prominently on the website. People come to Discover’s website to read about science, technology, medicine and maybe some insight on human nature.
This bit of hate by Benjamin Nugent is unexpected and disturbing here, and throws into question Discover’s integrity and objectivity. Please reconsider the appropriate placement of his blogs.
August 31st, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Actually, I have to agree with Nugent. The amount of Republican love from the commentors is scary. Did you listen to her acceptance speech? “We live in a dangerous world”–this is the exact paranoia-type attitude that leads the US to xenophobia and isolationism. And she’s proud that her son will be deployed to Iraq? What kind of messed up parent is glad their kid will be playing with guns? And she wants to overturn Roe vs Wade. If you guys want to let America go backwards in history rather than make new progress, and isolate itself more from the international community, sure vote for McCain/Palin. Why not..
September 1st, 2008 at 1:27 am
Jumped.The.Shark. She is a ridiculous choice. The singular attribute for a VP is to be ready to step into the office of the Presidency. Placing her a heartbeat away from the Presidency is mccain’s 1st decision and it is ridiculous - there’s just no other word.
Straight up question for/against RoevWade decision American’s are 63% in favour. She is a Domonionist fundie creationist global warming denier with no foreign policy experience whatsoever. She is a cross between harriet myers and Thomas Eagleton - unqualified and unvetted it turns out.
September 1st, 2008 at 1:33 am
Jumped.The.Shark. She is a ridiculous pick.I don’t understand this choice at all. A VP’s singular characteristic is to be ready to step into the office of the Presidency. To consider her to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency of a 72 year old man who has had several bouts with cancer is irrational. She is a cross between harriet Myers and Thomas Eagleton - unqualified and unvetted apparently.
September 1st, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Reguardless if she’s qualified or not, do not tell me she’s not in the pocket of big oil. If anyone watched her interview on CNBC, she talks constantly about the oil companies being the root of the Alaskan economy and important to “her people”. This pick represents McCain’s flawed energy strategy. Instead of looking to renewables first, they will support just finding more oil to satisfy our insatiable needs. Palin says that getting more oil from ANWAR is our answer, but she admits that it will be FIVE YEARS before the oil from Alaska will have an appreciable effect on our economy… what does she expect the suffering middle class families to do for FIVE YEARS??? Let their homes slip into foreclosure and their children suffer??
November 3rd, 2008 at 8:05 am
Kerry D
I guess I missed that one! I need to look into this more…