Anti-Palin Faux-troversy of the Day: The Black Bracelet

Anti-Palin Faux-troversy of the Day: The Black Bracelet

I thank Yale Graduate School student Eric Robinson for his service to the country in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But Robinson’s hit piece on Sarah Palin, Palin’s bigger blunder, leads me to believe Robinson has succumbed to the New Haven funny water, either that, or he is spending too much time with Bruce Ackerman over at the law school.

Robinson writes that Palin has shown contempt for the memory of fallen soldiers by wearing a black metal bracelet (see photo) with the name of her son living son Track on it:

The name on her black memorial bracelet — one, like the gold star, a demonstration of a friend or associate who was killed in action — is that of her oldest son, Track. Track served honorably in Iraq, and both he and his parents should be thanked for his selfless service to his country. He is also alive.

Commemorating Track’s service by wearing a a black memorial bracelet which is reserved for those dead or even a red bracelet for those missing in action, demonstrates a horrifying contempt for those who gave their last full measure of devotion or an almost unbelievable ignorance of the importance of symbols in American history.

Unfortunately, given Palin’s reputation and frequent public statements, I assume it is the latter.

Needless to say, this gotcha is making Robinson something of a hero. Political Carnival proclaims: “Not only did she mega-embarrass herself again, she did it tastelessly… Barbie wears live people. And the humiliation continues….” Taegen Goddard’s Political Wire has picked up the story, as has James Joyner (neither one expressed a view on the propriety of wearing the product).

It may be that wearing a black wrist band with a fallen soldier’s name on it is a common method of honoring that soldier, but a simple internet search demonstrates that that is not the exclusive use of black wrist bands.

The Trophy House sells a black metal bracelet which it calls the Soldiers’ Deployment Bracelet:

Let the world know that your loved one is serving abroad in the United States Armed Forces.

These bracelets are currently available in two styles. We have the silver bracelet, made of highly durable .05 gauge scratch-resistant stainless steel. And the black bracelet made of black aluminum.

The engraving on the bracelet includes the soldier’s name, the unit served in, and the date of their deployment. These bracelets are guaranteed not to fade. Wear it with pride while your loved one defends our liberties and freedom!

Palin’s wearing a black metal bracelet with her son’s name on it would seem to be consistent with honoring his deployment.

To make the leap from Palin wearing a commonly available deployment bracelet to Palin having contempt for fallen soldiers is both a bridge too far and a bridge to nowhere.

Just because an item is used for one purpose, doesn’t mean that such use is exclusive to that purpose. I hope they teach such concepts at Yale, because you will need them when you enter the real world, and even more so when you enter politics.

Update: It’s full out nutroots frenzy on this one –

• Crooks and Liars – “But to wear a bracelet that someone had to order that would clearly indicate it’s a memorial bracelet for your child that’s alive? Horrifying.”
• DailyKos – “this blatant disregard for the norms of military families, and one of the most recognizable symbols of grief, while completely unsurprising, needs to be highlighted.”
• ReConstitution: “Disgusting, but hardly surprising. Teabaggers, you have yourselves a hell of a leader here.”

Update No. 2: It gets better. The company which manufactured the bracelet Palin wears has bragged about it on its website, and guess what, they made one for Joe Biden too (to honor his son’s service) and Biden’s office called the company to thank it:

Back in 2004, we had heard that both Sarah Palin’s son and now Vice President Joseph Biden’s son were heading off on deployements, so we made them both a set of Deployed HeroBracelets with their son’s names on the bracelets. Our way for thanking them both for having son’s in the military. We actually got a very nice call from Senator Biden’s office, thanking us for the HeroBracelets. And now we’re quite proud to see Sarah Palin wearing her HeroBracelet.

So Joe must hate fallen soldiers too!

The mainstream media and nutroots accuse us of having black helicopters, but the Palin haters now have black bracelets.

More on this story at Black Bracelet Author Needs A Mirror

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Related Posts:
Palin Causes Left and Right To Lose Reading Ability
Palin Exposes Misogyny In The Democratic Base, Again
I’ll Have Some Palin Derangement Syndrome with my Turkey, Please

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