Do your own research. Make your own choices

I've been innundated with emails from both sides about all things Palin (working mom + former national news editor + freelance writer + blogger = spam from everyone, apparently), and I just wanted to get this out there:

Please, for the love of all things intelligent, do your own research before getting outraged over what you're hearing or reading.

That list of books that Palin supposedly wants to ban? While the meeting did take place in Wasilla, the list itself is BS. False. Not true. Snopes debunked it a few days ago, here's the link: http://www.snopes.com/politics/palin/bannedbooks.a%20sp

The new campaign commercial stating that Obama passed a bill that promotes teaching sex ed to kindergarteners? BS. False. Not true. The commercial is out there, but it's based on misinformation: http://www.newsweek.com/id/158314

The whole "lipstick on a pig" issue? If you want to talk about it, there's a great discussion going on right now in the Politics and Issues Group at Work It, Mom! though, personally, I think the whole thing has been blown out of proportion. Yeah, it's a well-known phrase that's used often. Yeah, it was easy to see how it could be taken as a personal attack. Yeah, McCain used it himself just a few months ago when referring to Hillary Clinton's health care plan, and plenty of other people have used it as well. Watch the video and decide for yourself.

Just know that If you're wondering what each candidate really stands for, here's a good place to start: On the Issues. It lists the stances of all of the current political leaders (Democrats, Republicans, Green Party, Libertarians, Nader, Huckabee, both Thompsons, Al Sharpton, and possibly your next door neighbor, if he or she has ever run for office) on all of the issues (from the budget to the economy to Social Security to foreign policy).

We're all entitled to our opinions, and I'm honestly interested in hearing or reading as many as I can get my hands on. But please... don't rely on either campaign to give you all the facts. Do your own research. Draw your own conclusions. Make an informed decision.