I have read with great interest the comments that have been offered after a recent post that I made. I will respond to questions about what I was advocating. Sarah Palin, like any other politician, regardless of party affiliation, should not be sheltered and should be asked tough questions about the positions that she takes. Further, any inconsistencies in the positions taken and the ideologies that she espouses should be probed. The personal views of the questioners should be irrelevant. A liberal media person should be tough and demanding in questioning a liberal politician. A liberal politician who rants about pollution should be challenged if he/she seeks a lessening of regulations on car companies because he/she is from Detroit.
My personal views on the subject at hand are irrelevant and one should not presume to know how I feel on any particular subject. Those who have had me for classes know that I take the role of the teacher as one who asks challenging questions very seriously. The questions that one asks are even more important than the knowledge that one displays. Further, the ability to think critically (and that does not mean to be unnecessarily negative or demeaning) is a vital skill that we, as educators, should be seeking to develop.
My views on many subjects are fluid. However, my view that politicians not be allowed to easily avoid answering tough questions does not change and does not depend on the party affiliation of the individual. What I am advocating, once again, is that a politician, in this case Sarah Palin, be challenged just as any student in my classes would be. It is time to stop sheltering her and let her convince the public that she has a command of the issues and is being true to the ideology that she promotes. If she is not, then let her explain to me why. It is quite possible that she can convince me that she has good reason for believing as she does. Let her do it. And, let us hold all politicians to the same standard!