It hasn't been a good week for the McCain/Palin ticket. Sarah Palin was interviewed and thoroughly embarrassed by Katie Couric. Katie. Couric. Senator McCain suspended his campaign to rush back to Washington DC and save us all from economic collapse, but by most accounts ruined the bailout compromise that was being negotiated and then claimed credit for its passage in swing states as it failed to pass the House.

Sarah Palin has been hard at work (presumably) at debate preparation in the lead-up to Thursday evening's Vice Presidential debate, but apparently her prep hasn't included Supreme Court decisions or the names of newspapers. John McCain today had to cancel a big-dollar Hollywood fundraiser to rush back to Washington (again) in order to vote for the new bailout plan- the one that was negotiated successfully as soon as he left town- which broke his streak of not having shown up for a vote since April 8. A truly bizarro-Ripken streak of absenteeism.

And in the process, Obama has surged dramatically in swing state polling and more than doubled his national lead to a point that is threatening to push past the 50% mark. All of this has gone on without much action for our own California. John McCain may have been forced to call off his visit to Hollywood, but Sarah Palin is still coming to Carson on Saturday. She'll be here to advocate in one way or another for her extremely conservative social policies- policies that put her outside the mainstream of America and even further outside the mainstream of California.

She'll come here as the face of the intolerance represented by Proposition 8 and the reckless treatment of women's health represented by Proposition 4. And Courage Campaign is looking forward to extending a welcome to Governor Palin.

So Eden James emailed many of our supporters yesterday asking for suggestions for a simple airplane sign message that would express our feelings about her and the values she represents. He explained:

Sarah Palin is coming to California. And, we need your creativity and imagination to "welcome" her.

With Thursday's debate between Governor Palin and Senator Joe Biden getting closer, many Americans are just getting acquainted with Palin's extremist views on social issues. By the time she gets to Los Angeles County on Saturday -- less than 48 hours after the debate -- her support for Propositions 4 and 8 may be crystal clear to Californians.

On Saturday, Sarah Palin will be appearing before 8,000 rabid supporters at the Home Depot Center Tennis Stadium in Carson, California. A member of our community suggested that the best way for the Courage Campaign to "welcome" her would be to rent an airplane and fly a large banner over the event.

And that's exactly what we're going to do. With the national spotlight shining on Sarah Palin right now, we want YOU to send her a message she will never forget.

The big question: What should the banner message say, in 50 characters or less? If you can come up with the best banner idea, we'll air your message in large letters over Palin's event and over the greater Los Angeles area on Saturday. Please click here to submit your banner message by Wednesday at 9 p.m. -- we'll announce the winner on Thursday right before the debate:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/PalinBanner

On Friday, CNN commentator Jack Cafferty gave anchor Wolf Blitzer an earful after airing a stunning excerpt from Palin's recent interview with Katie Couric:

"I'm 65 and have been covering politics, as you have, for a long time. That is one of the most pathetic pieces of tape I have ever seen... Don't make excuses for her. That's pathetic.

Even conservative columnists like the Washington Post's George Will and David Brooks of the New York Times are expressing deep concerns about Palin.

If you haven't seen Jack Cafferty's unbridled blasting of Palin's "pathetic" performance, click here to watch a short video clip. Then brainstorm a banner message for Palin on Saturday. DEADLINE: Wednesday, 9 p.m.:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/PalinBanner

Sarah Palin is proudly unapologetic about her social conservatism.

Unbelievably, Governor Palin is against abortion in cases of rape and incest. And she is also on record supporting a constitutional amendment to ban marriage for same-sex couples in Alaska.

So, it will not be surprising if Palin expresses her profound support on Saturday for two right-wing initiatives on California's November ballot -- Proposition 4, which would endanger teen safety, and Proposition 8, which would eliminate marriage equality.

We strongly oppose both propositions, of course.

By creating a powerful banner message for Sarah Palin -- and millions of people in Los Angeles -- to read on Saturday, you can make a statement that Palin's extremist intolerance isn't welcome in California.

Thank you for everything you are doing to change California and our country.

Eden James
Managing Director
Courage Campaign

P.S. Our airplane banner campaign will be carbon-neutral, of course, to reduce the impact of this action on the climate. If you would like to help us pay for the necessary carbon offsets to this action, please click here to make a contribution:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/contribute