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Cookie Controversy
Sarah Palin delivered a paid
speech at a fundraiser for Plumstead Christian School in
Plumsteadville, PA (Bucks County) on Nov. 9, 2010. She brought
some cookies (according to ABC News, 200 sugar cookies) as explained in
two tweets. The first one, on the afternoon of Nov. 8, linked to
an article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
"Hmm…may bring cookies to my PA
school speech tmrw to
make a pt “PA mulls ban on cake/cookies/candy@ school parties.. http://bit.ly/dvoI6d”
And on the morning of Nov. 9 she tweeted:
“2 PA school speech; I’ll intro kids 2 beauty of laissez-faire via serving them cookies amidst school cookie ban debate;Nanny state run amok!”
Palin addressed the matter in her remarks, asking who should be
making decisions about what people eat? "Should it be government or
should it be
parents?" she asked. "It should be the parents."
Meanwhile, the Tribune-Review
retracted the
article and posted a correction.
“A story on page B1 of Monday’s Tribune-Review incorrectly portrayed the Pennsylvania State Board of Education’s proposed nutrition guidelines for school parties. The board is examining regulations to encourage schools to serve more nutritious foods. There are no mandates to do so.”
This would seem to be a silly
story, but Palin is ever a magnet for attention. and many news
organizations
picked up on it (a few examples cited below). There were
references to "Cookiegate" and "Freedom Cookies," and this does go
to the real problem of obesity in America.
ABC's News' Mary Bruce in the Note—"Cookiegate: Sarah Palin Takes
on ‘Nanny State' Nutrition Guidelines"
CBS News' Stephanie Condon in Political Hotsheet—"Palin Uses Cookies
to Mock 'Nanny State' Rules"
CNN's Allison Harding in
politicalticker—"Palin on a presidential run...and pushing cookies"
Politico's Andy Barr—"Sarah Palin brings cookies, hits 'nanny state'"