Op-Ed: Did Sarah Palin Take the Tanning Bed?
Tanning beds have been found to be dangerous. Would a state official consider them essential enough to have them in their mansion? Sarah Palin did and would, so when she left the Governorship of Alaska did she take the tanning bed with her?
Jordann James
Sarah Palin waves to supporters.
Now unless you were there at the scene, it’s likely you wouldn’t know if Palin took her tanning bed out of the mansion when she left last week. It’s certainly likely given the effort it took to get it in the first place, as was related during the Presidential election of 2008.
Using tanning beds is a personal matter.
US magazine reported Sarah Palin uses one and had it brought into the Governor’s mansion. The transportation official in Alaska said at the time about it, “She did. She paid for it with her own money.”
Tanning beds are expensive to have personally and unusual to have in a private home according to Color Me Tan manager Erin Weise who was quoted in the US story. Yesterday the
seriousness of the risks they raise to health was reported by a number of media outlets and underlined as essential knowledge and a legitimate health concern.
Tanning beds were known prior to the recent research revelation were known to increase the risk of cancer by eight times. In cold climates like Sweden the
use of tanning beds is higher than it is for those in warm climates, so it’s likely that might be true for those in Alaska as well and likely the reason Sarah Palin obtained one. That’s certainly private business. But does it say something about a person’s knowledge of health care and what was known about tanning beds and their risks even before recently?
If you can see Russia from your house is your
best answer to national security, well perhaps you might think tanning beds a way to look lovely and in perfect health, as notions have been examined at the time. It just seems reasonable to revisit the issue, given the tanning bed story and the worries about the health concerns involved. The fact Sarah Palin had one installed for herself leaves open opportunities for questions about her knowledge of health matters and her own health concerns. It could even raise concerns about compromised health, as folks speculate on Sarah Palin’s future and what she needs to know to prepare for the 2012 Presidential election if she hopes to be a viable candidate in the race.
