More on Schlessinger, Palin’s comments, ctd.

I was glad to learn yesterday from Sarah Palin that it’s actually the conservatives who are the victims of the liberals, the government and nasty critics, not necessarily the actual homeless, downtrodden, unemployed and uninsured folks in this country, for what do they matter when Reps can seize upon yet another opportunity to rail against their political nemeses? In defending Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s recent and multiple uses of the word, “nigger” — a use that I, as it happens, mostly defended as well — (That is, I defended her freedom to use the word in an honest debate about language. I obviously don’t defend her berating attitude toward the caller, nor her obnoxiousness in saying the word over and over just to irritate the caller.) — Palin even frames a recent Facebook post thusly: “Defending the Fight to Cast off a Conservative’s ‘Shackles’.”

Palin’s choice of the word “shackles” is enlightening as much as it is ironic and offensive, since “shackles” is often used in speaking of slavery, and the central issue here is about Schlessinger’s use of the word “nigger,” but I doubt Palin is far-sighted enough to catch the nuance. Also, speaking of modern conservatives in any analogous context alongside slaves is laughable, in the best case, and utterly contemptible, in the worst.

And here is a recent Twitter post by Palin:

Dr.Laura:don’t retreat…reload! (Steps aside bc her 1st Amend.rights ceased 2exist thx 2activists trying 2silence”isn’t American,not fair”)

Now, commentators on cable news shows this afternoon (Aug. 19) were conjecturing over what Palin might have meant by the word “reload!”

The Rev. Al Sharpton, for instance, thought “reload!” meant that Palin was advocating the continued use of questionable and derogatory language to egg on black folks. I’m not quite with him there. Actually, I’m convinced that Palin didn’t really know what she meant by “reload!” other than some very ambiguous, big-feeling, neoconservative woman-power term to encourage Schlessinger to fight a good fight, whatever that might mean. Again, Palin knows not.

Post script: While I’m at it, Palin also in a separate Facebook post said she was “traveling with Greta Van Susteren to Alaska’s North Slope and ANWR to discuss how developing our resources can contribute to America’s energy independence, security, job growth, and economic stability.”

Traveling with? That’s peculiar. And any guesses as to where Susteran works? The answer is obvious and foxy. See previous post.