Dr. Laura Takes Exception

Dr. Laura expresses disappointment with the selection of Sarah Palin as VP, but..:

I am extremely disappointed in the choice of Sarah Palin as the Vice Presidential candidate of the Republican Party. I will still vote for Senator McCain, because I am very concerned about having a fundamental leftist, especially one who is a marvelous orator, as President.

As usual, Dr. Laura does not mince words and will not compromise principles the she has admirably shown and supported in her show that has been on air forever, in order to please her audience and fans.

However, I too take exception. And I find my justification from the very quote above from Dr. Laura.

Real solution to the real world. Because in a perfect world, Dr. Laura is undeniably spot on – critical motherhood comes first for a mother who has freely chosen to be one!

Before one can be a soldier or a martyr for a cause, a just and noble cause like for love of country, for honor, etc., one has to take care of one’s personal commitments and responsibilities. Though Christ did exult that he who looks back before following me is not fit to be my disciple. Or that if one has to take care of family business before following me better just stay home. Or words to that effect.

But for the same reason that Dr. Laura will still vote for McCain (which she does not particularly prefer, as implied) primarily because the gravity and urgency of the problem of the presidency – the possibility of “having a fundamental leftist, especially one who is a marvelous orator” urges and demands that extreme measures must be taken to preclude our fears becoming a reality.

And what would that extreme measure to assure election be? - Picking Romney? Lieberman? Pawlenty? Me? Prevailing wisdom would most probably shake its head.

But as we know now from the unexpectedly loud and overwhelming responses around the country, Palin was that extreme measure needed to give McCain can even, or maybe just a yeoman’s, chance to overhauling the considerable advances that Obama’s charismatic but substance-free candidacy have garnered.

So Dr. Laura, real solutions for the real world – for once.

Are we shunting aside the role model aspect inherent in this selection?

Personally, I believe her own compelling life experiences are more than sufficient to uphold and promote that idea of being our role model – because in many ways she is also like one of us! One who has outstandingly shown remarkable fortitude and balance in meeting and resolving her many challenges. Maybe challenges more daunting and numerous than the typical person. She has shown she can do it, honorably and responsibly.

Sarah Palin Look-alikes

Now that this good-looking mother of five and governor of her state has been projected into the national scene because of her selection as the running mate of Sen. John McCain, all of a sudden it seems like the entire country is interested in getting to know her. The busybody partisans are doing so for their purely ulterior motives, but for many the curiosity is borne by a desire to know more about this physically attractive woman, over everything else that she represents whether politically or socially.

And one of the obvious questions we want answered is who does she look like or who does she remind us of, from the ones who are already known to most us?

When her selection was publicly made known, reflexively many said that she looks like Ms. Tina Fey, the noted comedian of Saturday Night Live. Now, who does not watch SNL? Anyway, here’s why they thought so, juxtaposed:












And Ms. Tina Fey with glasses and hair down.















Then one source said that she looks a lot like the Overstock.Com spokesmodel (Ms.Sabine Ehrenfeld ) who we have seen in those commercials on TV, all dressed in white. The resemblance is uncanny:




















For me personally, when I first caught sight of her pictures way back in February, she reminded me of a then quite unknown movie star of the 60’s named Christina Ferrare. She was at one point married to disgraced carmaker John DeLorean. She was a fashion model first before trying the movies. Then moved to TV. We understand she now designs jewelry. They both look like they are natural brunettes? Judge for yourself:







































Miss Ferrare in one of her 60's movies

Update:

Forget about Tina Fey as a Palin impersonator. Here's a much better one - one who actually starred in a TV series filmed most likely in Alaska - Northern Exposure:








Janine Turner










UPDATE:









But the hands-down winner is Cindy Michaels, a WVII ABC-7 and WFVX Fox 22 television anchor, in Bangor, Maine.

The next question to ask given the very uncanny similarities is which one is the original?

Nine US State Governors Are Women

Out of 50 states, 9 are headed by women governors, 6 are Democrats and 3 are Republicans. This translates to only about 20% ratio of women to male governors and yet we know that women in the electorate, and in the general population, at the very least account for 50%.

We know that one Republican governor has been selected as the VP choice, Sarah Palin of Alaska. And before the announcement of Sen. Biden as the Democratic pick, the name of one Democrat governor, Kathleen G. Sebilious of Kansas, was high on the short list of possible nominees. As a matter of fact, very high on the very short list projected by pundits as a possible safe choice if Sen. Clinton as rumored would not be considered.

