Monday, September 29, 2008

Sarah Palin Dallas visit to be the focus of protest

By Tammye Nash of Dallas Voice

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Republican vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin leaves her hotel for a meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Tuesday, Sept. 23, in New York.

It looks like there is going to be a Texas-sized crowd gathered outside the Fairmont Hotel to greet Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on Friday, Oct. 3. But it isn’t likely to be a friendly welcome.

Palin will be at the Fairmont for a $1,000-a-plate fundraising luncheon on Friday, the day after the first debate between her and Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden. Activist Dawn Meifert said this week she is expecting between 200 and 300 people to participate in the protest she has planned for the Alaska governor’s visit.

But, Meifert added, the crowd could be much larger.

“How many are going to be there? I wish I knew. I am guessing 200-300. But when I said that to a friend of mine, he laughed and said we have unleashed something much bigger than we realize,” Meifert said.

“My friend said there could be 700-800 people there. I don’t know about that, but it’s just gone to so many places that we didn’t expect. We are getting tremendous response. I think it’s definitely going to be lively.”

Meifert said the response from such a wide variety of people has been “an enlightening thing for me.”

“We have had so many straight individuals reach out to us when they hear about the protest,” she said. “There was the 40-ish straight soccer mom who said Sarah Palin says nothing about her values and her life. There have been a lot of straight Jewish women who have gotten their synagogues involved. We’ve gotten response from several animal rescue groups, from Planned Parenthood and, of course, from Stonewall Democrats. It feels really good.”

The protest will begin about 11 a.m. on the sidewalk across the street from the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Dallas. Meifert said she wants protesters to be there when people start arriving to attend the V.I.P. reception with Palin that starts at 11:30 a.m.

She warned those who want to participate to be mindful of the fact that traffic is likely to be heavy in the area, especially given the extra security precautions that will be in place for Palin’s visit, and to plan accordingly. She also asked those attending to bring their own signs for the event.

“Again, we are asking that people focus on two main issues: LGBT equal rights and women’s reproductive rights,” Meifert said.

She added that volunteers will be posted along the sidewalk where the protest is taking place to make sure that “people keep moving” to avoid citations for loitering.

Meifert said she organized the protest as much to “get the attention of the people who might support” Palin financially as to send a message to the candidate herself.

“We also want to get the attention of the media,” she said. “All the media is talking about how all the white women are supporting McCain now because he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. Well, not the white women we know. We want to show the media and everybody else that isn’t true, not even in areas like Dallas that are traditionally considered to be conservative.”

For information, e-mail Meifert at meifert11@yahoo.com.

Pegasus News content partner - Dallas Voice
The community newspaper for gay & lesbian Dallas.

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Comments

Pavel Lishin Verified

As much as I agree with whatever's going on here, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to take several hours off work just to hold up a sign.

9 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Tracy Yost Verified

PLEASE VOTE on or before Nov. 4th!! (and, vote for the good guys who are smart and not for the bad guys who are stupid !!)

9 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Jason Rice Verified

Oh, FINE Tracy, you might as well demand I vote for the ones with three arms. At least you didn't go nuts and ask me to find any with credibility.

9 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

xdavidwattsx Anonymous

Did you guys see the recent Palin/Couric interview? Holy stupidity.

9 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Tracy Yost Verified

ok maybe I really meant to say "(and, vote for the good guys who are less stupid than the bad guys who are really really stupid)" hehe

9 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle Verified

“Again, we are asking that people focus on two main issues: LGBT equal rights and women’s reproductive rights,” Meifert said.

Maybe I missed something, but I'd appreciate elaboration on what specific LGBT rights we're talking about. Women's reproductive is obvious.

9 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

John McClelland Verified

Scott, I guess they're focusing on the fact she belongs to a church that decries homosexuality. They even holds "ex-gay" seminars and pray for people to "change".

9 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

jtmbls Anonymous

Good Lord! If you're straight, try to imagine a church full of people trying to pray you into turning gay. Would you? Could you? And then how annoyed (to say the least) would you be?

What a bunch of nincompoops!

9 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Rawlins Gilliland Verified

I'm guessing that after 8 years of GWB, the financial market collapse and other assorted apocalypse...that one will not need to sweat Sarah Palin's speech in Dallas (wanta bet it's the same speech she made at the convention?) On the day after she stands in for Tina Fey for 90 minutes 'debating' with Joe Biden. I'm betting this embryonic Alaskan supernova career will abort faster than a Frat House rape victim.

Remember my Pegasus piece... suggesting that, rather than the SMU Bush Presidential 'Library'...that Dallas instead invest in the Anna Nicole Smile Institute of Mindless Pursuit of Fame (or more current, famine) and Fortune? How prescient was that?

9 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )