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<H1>Palin's reckless views on obesity</H1>
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<DIV class=cnnbyline>By <B>Roland S. Martin</B>, CNN Senior Political
Contributor</DIV>
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<DIV><B>STORY HIGHLIGHTS</B></DIV>
<UL class="cnn_bulletbin cnnstryhghlght">
<LI>Roland Martin says Sarah Palin slammed Michelle Obama's "Let's Move"
anti-obesity campaign</LI>
<LI>He says Obama's site says obesity tripled in 30 years, diabetes in
kids is up</LI>
<LI>He says a group of generals told Congress increasingly people are
too overweight to serve</LI>
<LI>Martin: Palin's comments show she is reckless about the nation's
health</LI></UL></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV><B>RELATED TOPICS</B></DIV>
<UL class=cnn_bulletbin>
<LI><A href="http://topics.cnn.com/topics/Michelle_Obama"
target=_blank>Michelle Obama</A></LI>
<LI><A href="http://topics.cnn.com/topics/Obesity"
target=_blank>Obesity</A></LI>
<LI><A href="http://topics.cnn.com/topics/Child_Nutrition"
target=_blank>Child Nutrition</A></LI>
<LI><A href="http://topics.cnn.com/topics/Sarah_Palin"
target=_blank>Sarah Palin</A></LI></UL></DIV></DIV>
<P class=cnneditorialnote><EM><B>Editor's note:</B><A
href="http://www.rolandsmartin.com//" target=_blank>Roland Martin</A> is a
syndicated columnist and author of "The First: President Barack Obama's
Road to the White House." He is a commentator for TV One Cable network and
host of a Sunday morning news show. </EM></P>
<P><B>(CNN)</B> -- It's clear that we can't go 24 hours without Sarah
Palin saying something so stupid that it defies logic, but leave it to the
Kim Kardashian of politics to find something wrong with first lady
Michelle Obama's effort to curb obesity in America's kids.</P>
<P>In a radio interview on Wednesday with conservative talker Laura
Ingraham, Palin took dead aim at the first lady's "Let's Move" initiative,
which is all about getting children active and involved in exercise and
healthy eating.</P>
<P>In the wacky world of Wasilla's finest, Palin tries to cast the effort
to fight obesity as part of Michelle Obama's "different worldview."</P>
<P>Here is a portion of the transcript from HuffingtonPost.com: "Take her
anti-obesity thing that she is on. She is on this kick, right. What she is
telling us is she cannot trust parents to make decisions for their own
children, for their own families in what we should eat.</P>
<P>"And I know I'm going to be again criticized for bringing this up, but
instead of a government thinking that they need to take over and make
decisions for us according to some politician or politician's wife
priorities, just leave us alone, get off our back and allow us as
individuals to exercise our own God-given rights to make our own decisions
and then our country gets back on the right track."</P>
<P>Hmmm. "Let's Move" is Obama's "kick?" Maybe someone should kick Sarah
Palin so she can understand how devastating obesity is to the future of
the United States.</P>
<P>According to the first lady's "Let's Move" website:</P>
<P><B>•</B> Obesity rates among children have tripled in the last three
decades, and one in three children are obese.</P>
<P><B>•</B> One-third of all children born after 2000 will suffer from
diabetes.</P>
<P><B>•</B> Children are less active today than at any other time in
American history, spending 7.5 hours a day watching TV, playing video
games or simply involved in efforts that don't require movement.</P>
<P><B>•</B> Obesity is contributing to the vast increase in hypertension
among Americans.</P>
<P>Now, since Palin is always talking about our nation's military and how
we have to honor them and show them love and affection, let's listen to
what a group of generals said a few months ago about obesity and America's
national defense.</P>
<P>A study released in April by Mission: Readiness, a nonprofit group of
more than 150 retired generals and admirals, concluded that 27 percent of
18- to 24-year-olds are too fat to join the military.</P>
<P>The culprit? Junk food and too much fat in school lunches.</P>
<P>Said the study: "Today, otherwise excellent recruiting prospects, some
of them with generations of sterling military service in their family
history, are being turned away because they are just too overweight. Our
standards are high because we clearly cannot have people in our command
who are not up to the job. Too many lives depend on it."</P>
<P>In testimony before Congress, the former head of the California Army
National Guard, retired U.S. Army Major Gen. Paul Monroe, said that "80
percent of children who were overweight between the ages of 10 to 15 were
obese by age 25."</P>
<P>He and other military leaders want Congress to enact a massive child
nutrition bill to remove all junk food and high-calorie beverages from
schools, improve nutrition standards in schools, upgrade school menus and,
the group said, "help develop new school-based strategies, based on
research, that help parents and children adopt healthier lifelong eating
and exercise habits."</P>
<P>Monroe testified: "In 1946, Congress passed the National School Lunch
Act as a matter of national security. In the past, retired admirals and
generals have stood up to make it clear that America is only as healthy as
our nation's children. Childhood obesity is now undermining our national
security and we need to start turning it around today."</P>
<P>So, Sarah Palin, are you going to also rip into this decorated American
and say that he and 150 other military leaders are dead wrong?</P>
<P>I recently sat down with Michelle Obama for a prime time special on TV
One cable network dedicated to her "Let's Move" initiative. It was
startling to listen to her talk about the horrible statistics and the
shape we'll be in in the future, figuratively and literally.</P>
<P>"The crisis that we're facing around childhood obesity hits
everything," Obama said. "It's about education, what our kids are learning
about nutrition in the schools, the quality of the food in the schools.
It's about our neighborhood development. How are neighborhoods
designed?</P>
<P>"Are our kids -- do they have access to safe places to play? Are we
structuring communities in a way that facilitates healthy living? Are
there accessible and affordable healthy foods in our communities? And it's
about economic opportunity as well, because if folks can't afford to put
food on the table, then they're eating what they can.</P>
<P>"So this is one of those issues that requires us to talk about a little
bit of everything. And it makes us look at ourselves a little more closely
and it makes us look at the broader society. So we're beginning to
understand this is a threat."</P>
<P>This latest broadside by Palin shows how reckless and ridiculous she
is.</P>
<P>Libertarians and far right conservative Republicans are always talking
about government intrusion into our lives, but when we look at clean
water, air quality and food supply, thank God for governmental
standards.</P>
<P>Don't think for a second I'm not paying attention. I've increased my
health awareness, am changing my diet and working out more to lose weight,
and am pushing family members to do the same. That's really the whole
point of Michelle Obama's "Let's Move."</P>
<P>Any Republican with common sense should see that Sarah Palin poses an
immediate threat to the future of this country. She proves that every time
she opens her mouth.</P>
<P>Sarah, for the benefit of the nation, stick a fork in it.</P>
<P class=cnninline><I>The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely
those of Roland Martin.</I></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV><!--Article End--><!--Bibliography Goes Here-->
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<DIV><SPAN class=fonttitle>Find this article at:</SPAN> <BR><A
href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/11/24/martin.michelle.obama.palin/index.html?hpt=T2">http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/11/24/martin.michelle.obama.palin/index.html?hpt=T2</A>
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