The "brawny" sybil in the Sistine ceiling is no more the Cunaean Sybil than Palin is an honest person, and Paglia as an art historian should know that. The Cumaean

Sybil (the story, IIRC, is retold in the Satyricon of Petronius) could only be represented as a wizened homunculus because the essence of her story is that she obtained from the gods the gift of immortality but had to go on aging--forever!

Let me clear up the history of women's suffarage in Utah. While Utah was a territory ,in the 1870's ,on the advice of Brigham Young women were granted the right to vote in territorial elections. During the struggle over plural marriage the federal government took that right away. In 1896

When Utah became a state the right of women to vote was included in the Utah State Consttituion , long before less progressive states in the East did so. Women's Sufferage was supported at that time by the leaders of the Mormon Church with a few exceptions like B.H. Roberts.

If you visit the Susan B. Anthony house in Rochester New York when you go in one of the first things you will see is a dress made of black silk produced by Mormon women in Utah and other states and given to Anthony on her 80th birthday. You will also see a picture of Anthony with a number of Mormon women sufferage leaders.

I write this as an active 6th generation latter day saint whi has been troubled by the contemporay Church's attitude toward modern day feminism.

Is Sarah Palin still around? Yes she is but here's what I believe Ms. Padlia has missed. Palin is spunky, sharp and is in so far over her head it isn't funny. If the Council for National Policy (look it up its frightening) has waited to bring her on the national stage after she matured a bit more, she might be a real force in 2016 or beyond. However the intelligence aspect that Camille gushes over fall apart for me in the simple fact that Sarah truely believes (ala George W) that she has been chosen by God (well Dobson anyway). What she fails to acknowledge is she isn't ready and its obvious. It really doesn't matter how smart she is. It really doesn't matter she can bring out 20,000 people to a rally ,what matters if the depth and breadth of all her attributes. She reeks of charisma but doesn't have a lick of experience. And if the Republicans are going to nominate a 72 year old guy with a pre existing cancer and make her a heartbeat away from the Presidency then they deserve neither respect nor power. Her placement on the ticket was an act of desperation to begin with. Since their convention, that desperation has completly colored the campaign. McCain looks lost and he is.

That is not to say Sarah isn't good. Her delivery and pumping up the days talking point are that of a true trooper. When she said she has foriegn policy experience because she can see Russia, that kind of shallow thinking will be remembered forever. Sarah as part of the machine isn't that formidable because the Repubilcan's are out of ideas, out of candidates (New Republic said this morning McCain isn't a real conservative) and the deregulated economy advoacted by "true" conservatives have established the largest socialist intervention in the history of the world. I disagree however with a previous post that this piece by Camille is Free Republic material. This doesn't every get to name calling, use the word Barry or quote the New Republic above. Sarah might have been more formidable in a different time. Today all she is shoring for the base, and actually alienates true feminists because of her lack of depth or honesty, either one would work.

Had a youngish, reasonably attractive male with Palin's identical brittle sensibilities, her casual dishonesty, her extreme religiosity, her fondness for killing things, her xenophobia, her lack of self awareness, and her frighteningly shallow understanding of the world outside her of own private igloo, been chosen as McCain's running mate, Ms. Paglia would have been hard pressed to conjure up a pant-load like this love letter disguised as serious political commentary.

Mr. Morgan writes: "I am an American, and I do not feel that I owe Mr. McCain "an incalculable debt of gratitude" for his participation in that stupid, unnecessary war."

I appreciate that Ms. Paglia posted Mr. Morgan's "powerful" letter, because I would like to offer Mr. Morgan this point of view.

I too believe as Ms. Paglia also stated that the war was a result of "dubious political judgment." And I don't condemn Mr. Morgan for not feeling gratitude to Mr. McCain.

But Mr. Morgan's anger should be directed at those who sent the warriors into battle, and he should understand the unquestionable importance of such warriors' creeds related to discipline, obedience and honor. (These are principles I struggle with every day!) There is no question that our army resides near the top if not at the top of world history's largest and most controlled body of men and women ever organized.

But with this creed comes the consequences of poor direction. I do not think it is right to hold the same contempt for those that went into battle and those that directed them into battle.

I am not a McCain supporter. I remember as a young boy my grandfather -- a Republican -- was furious over the S&L crisis and the Keating Five Affair. And just as I am able to parse McCain's experience in Vietnam with his experience as a politician, you should parse the actions of warriors with the actions of the civilian, elected leadership that drive them often unwillingly into a tragedy of history.

Sincerely,

Angelo Young

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/08/madonna-goes-off-on-sarah_n_132990.html

"Madonna went on VP candidate "Sarah fucking Paling" at her Madison Square Garden show Monday night, saying "get that bitch out of here" to a crowd of screaming fans. She uttered a similar, less aggressive statement over the weekend. Watch the clip below, in which she also goes off on the man in the front row not paying attention and demands cheers from the audience because her ego needs it."

Note: Link has video.