Giving Sarah a Swirlie

 

These are murmurers,

complainers, walking after their own lusts;

and their mouth speaketh great swelling words,

having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

-- Jude 1:16

 

 

OK. I admit it. I've been jealous of "The Other Woman."

 

Not THAT kind of "other woman." I mean women other than me. Sometimes, when I compare myself to what other women look like, and what other women own, and what other women have done, it brings out the green-eyed monster in me.

 

That's why I'm not so surprised about the hatred that is being openly expressed against Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin, the Republican governor of Alaska, as the election draws near.

 

I think a lot of it is jealousy and resentment over all that she's accomplished . . . and more than anything, because she's so doggone SLIM just weeks after giving birth!

 

But it goes a lot deeper than that.

 

The other day, a woman I've known all my life brought up Gov. Palin's name.

 

"Ooooh! I just HATE her," my friend said. "I'd just like to stick her head into the toilet and give her a SWIRLIE!"

 

She thought I would laugh. But I didn't.

 

My heart just sank.

 

Sarah Palin is successful, happily married, and slender. My friend, quite frankly, is none of those things. Her "swirlie" remark appeared tinged with more than a little resentment. And that made me sad.

 

The hatred, slander and sexism that have been dumped on Gov. Palin since she burst onto the national scene as Sen. John McCain's running mate is a startling and revealing glimpse into the heart of America.

 

I copied these insults about Sarah Palin that were posted on a Democratic website:

 

Stupid sh*t-for-brains b*tch

 

An oozing hole that needs to be b*tch-slapped

 

Uneducated god-soaked wacko

 

Pig-ignorant dipsh*t

 

Pretentious clod

 

f*ckturd

 

A lot of what we're seeing is "misogyny" - hatred of women. But I see something deeper - something worse.

 

I asked my friend if she could imagine herself giving our first President, George Washington, a "swirlie." No? How about Abraham Lincoln? Or how about Barack Obama or his running mate, Joe Biden.

 

Hmm. They're all guys. Do you have something against gals who are leaders?

 

Oh, no, she said. I was for Hillary Clinton! And anyway, what about that $150,000 on clothes? Doesn't that show that Sarah Palin is just a bimbo?

 

I asked my friend if she knew that Hillary Clinton routinely makes $150,000 per speech, and often twice that. She makes millions per year, just giving speeches. How come the press isn't all over HER, the way they've criticized the Republicans for spending $150,000 - the same as one speech -- for campaign apparel for Gov. Palin and her family, who are of far more modest means than the Clintons?

 

She looked shocked. She didn't know.

 

What about executive experience? Running the state government of such a big, energy-rich state like Alaska is very difficult and demanding, but Gov. Palin is immensely popular. So obviously, people think she's doing a good job up there. Meanwhile, the only "executive" experience Barack Obama has had was being board chairman of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge. That was a $49.2 million grants program that its own final report admits did NOTHING to help inner-city Chicago kids do better in school; it was a complete failure.

 

Ohhhhh. She didn't know that, either.

 

Did she know that Gov. Palin has a higher classified security clearance than either Sen. Obama or Sen. Biden? That she is regularly briefed on highly classified military issues, Homeland Security and counter-terrorism, because she is Commander in Chief of the Alaska National Guard unit that is the only one in the country on permanent active duty because it is our whole country's first line of missile interception defense?

 

She just looked shocked.

 

Then I asked:

 

"Why do you hate her in the first place? I think she's great. I think she and McCain would be tons better for our country and have a much better grasp on the real issues. They'll cut government spending, which we really need. On top of that, they're both very Godly people, and that's the most important thing of all."

 

She looked stunned. It was as if she never even THOUGHT of the candidates' spiritual status. But it should be the FIRST consideration.

 

So I probed a little further. "Name one thing Obama or Biden have ever accomplished that you admire."

 

Seconds ticked by. She couldn't think of a thing.

 

"Doesn't that tell you that they are more into CONCEALING themselves, than REVEALING themselves? Does that sound very trustworthy? It doesn't to me."

 

She blinked, like a zombie, just waking up to the fact that she had been "programmed" to hate McCain and Palin, based on lies, just to trick her into voting for the other side for no good reason.

 

And it hit me like a ton of bricks. My friend is not a Christian. I bought her a Bible, but she doesn't read it. She doesn't go to church. She doesn't like to talk about spiritual things. And I realized:

 

It's not hatred and distrust of women that's got these people attacking Sarah Palin.

 

It's hatred and distrust of CHRISTIANS. Or more accurately . . . CHRIST.

 

No wonder they can't identify with her, and think of her as strange, apart, "other."

 

No wonder they can't see that these attacks are mean and deceitful, full of bias and venom.

 

No wonder they don't realize that their gossip and slander against Sarah Palin is concealing the GOOD things about her . . . the things that SHOULD make them want to VOTE for her.

 

That's because the other side - the Enemy's side - doesn't WANT them to know the truth.

 

Jesus is the Truth. When you don't have the Truth living in your heart, you leave yourself open to every lie that comes along. You're at the mercy of your own whims and lusts, delusions and prejudices. Hatred and poison come spilling out of your mouth, and you gossip and whine and complain and slander.

 

That's how people get hurt.

 

That's how COUNTRIES get hurt, for that matter.

 

So what am I going to do about this? Keep telling people the GOOD things about McCain-Palin, and keep praying they'll win.

 

But more than that, I'm taking the nastiness of this election season as a challenge for ministry. The "swirlie" comment, those awful website insults . . . they are clues into people's spiritual sickness.

 

Everyone who says and does mean things for politics, or any other reason, is in bondage to sin through ignorance of their Savior. They have a much-deeper problem than who to vote for. They need to know Jesus, the Truth.

 

A vote for HIM sets you free for all eternity!

 

Bottom line: I'm sure it has been painful for Sarah Palin to be taking all this abuse. But, to the extent that her candidacy has exposed all the people who don't yet know Jesus, she has served her country very well, win or lose.

 

Meanwhile, the election looms. I hope and pray that voters will examine their own motives for why they're voting for who they're voting for. And if they're voting AGAINST Sarah Palin because of these media lies, I hope they'll reconsider.

 

Hey: I'm the first to admit that I've gotten caught up in jealousy and resentment sometimes. We all do, and I'm afraid, especially we women do. But we've got to grow up, and quit letting ourselves be fooled and lied to. We've got to zero in on the issues, and vote smart this time, of all times.

 

I sure hope enough Americans see through the slander before Nov. 4 . . . and that this exciting Alaskan, this "Other Woman," this Godly leader, who was brave enough to put herself into the "swirlie" of American politics, becomes our next Vice President.  †