Sarah Palin (R-Alaska)

Janet Napolitano (D-Arizona)

M. Jodi Rell (R-Connecticut)

Ruth Ann Minner (D-Delaware)

Linda Lingle (R-Hawaii

Kathleen G. Sebelius (D-Kansas)

Kathleen Blanco (D-Louisiana)

Jennifer Granholm (D-Michigan)

Christine O’Grady Gregoire (D-Washington)


Is there just cause then for either party to claim that the choice of a woman governor as VP would not be a wise and appropriate choice?

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin Picked as VP

UPDATE:
Here's the acceptance speech:



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This blog was among the first blogs to take notice of Gov. Palin as possible VP choice for McCain. This was way back in February 2008.

Well, now we know she is the VP choice!

Here’s the entry en toto:

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Let' start with this one: the current Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, who is Republican.

There are now voices coming out from the blogosphere for drafting her as VP to Sen. McCain.

Is she any good, aside from the very pretty face?

Listen to an interview with the Washington Post:


Very refreshing views on public service, coming from a former beauty queen. She was Miss Wasilla in 1984.

And was a hoopster, too, according to this news item:

And she was a local girl: daughter of a popular local teacher and coach, she was a one-time Miss Wasilla and, in a basketball-mad town, was practically canonized as the point guard for Wasilla's 1982 girls' state championship team.

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That’s batting 1:1.

Now, it would be nice to go 2:2, if this choice makes it on the November race.

Vestiges of Old Cagayan de Oro

Curiously driving through the now congested old poblacion of a city that is bursting at the seams with people and structures, this wide-eyed visitor is gladdened to espy certain ancient residential structures that continue to clearly reveal the groaning city’s idyllic and left-behind past. Mostly erected of timber structures, of at least two storeys high under GI roofing, these once were prideful domiciles of old Cagayanons. Many of them have been grudgingly and consequently badly restyled to fit their current economic uses – from homey and quiet residences to a clutter mostly of commercial cubicles for small businesses in varying states of unintended ugliness.

Still, a good number of these remnants of a by-gone era continue to exhibit old quaint touches of their erstwhile uses in an almost rebellious bullheaded display of their once gloried past.

The ensuing picture gallery is a random sampling of some of these once proud structures that either refuse to go the way to oblivion, or because of lack of resources of the owners, unrepentantly continue on their inexorable path toward benign neglect and disrepair, uncared for and left mostly to the elements.
This first one sits at a busy corner a block away from the poblacion’s center of activity and attention, Divisoria Plaza, and looking like some brick house from some foreign temperate country. In actuality, its core structure was formed by coralline blocks shipped from some place in mainland China and hauled and stowed inside the dank hulls of trading ships, to find use in these once remote islands. Built in 1882 by some enterprising Chinese trader who decided to settle in the islands.

Now, layers of mostly concrete topped by the faux brick look hide the old look. And what’s more the old structure was incorporated into a newer concrete building built around it in a very tight embrace to form one unified structure.
Next comes this European looking structure (with a very unique roof structure) which during our youth served as the envied residence of the late Nemesito Chaves, father to one of our classmates/gangmates in HS. It sits at a corner of old Filipinas and Rizal Street, both streets now changed in name. Today while the exterior retains pretty much its old look, everything else has changed. A pawnshop occupies part of the ground floor, while an office takes the side fronting Rizal Street. And sadly the second floor which had the bedrooms then looks unoccupied. A short distance from it was another wooden structure owned by Mr. Chaves’s close relative. This once housed a respectable doctor’s office on the ground floor and rental residence above.
Along Victoria Street one lot away from its intersection with Del Mar Street is an old decrepit timber building built in the late 40’s and owned then by a close relative. Now it is occupied as boarding house upstairs and warehouse downstairs of the new owners who maintain a construction/hardware store along Divisoria, a block away.

And along Del Mar Street, again one lot away from its intersection with Victoria is another remnant of the early 50’s, built by an out-of-town aunt who used the place as a rental. It was bought by the same owners of the hardware store and now uses it as rented residence upstairs and warehouse on the ground floor.
Then along old Dolores Street which starts at the city’s main church, the San Agustin Cathedral and used to end less than a kilometer away to the city’s cemeteries. Running west to east, it has also been renamed and the cemeteries of old have all been relocated by the lot owner, the city government which wanted the space. But many of the old houses along this street are still standing today mute sentinels to the many church processions and funeral entourage emanating from the cathedral.
Lastly, this once was among the first commercial buildings fronting the venerable Ateneo, built of concrete and utilized by the owner as their residence above.