Have Wasilla Experience, Will Travel (As Will Sarah Palin, Apparently)

I lived in Anchorage, Alaska, for the summer season ten years ago.  1998.  Working as a "host-guide" for Princess Cruise Lines, for their interior cruise train that brought the cruise-ship people along for another two days of highly-sought tourist money so that they could witness the breathtaking vision that is the Alaskan landscape, I traveled regularly through Wasilla, a thirty-minute drive by car from Anchorage.  It was nothing to boast about.  Just a one-horse town with some mini-malls and parking lots and kids on skateboards staring into the train's windows, looking at the passengers with what appeared to be longing.

I got to know a few people from Wasilla, too.  One of those people was a girl who was dating my roommate.  She and I weren't automatic best friends, but we did spend enough time together that we had to forge some kind of bond (we were thrown together as the token females in the middle of a teeny, tiny one-room w/basement shack-turned-frathouse; of course we bonded).  I remember her confiding to me one night that she couldn't wait to move away from Wasilla.  That girls who stayed there ended up getting pregnant, never to see outside the city limits again.  Already, she told me, most of her friends from school had succumbed to becoming mothers - these were women still in their teens.

Another interesting (and by that, I actually mean horrid) detail from my experiences while working for Princess was one afternoon when we were on the route back down from Fairbanks into Anchorage; we were probably about four or so hours outside of the arrival point (which isn't real time, because we only traveled around 25-30 miles an hour) when I recognized that the kindly older man with whom I'd had the pleasure of visiting, along with his wife and their friends/traveling companions, another older couple, looked rather unwell.  In fact, he looked ashen, head bobbing, mouth a little agape, with his arm clinging rather oddly, rather crookedly, to the table on which he leaned.  I observed this as I flew up and down the wee corkscrew stairwell from the upper deck to the lower in order to fulfill my hostess duties of grabbing the mic and explaining any tourist points of observation along the route, while simultaneously bussing the dinner tables downstairs and hostessing the dining car (or, that is, seating the guests from upstairs who had decided to dine with us).  I had gone up to fetch cocktails for some tables (I was also the beverage hostess), and when I ran back down, I popped by the table where his wife and friends sat.  I informed the wife that her husband didn't look like he felt very good, and maybe she ought to go back up and check on him?, then resumed dashing about.  A little while later, after I'd bussed the remainder of tables and gotten a quick bite to eat myself, I hurled my way back upstairs, happening on a horrible scene; the porter from our crew (a man I'd in fact dated for a brief time prior to this situation) was hovering over the old man who lay with body outstretched in the aisle, giving him mouth-to-mouth.  Most of the passengers (all ninety of them; of COURSE we had a full car that day) were standing up and leaning over each other in an effort to see what was happening, and some were very upset that they weren't able to get out of the car because the man's body was blocking their exit toward the stairs.  There was a lot of hub-bub and some people were very upset, very worried, even, about their fellow passenger. 

I ran downstairs to talk to my manager, a nice, if somewhat ribald, man who liked rugby and beer when he wasn't managing a motley crew of train folk, about the business.  He told me and a fellow crew-mate, in a whisper, that the man was already dead.

Already dead.

So my ex was performing CPR on a known dead person?

*reels*

Next thing I know, surreal-time-passing having, uh, passed, we were pulling to a stop in Wasilla.  In order to deliver his wife, the man himself, and their friends into an emergency vehicle, in order to "rush them to a good ER in Anchorage."  Don't worry, we told the rest of the passengers, after we'd gotten the family and their friends off the train and we'd started back on our way toward the rest of the journey (another hour and a half, and while it may be obvious, it was the longest hour and a half of my life, and also, I have never before nor since performed so well nor so beautifully at entertaining people and cojoling them into laughing and feeling at ease; I remember having a quasi-apoplectic breakdown after we'd gotten the last passenger out of the car, and my manager coming up and mixing me a very, very tall drink, over which I sobbed for a good while).  We convinced everyone, at my manager's behest, that we'd gotten the man off the train in time.  That he'd make it to Anchorage (remember, only a thirty minutes' car ride away, and less than that in an ambulance) in time to have something "done." 

People asked why they didn't just take him to a hospital in Wasilla.  We explained that the care level wouldn't be as good.  That Wasilla had meager facilities for such emergencies in comparison to Anchorage, Alaska's largest city.

How does this all relate to the current news cycle?  I suppose it does, and it doesn't.  My experiences are very limited, especially in comparison to those of the people who have lived there all of their lives. 

But it does make me curious; if a woman who is in her forties and is in the midst of a high-risk pregnancy, her fifth pregnancy, in fact, opts out of heading directly toward the nearest medical facility in the state of Texas when her water breaks, choosing instead to return NOT to Anchorage's best maternity ward, but to a mini-hospital in Wasilla, a twelve-plus-hour journey, given the danger to her imminent baby's health, could make such a decision?

