The Danger of Sarah Palin

Sam Harris (author of Letter to A Christian Nation and The End of Faith) has an interesting article in Newsweek about the danger of Sarah Palin. While it bugs me that Newsweek position it as an atheist argument*, it's a good, if not terrifying, read. My favourite part is how Harris mocks Palin's claim that she is "ready to take command" simply because she would not hesitate to do so. While Americans lapped up Palin's "when faced with a challenge, you cannot blink" line, Harris proves how stupid it is by changing the context.

"Governor Palin, are you ready at this moment to perform surgery on this child's brain?"
"Of course. I have several boys of my own, and I'm an avid hunter."
"But governor, this is neurosurgery, and you have no training as a surgeon of any kind."
"That's just the point. The American people want change in how we make medical decisions in this country. And when faced with a challenge, you cannot blink.

Well, in that case, Sarah, scalpel away!

(*you don't need to be an atheist to be scared of religious extremism)