I’m going to make this one short and sweet.  Surely by now, most people know who Sarah Palin is.  If you don’t, browse through wikipedia or Google for a sec and come back.  Sarah is making history and she could very well be the first female vice president in America.  Being that she is the subject of much controversy (what female politician hasn’t been?), I thought she might be a good candidate for the Courageous or Crazy section.

Now here is the challenge.  I’m asking you to put aside your political beliefs and party associations.  Let’s look at what Sarah is doing as an individual and as a woman and vote on that aspect rather than her political views.

Sarah is a mother of five and soon to be grandmother.  Not only is she running for vice president, which in itself is a huge undertaking, she is also under the microscope because she is female.  I don’t think anyone would argue that she is more scrutinized than any of her peers.  The media doesn’t just discuss her opinions and voting records, they talk about her hair, her glasses, her legs and heaven forbid she won a few beauty pageants.   I don’t see anyone reporting about the men’s choice of tie or suit color for any events.

Palin seems to be taking it all in stride, but it looks pretty intense to me.  She’s under a lot of pressure and she’s taking a lot of heat and unnecessary criticism as a woman.  So what do you think?  Is she courageous or crazy for running for vice president?  Would any woman running for such a high office be considered courageous or crazy?  Comments are welcome. 

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Annie Edson Taylor was a school teacher who determined to be the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel with her cat on October 14, 1901.  She had hoped it would bring her fame and fortune. Most folks thought it was suicidal to even attempt it and steered away from helping her.

Her trip over the falls took about 20 minutes, but the barrel lid was on so tight it took much longer just to free her from her air-tight wooden prison.  She survived with a small contusion to her head and her cat arrived in one piece as well (minus a couple lives I’m sure).

Of her daring feat, Annie says:

If it was with my dying breath, I would caution anyone against attempting the feat… I would sooner walk up to the mouth of a cannon, knowing it was going to blow me to pieces than make another trip over the Fall.

Annie did go on to earn some money speaking about her daredevil stunt, but it was quickly spent on recovering her famed barrel which was stolen by her “manager”.  She posed for photos and signed autographs, but it was never quite enough for her to live on comfortably.

Even though her plan to become wealthy backfired, Annie Edson Taylor did leave her mark on history.  She was documented in the history books as the first woman go over Niagara Falls and she is featured in movies about Niagara Falls and in the the Niagara Falls daredevil museum.  Annie is noted elsewhere in history for her amazing stunt, including poems and tv shows.  See wikipedia for more details of her life and the events before and after her ride over the falls.

Was Annie courageous or crazy?  You decide.

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Inspiration for a new category has struck and I can’t help but follow up on this little brainstorm.  After visiting the daredevils museum at Niagara Falls this summer and learning about Annie Edson Taylor’s trip over the raging waters, I couldn’t help but wonder if she was courageous or crazy.  I figure there are a lot of stories out there like hers and everyone has an opinion, so here I’m beginning a new section on here called Courageous or Crazy? You get to decide if the featured person is courageous or crazy.  You can cast your vote and leave your comment.  The results should be fun.  The first feature will be appearing next week.