OK…I realize that this I’m simply passing on information learned from the blogosphere. But…if we’re talking anti-Americanism, would joining a group whose founder had this to say qualify?
I’m an [redacted], not an American. I’ve got no use for America or her damned institutions.
Replace the “[redacted]” above with the word “Alaskan”, and you have it. This is a quote from the founder of the Alaskan Independence Party, off which Todd Palin was a member from 1995-2002. As I write, the quote can be found on the AIP’s intro page (also archived).
I think “un-Americanism” is really a fairly worthless charge to throw; people can love the country and work for its best while strongly disagreeing with its policies. My primary identity is Christian; my identity as an American falls lower in priority, but I consider it my duty to be a “model citizen” as much as is possible. And so, I won’t demonize Mr. Palin for his historical affiliation. But, perhaps someone should remind Ms. Palin about the dangers of throwing stones from her vitreous mansion.
The full, attributed quote, as taken from the AIP’s website:
“I’m an Alaskan, not an American. I’ve got no use for America or her damned institutions.”
-Joe Vogler
Gov. Palin’s claim, via a CNN article:
“We see America as the greatest force for good in this world…Our opponent though, is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect that he’s palling around with terrorists who would target their own country.”
If this is indeed her view, Gov. Palin and her husband should work on improving the lines of communication.
Update: The article (of which I originally read excerpts) that got me thinking about this is here. It makes the links between Sarah Palin and the Alaska Independence Party more explicit, as well as providing more history of the AIP. According to quotes in that article (I haven’t dug deeper to date, besides the Wikipedia and AIP website reviews), Vogler supported armed resistance against the federal government, and “palled around” briefly with the Iranian government. He even, apparently, believed in “honor”–a concept that I once thought had meaning for Sen. McCain.
