Maggie & Beth recently send a great article my way about why Sarah Palin sends the wrong message about women’s rights. The article has a related discussion that is filled with hundreds of comments, a surprising number of which were along the same lines… as RogerCfromSD put it “[the author] reveals her supreme hypocrisy: only LIBERAL women who are accomplished mothers are to be celebrated.” Unfortunately, the thing that Roger (and countless other commenter) failed to notice was what I consider the crux of the article: “Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman.” I’m happy to call myself a feminist as long as you know what I mean. To me, feminism, like so many other human rights movements, is ultimately about equality. It is breaking down of stereotypical roles so that the person most interested in a job can do it (be it public office or child care). I believe equality should be beyond all divisions: race, gender, sex, religion, nationality, whatever. Human rights should be universal, and when it comes to employment, decisions should be made on experience and capability, not stereotypes. That is where McCain’s choice of Palin rubs me (and the author) wrong. Feminism is not about always choosing a woman because ultimately that is just a sexist as always picking a man. Where does that leave me? Well, it seems that many people (feminists included) agree strongly with Sarah Palin on issues she is very vocal about. Those people should definitely consider voting for Mr. McCain & Mrs. Palin, but her stance on the environment alone makes me shudder (not to mention energy sources & oil, the separation of church and state, the death penalty, or health care). Do some research on the issues, know where the candidates stand. We aren’t just voting for a female (or African-American) role model, we’re voting on the next four years of national policy!