Monday, September 15, 2008

Another Palin Lie -- and the Worst One Yet

After she was elected mayor of Wasilla, AK, she then fired the police chief and replaced him with Charles Fannon, who was hand-picked by her. Shortly after she took office in 1996, Palin signed off on a city budget that included a provision which allowed the police department to charge victims of rape $300 to $1,200 for the forensic work that was done in their cases.

It's all documented in black and white.

This did not sit well with a lot of people. Women who were raped were singled out as the only class of crime victims -- not victims of hit-and-run, or assault, or families of murder victims -- who were required to pay for the criminal investigative work on their behalf.

Democratic state legislator Eric Croft crafted and got passed a state law in 2000 which required police departments to pay for rape kits.

Why did Palin take this position? We all know she's rigidly anti-abortion, even stating that she opposes it in cases of rape or incest. She said when she was running for governor in 2006 that she would not choose abortion for her then-14-year-old daughter even if she were raped.

"I would choose life," she said.

It appears, however, that now Sarah Palin is spackling over that crack in her face with regard to the rape kit issue. Her spokeswoman, Maria Comella, told USA Today in an email last week that Palin "does not believe, nor has she ever believed, that rape victims should have to pay for an evidence-gathering test. Governor Palin's position could not be more clear. To suggest otherwise is a deliberate misrepresentation of her commitment to supporting victims and bringing violent criminals to justice."

OK...if ANYONE had ANY DOUBTS about whether or not Sarah Palin supported women's rights, this lie ought to put those doubts permanently to rest.

Personal note: a dear family member claims that with all of these posts, I have gone "over the top" and wonders if I'm getting enough sleep. No, I'm not getting enough sleep, but that has nothing to do with this issue or the election (anyone who knows my kids' frequent 5:00 am wakeup times can vouch for me there). And, considering that the wealth of lies is so abundant and ripe for the picking (as in low hanging fruit), I'm just getting started.

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