OpEd Contributor
Miss California is the Left’s new Sarah Palin
By: Noel Sheppard, OpEd Contributor
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May 11, 2009
As our nation struggles with its worst recession in decades, a beauty pageant runner-up, who most Americans probably never heard of three weeks ago, is attracting national headlines.
Such seems absurd given the low interest in these events let alone the improbability of anyone caring about the views expressed by the contestants during the question and answer phase.
Let’s face it: people tuning in to watch such a spectacle aren’t doing so to get a tutorial on current events and pressing issues of the day.
Defying such conventional wisdom though is Miss California, aka Carrie Prejean, who ever since honestly answering Perez Hilton’s gotcha question about same-sex marriage at April 19’s Miss USA pageant has been the subject of over 800 news stories, most of them filled with hatred for this unlikely tragic figure.
The newest attacks include a supposedly salacious picture of the model wearing only pink panties. Although this is a rear view with her arms covering enough of her breasts to avoid a Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction and subsequent scrutiny by the FCC, the Left have seized on it claiming she’s a hypocrite to pose so scantily-clad.
The pornographic web site that uncovered the picture quipped, “Looks like your dirty photo shoot makes you a sinner too.” Then, Hilton hysterically asked at his smutty website, “What Would Jesus Say About This????”
And NBC’s “Today” show proclaimed, “Racy photos of the Miss USA runner-up have surfaced, and some say they've gone too far; too far for NBC News to broadcast.”
Imagine that. A picture significantly less provocative than those found in Victoria’s Secret catalogues and Sports Illustrated swimsuit editions has gone too far for NBC News to broadcast.
You’ve got to be kidding!
And what nerve of a model who has done photo-shoots for Target, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, and Nordstrom to allow herself to be used to advertise women’s lingerie.
If this makes here a sinner, then virtually every model in America who believes in God should be immediately fired, and all who desire to be in this profession in the future should have to prove their atheism or agnosticism by burning a Bible or spitting on a Torah.
Of course, that’s not going to happen, as the outrage over these pictures is a smokescreen hiding the real truth.
Much like Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Prejean represents a threat to the liberal establishment, for here’s another bright, attractive, outspoken woman whose views just don’t fit into the stereotypical box the Left has created for those who disagree with them.
As a result, she needs to be smeared and smeared good, for much as liberals used Palin as a clarion call to scare folks from voting for Sen. John McCain in last November’s presidential race, Prejean now represents fodder for gay rights activists, and she needs to be pummeled on a regular basis to further their goals.
Irrespective of one’s position on this social issue, of much greater concern should be this strategy by the Left to attack and silence all those who disagree with them.
After all, Prejean’s views on gay marriage are decidedly mainstream. A recent Quinnipiac University Poll found 55 percent of registered voters opposing proposals to allow same-sex couples to marry.
As only 38 percent said they’d support such legislation, it is indeed those attacking and looking to silence Prejean who are in the minority.
But even that is beside the point, for once we decide that only popular views are allowed to be expressed in our country the United States of America will cease to exist.
In response to this most recent attack against Prejean, the National Organization for Marriage’s Maggie Gallagher accurately stated, “The level of hatred directed at her is astonishing.”
Maybe so, but after what we saw directed at Palin last year, Americans should no longer be surprised how far the Left are willing to go to achieve their goals.
Noel Sheppard is associate editor of the Media Research Center’s NewsBusters.org.
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