I live on the outskirts of a small town, Weed, California (pop 3000): Greater Weed, I like to call it.  Named for Abner Weed, the lumber mogul, it’s ten minutes north of the city of Mount Shasta (pop 3600) and about thirty minutes northwest of McCloud (pop 1300).

For the past eighteen years, I’ve watched a lot of small town people, driven by small town urges, get elected to small town offices.  I’ve seen these same small town folks go behind their small town closed doors and make big time deals.

I’m not kidding, folks.  These same people sign earth shattering, ridiculous contracts with very slick lawyers representing prison builders, corporate water grabbers, and whoever else waves some beads in their face.  Plus they do it behind everybody’s back.

In 1994, for example, the city-elect of Weed happily sold their souls to the California Department of Corrections. I remember when Neva Barnett, the city councilwoman of the hour, gave this excuse: “Prisons don’t go out of business.”

After much hullabaloo and bad blood on both sides, there was a county-wide election.  The prison lost by a 2 to 1 vote.  it even lost in good ole’ boy Weed, the very town whose coffers the prison was supposed to fill.

Moving on.  More recently, the McCloud city-elect signed the worst contract imaginable with Nestle, allowing this multinational corporation to steal water for the next 100 years, among other things.  Amidst an uproar that finally got Attorney General, Jerry Brown into the act, Nestle was forced to cancel its contract.

If you want to read an article illustrating how a Swiss-based company like Nestle can worm its way into the heart of an American community, there’s more… Happy to say,though,  Nestle gave up, so score one for the little people.

Speaking of little people with big heads, let’s get back to Sarah Palin:  The pretty point-guard with a big gun, the lipstick wearing pit bull with a litter of five, the down’s syndrome mama with a gigantic heart, the brave huntress who single-handedly fights corruption where ever she sniffs it out.

…like in the public libraries, for example.

According to the New York Times and other sources, one of Mayor Sarah’s first moves after winning the office on a born-again Christian platform was a book banning attempt at the Wasilla Public Library.

When the town librarian Mary Ellen Emmons, pledged to “resist all efforts at censorship,” Palin fired her.  Emmons was reinstated, however, because the Wasilla townspeople objected.

There’s more.   According to the Washington Post, Governor  Palin used her line-item veto to slash funding for a state program benefiting teen mothers who needed a temporary home from cold Alaskan Winters, Summers, Falls and Springs.  This uncharitable deed occurred earlier this year, before the governor’s own teenage daughter came down with child.

Paul Kane of the Washington Post goes on to report that the legislature had already passed the spending bill, but Palin went through the measure line by line, reducing and eliminating funds for programs she opposed.  Just follow the bouncing link to see Sarah Palin’s proud swirly (albeit small) initials.

For example, There’s an ‘sp’ next to Covenant House Alaska: “Covenant House is a mix of programs and shelters for troubled youths, including Passage House, which is a transitional home for teenage mothers.

Teenage Mothers!  Let us punish the non-abstainers.

The Passage House web site sounds fairly benign, in my oppinon. It states that it’s purpose is to provide “young mothers a place to live with their babies for up to eighteen months while they gain the necessary skills and resources to change their lives” and to help these teenagers “become productive, successful, independent adults who create and provide a stable environment for themselves and their families.”

Enough is enough. At this point, folks, I need a laugh.  Perhaps, Alice Miles of the TimesOnline can provide a chuckle or two.  Please, please, Alice dear, can you offer us poor, tired Americans, looking with shock upon the female that may be our next President, a Brit’s eye view?

“Call that a woman? A gun-toting, vehement anti-abortionist with the hide of a grizzly bear draped over her sofa, who was so aggressive on the basketball court that she was nicknamed Sarah Barracuda? She makes Barack Obama look like a girl.

The Huffingtonpost photo catalogue of Sarah Palin

So sick are we in Britain, with our centre left-centre right politicians of the centre, not one daring to have a view out of line with the very thin consensus that passes for acceptable opinion here, that we stand stunned by a woman who opposes abortion and shoots moose; who believes in creationism and drilling for oil in the Arctic wildlife refuge; who supports the aerial shooting of wolves and opposes same-sex marriage; who says to hell with the kids and just get back to work; who even campaigned against saving polar bears!

Strange hybrid of a woman. I love her beehive hairdo and glasses, the sexy librarian look.

They call it feminism, but the Republicans have done women a disservice. They have selected a female candidate who is a cartoon – the joker in the pack who will end up just a joke.”

Happy tales,

Laura signing off

p.s. The moral of the story:  Small towns don’t have any better values than big countries.

p.p.s. If you would like to learn how to field dress a moose click here.