How in the world (kinda literally) can I possibly trust her to make wise, safe decisions for the health and safety of the citizens of this country, if she were to be our leader?

Comments

[Jupiter]

I completely agree 100%. If she's so capricious with her own child's life, then how well can she really manage the welfare of an entire country?

I'm also curious though about those stories circulating about that pregnancy actually not being a pregnancy at all and in fact ,her teenage daughter was the one pregnant and she passed the baby off as her own. Considering you mention that teenage pregnancy rates seem to be pretty considerable in Wasila, maybe it's not that far-fetched? It would also explain why she never looked like she was pregnant or behaved as if she were in labor during a 30 minute speech given in Texas.

I also have 5 children and some knowledge of midwifery Normally, a woman having her 5th baby labors rapidly and that's pretty much a well-known fact.The more babies you have,the easier it is to birth. If it were me personally, first of all...during the 8th month of pregnancy,there is no way I'd risk flying and secondly, if I was having contractions,there is no way I'd mess around with giving speeches, getting on planes AND a 12 hour flight ESPECIALLY is I were leaking amniotic fluid, which is nothing to take lightly. 5th pregnancy...that baby is going to arrive within mere hours,not 12+.

The entire circumstances sound questionable.

[Victoria]

So the bottom line is you are questioning her choice as a woman where to give birth to her baby?

This is a fail.

Also, you are painting small town people as weird, uneducated hicks. Obama tried that already and failed completely and possibly never recovered. You really want to retry that meme?

Here's what I got from this: woman have no choice as to where they have their baby (anti-choice), that outsiders know more about another woman's own body then she or her doctor's do (anti-choice), small towns are worthless when it comes to producing "quality" or "elite" people.

Anyone from a town of 6,000 or less is going to say "I like Sarah Palin. Here's someone who lived in a small town, who knows small towns, and who is going to pay attention to the people who live between NYC and LA and who can't afford to go to elitist ivy league schools. Lot of fat good that did George Bush."

Even in Pennsylvania, the small towners look at Rendell and say his interests are in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Big cities have big government looking out for them. If you continue attacking Sarah Palin on this note, you'll have every small town ex-cheerleader who got pregnant and didn't make it out of town lining up to register and vote for her.

This sounds like the writing of an elitist Democrat. John McCain's evil plan is working.

[Victoria]

People from small towns are going to look at this and say, "If that hospital is the best that I get, then it should be the best that anyone gets. Social and economic standing shouldn't buy better health in this country."

One side of this is that Palin was pandering.

Other side of this is that she is living what Democrats have been preaching in that what is good for the least of her brothers and sisters should be good enough for everyone. Meanwhile, Democrats are fleeing center city leaving schools to crumble when we all know that schools are less about how much money you pour into them and more about having parents available to support the school. When it comes to their own kids, Democrats take them to the shiny suburbs instead of working from within. What the least of their brothers have isn't good enough and isn't worth sticking around to take part in and change. All change comes from the mansion on the hill.

Someone has to get in there and live their ethics and their philosophies with their entire family. Sarah Palin did this.

Two spins. Which one do you think is going to get the small town vote?

[Victoria]

And the whole "it's her daughter's baby"? Even Kos dropped that like a hot potato.

Leave it for the National Enquirer. That's where it belongs. Repubs are only going to say, "Look at those Democrats looking up people's skirts to find dirty underwear. Some change that is" or they are going to say "Look at that! Someone who lived their Pro-life ethics AND took over responsibility for the life they wanted to save." It's a no win. And now, you're attacking a mom AND a grandmother in one hit.

[Cheryl]

I lived in Alaska (Anchorage) for 10 years. I've been to Wasilla many times. Much as I question Palin's judgment on many issues, I don't question her choice of where to deliver. MatSu Regional Center has a good reputation. I've personally known friends who chose to deliver babies there because they felt the quality of care was better. If Palin's doctor felt that her son wasn't going to need the type of medical assistance that many children with Down Syndrome need, the place she gave birth doesn't disturb me.

I do wonder about flying from Texas to Alaska while leaking amniotic fluid, though.

[Jupiter]

I tell you what...I'm a homebirthing advocate and not just homebirthing,but Unassisted Homebirthing. I have given birth at home without a midwife or any other medical professional. Trust me....if there's anyone who supports a woman's choice to give birth where she wants to, it's me. Having said that, I have also gone into labor at 8 months pregnant and did not waste time getting to a hospital where I felt it was only responsible to see that my premature get the care needed. It is plain stupid to screw around with the life of a premature baby that is supposedly known ahead of time to have special needs. That doesn't exactly sound like it aligns with pro-life thinking to me.

