Oh, Sarah Palin - there she goes again. When she isn't shooting off a gun she is shooting off her mouth. This Gun-Loving Mama Grizzly who thinks them Libruls is out to "Steal Her Christmas" now equates Waterboarding with Baptism in a new low even for her. Jesus would not be amused, anymore than he was by the Spanish Inquisition. Did I mention she said this to the NRA and they cheered? Yeah, Jesus wouldn't like that either. This woman was almost our vice president. Oh dear Lord, thank you for saving us.
From The Hill
“They obviously have information on plots to carry out Jihad,” ...(Palin) said at the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual meeting on Saturday evening, referring to prisoners. "Oh, but you can’t offend them, can’t make them feel uncomfortable, not even a smidgen.
Well, if I were in charge, they would know that waterboarding is how we baptize terrorists.”
Was she sorry she said it? Nahhhhh.
From NBC News
In a brief interview with NBC News, Palin doubled down on a remark she made earlier this week at the NRA convention.
"Would I make it again? Why wouldn't I, yeah, absolutely. Terrorists who want to annihilate Americans, innocent Americans, our children - whatever it takes to stop them. If I were in charge, I'd be stoppin' em," she said.
And now she's blaming Obama because #Benghazi :
From Palin's Facebook Page
Actions to stop terrorists who’d utterly annihilate America and delight in massacring our innocent children? Darn right I’d do whatever it takes to foil their murderous jihadist plots – including waterboarding. Whatever one thinks of my one-liner at the NRA rally about treating evil terrorists the way they deserve to be treated to prevent the death of innocent people, it’s utterly absurd for MSNBC to suggest that I could put our beloved troops in harm’s way, but we’ve come to expect the absurd from that failing network.
If you want to talk about what really harms our troops, let’s talk about politicians who gut our military’s budgets, or a president whose skewed budgetary priorities slash military benefits, or an administration that puts our vets on endless waiting lists for care that comes too late to help those who’ve paid the price for our freedom, or those who break bread with those who think it makes no difference how our military heroes died in Benghazi or anywhere else trying to protect America. Those actions are a heck of a lot more harmful than declaring an appropriate message our enemies should receive. If some overly sensitive wusses took offense, remember the First Amendment doesn’t give you a right not to be offended. Perhaps hypocritical folks who only want Freedom of Speech to apply to those who agree with their liberal agenda might want to consider that the evil terrorists who were the brunt of my one-liner would be the first to strip away ALL our rights if given the chance. That’s why we do whatever we can to prevent them from killing innocent people. And for that, we should NEVER apologize. Good Lord, critics... buck up or stay in the truck. And if you love freedom, thank our troops! Thank our vets! And thank those who have the brains to support them and the guts to defend what they have earned!
Even some Conservatives are offended:
No, Sarah Palin, Baptism Isn’t A Good Punchline For A Terrorist Joke
. . . Joking about baptism in the context of this aggressive action suggests that we don’t think baptism is as life-giving or important as it is.
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Mollie Hemingway on The Federalist
OK, stop. Not only is this woman, putatively a Christian, praising torture, but she is comparing it to a holy sacrament of the Christian faith. It’s disgusting — but even more disgusting, those NRA members, many of whom are no doubt Christians, cheered wildly for her.
Palin and all those who cheered her sacrilegious jibe ought to be ashamed of themselves. For us Christians, baptism is the entry into new life. Palin invoked it to celebrate torture. Even if you don’t believe that waterboarding is torture, surely you agree that it should not be compared to baptism, and that such a comparison should be laughed at. What does it say about the character of a person that they could make that joking comparison, and that so many people would cheer for it. Nothing good — and nothing that does honor to the cause of Jesus Christ.
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Rod Dreher on The American Conservative
For anyone to confess Christ as their savior and to compare one of the means of God's grace to an act of torture is reprehensible. I hope members of Gov. Palin's local church will explain to her why her remarks denigrate the Christian faith. Such remarks bring shame on the Body of Christ and to our witness in the world. Even more shameful, however, is the fact that so many Christians would cheer her support of torture (and yes, waterboarding is torture).
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The Gospel Coalition
Yes, Palin's Fox pal Sean Hannity Can Mansplain Why Waterboarding is Exactly Like Baptism (well not really, but he tries):
Let’s say, God forbid, one day you’re in a parking lot, somebody comes and they try and grab, um, all of — let’s say you have three kids — they try and grab all three of your kids but they only get one.
Well, let’s say they get your three kids.
And you get one of the people responsible for kidnapping your kids. Let’s see. Would you wanna baptize them by waterboarding the guy that took your three children?
I think I would. I think — as a matter of fact it wouldn’t be much of a question. I think I’d baptize him again, and again, and again until I found out where my kids are.
. . . I don’t understand the sensibility of liberals.
You have the guy — the mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed — you know how many people got waterboarded? Three. Three! That’s it!
I just asked the question that way, because I don’t think there’s one of you listening, not one liberal out there if you have an honest bone in your body that wouldn’t say I would do whatever it took. Get the information quickly. Expeditiously.
Whatever it took. That’s just the way life — that’s just the way we roll. It’s the way America rolls.
Oooookey-Dokey.
Someone pointed out that the NRA might not be the best venue to talk peace, love and Baptism. Ya Think?
. . . for a self-professed Christian like Palin to use this beautiful religious ceremony with strong historical precedent as a part of a cheap joke to garner support for her otherwise typically uninspired stump speech is beyond repugnant. But what is more repugnant is that the National Rifle Association didn’t immediately distance itself from her. As far as I am concerned, until or unless they do, the National Rifle Association is guilty by association, and they, too, are anti-Christian.
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Brendan Diamond on Democratify
Some were embarrassed (again) for Alaska:
Not everyone from Wasilla agrees with Sarah Palin. I feel it is important for my reputation as a human being who grew up in Wasilla, AK to take a stand. My family and I moved to Alaska in the early 70's. I went to public school in Wasilla from 1st through 12th grade, and I graduated from Wasilla High School in 1986. During that time, I was also a Blue Bird, a Camp Fire Girl, a Rainbow girl, a member of the First Presbyterian Church ...
There is Nothing in my upbringing in Wasilla that ever promoted or tolerated the idea that it is ok, good, or necessary to torture anyone.
. . . Furthermore, combining the acts of water-boarding (torture) and baptism (a sacred spiritual ritual) is an idea so reprehensible it could be used as a theme in Game of Thrones.
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Rdeforrest on Daily Kos
For Most on the Left, this is just Palin being Palinesque:
