Palin’s role

Re “Palin bounce has Democrats off balance,” Sept. 10

I find it oddly appropriate (though infuriating) that supporters of John McCain and Sarah Palin have hijacked the image of Rosie the Riveter, superimposed with Palin’s photo, for their campaign posters.

Rosie is, of course, the symbol of thousands of women who were encouraged to enter the workforce during World War II to help the war effort by building ships and doing other jobs vacated by the men at the front.

What some might forget is that as soon as the men who had been fighting overseas returned home, those same women, having been given a taste of independence, were removed from their jobs and told to go be good little homemakers again.

It makes me wonder what McCain and his cronies have in mind for Palin should she help the Republicans win this election. Will she be relegated to the role of window-dressing, as it seems some in the Republican Party already regard her? (They have, after all, kept her well protected from unscripted, solo public appearances.)

Perhaps, rather than setting women back 100 years with her ultra-conservative beliefs, Palin will be good for women. It was, after all, those very same Rosies who started the tremendous wave of feminism not too long after World War II ended. Perhaps there will be yet another resurgence from women who are tired of being used as, and seeing our peers used as, pawns.

Patti Reis

Camarillo