[Victoria]

Jupiter,

And if anyone else told you that they knew better about what was best for you and your baby, you'd call them on it. Which I did.

You want to go here, fine. Unless you have her medical charts in front of you, I suggest that everything you say is conjecture and guessing and making a broad brush judgment regarding another woman's choice and health without having been exactly in her shoes. Stay off my body, please. Stay away from my choices.

I know enough Unassisted and Homebirthers who have made decisions which have resulted in the deaths of their children. If we want to start comparing one on one and then make judgment decisions regarding other women based upon individual experiences, then we're heading down the pro-choice = mother comes first and damn the baby path.

Unless we know all the circumstance of that flight and that labor that birth, I say drop it. What you want is some proof of the circumstances of her birth before you'll say it was "okay" and that's getting pretty personal in regard to private information about someone's uterus. So, at what cost do you want this to be a national debate point?

[Victoria]

Unless she was GBS+ (get me her medical charts!), she had no greater risk of infection than a homebirth mom leaking amnio fluid. Maybe she had an ABX IV on the plane (get me her medical charts!)

[Jupiter]

Victoria,
An informed woman thoroughly researching her birthing choices and planning a full-term delivery with a healthy pregnancy ANYWHERE,be it home,birthing center,hospital or the woods by a quiet stream is quite a different story than a woman who is considered a high risk pregnancy with a baby known to have special needs going into premature labor and not seeking immediate care. These key facts are common knowledge as to her situation,stated by herself...we don't need to see medical records or invade her privacy to know those things.I'm sorry...it just defies logic than someone would take additional risks like that.Basic common sense stuff.
The reason this is an issue? Back to post "can I possibly trust her to make wise, safe decisions for the health and safety of the citizens of this country if she were to be our leader?"
I wouldn't risk it.

[Victoria]

No Jupiter.

Those are *some* of the facts.

And we don't know that she also wasn't a well-informed woman who thoroughly researched her birthing choices (but nice try). She just arrived at a different conclusion.

The more women highlight this kind of thing, the more it sounds like a personal threat to their peace of mind regarding their own choices. That two people can have the facts and come to different decisions does sometimes make people uncomfortable. I understand that. It's fueled the Golden Vagina Wars for years now.

[Debbie]

Victoria, settle down. I never said anything about the rumor re: Trig being Bristol's baby. Please re-read in order to note that point.

Insofar as Sarah Palin's choices regarding her body are concerned? I don't care UNLESS she's going to apply similar decision-making to running our nation. Because it's foolhardy AND hypocritical. All in one fell swoop.

To which I say, no thanks, and no thanks.

Thanks for explaining things concisely, Jupiter. I'm not in the homebirthing scene, but again, I don't worry about the choices people make for their own lives and those of their children; that is, unless those people plan on helming our nation. That's when I feel it's my right to be concerned about the style of decision-making they possess. As it is all our rights. It's our country; we have to make a good decision as to who's going to run the show. It would be foolhardy of us to not thoroughly engage with the person auditioning for the role.

Cheryl, I wasn't dismissing the idea that Mat-Su Regional was, in fact, a less-than-stellar place to deliver children; I was simply bringing my own experience, albeit minute, to bear on the current story about Sarah Palin's ridiculously questionable judgement on traveling so far with a high-risk pregnancy pending. Nothing more. I'm glad you added to the conversation with your knowledge; I had no idea that Mat-Su Regional was so highly regarded (although I still reserve the right to raise an eyebrow at SP's relationship that stinks of cronyism with the physician she was returning to see, whose name has since been scrubbed from the hospital's site entirely).

[Lawyer Mama]

Normally, I *try* not to feed trolls, but birthing a known Downs baby at home is irresponsible and puts the life of a child in danger.

I know this, and the dangers, intimately because my nephew has Downs. When he was born he had to be airlifted to a hospital with a NICU, leaving his scared parents 300 miles behind. Most Downs babies have serious heart problems when they are first born. Even more have other, more frightening complications that cannot necessarily be predicted ahead of time.

Frankly, my sister-in-law's doctor would *never* have allowed her to give birth in their small town hospital if they had known, let alone allowed her to give birth at home. When I was pregnant with my first and my AFP came back positive for Down Syndrome, I immediately began researching my own birthing options. My doctor, two midwives, and pretty much all responsible medical experts concur that it is simply too risky and the chance of death or additional brain damage too great to EVER give birth to a baby with Down Syndrome anywhere other than in an appropriate medical facility.

Now maybe Sarah Palin just had really bad medical advice. That's entirely possible. I'm happy for her that she got damn lucky, but let's not laud her birthing "plan" as an example for all. It's not. It's playing Russian roulette with the life of a wanted child that runs contrary to everything her "pro-life" agenda is supposed to stand for.