I REALLY hope those aren't what she considers "dress shoes." Is this what she wears to work??

Those are the ugliest shoes I've ever seen! I'm excited that someone else noticed it, too!

I chose other. I'm a vegetarian and not personally into animals as food or decor... but other people can do whatever they want. I'm not going to say it's "wrong."

Absolutely disgusting and appalling. It's completely disrespectful to animals and not to mention extremely distasteful. I have no respect for Sarah Palin, none whatsoever. The sad thing is, if she didn't hunt and didn't display her "trophies", I'd probably like her a lot more. Ironic that she's "Pro-Life"... she's a hypocrite.

What's up with the giant crab on the table?!

Creepy. I dated a guy once and, after a while went up to see his apartment. Let's just say it was hard to concentrate on talking with DEAD ANIMAL HEADS staring at me. (Next to pics of '60s pinups.) Yeah, it didn't go anywhere. My thoughts on taxidermy aside, giant crab + giant bear = tacky!

I agree, sonya. I can't in good conscience vote for Obama, and now it looks like I might not be voting for the McCain ticket either. Gr...

Classy ... let me lean up against this dead bear. Mmm ... dead animals.

I had to double take, I know people do deer but bears. It's creepy.

do people eat bears? I guess it doesn't seem quite as yucky if the meat is used. but my boss has a stuffed BOBCAT in his office. I know no one eats bobcat!! every time I go in there, I'm like "poor kitty!"

There are really no words to express how I feel about this picture. I feel like she is trying very hard to come off as classy and poised. To say the least, she is definitely failing. I don't see the purpose of putting dead animals on display. Disgusting.

Wow, Giggle, that is quite a story. I myself would never decorate with taxidermy, but I have to admit I admired some of it in an old hotel I recently visited in Wyoming.

If you want to admire an animal, go to the zoo (or out in the wild). They look MUCH more lovely when they are ALIVE.

Oh come on, she lives in Alaska!! She's bad@$$! Personally though, I'd be grossed out/creeped out walking into a room full of dead animals/heads on the wall...definitely not happening in my house.

I dont hunt so I dont get the attraction to hanging animals as trophys of a hunt, however- alaska is a completely different culture than my native Tennessee (or California, or New York, or anywhere), and bears and crabs are native and unique to that part of the country. as far as saying she is a hypocrite for being pro life yet displaying dead animals is not fair. pro life doesnt mean we arent allowed to hunt. people and animals are completely separate and not to be compared in that argument. Humans rule the beast, if she chooses to hunt so be it. I am sure many a president had taxidermy decorating their offices and no one said a word. that my friends, is hypocricy.

Though this picture seems to imply that Palin supports taxidermy or purposely decorates with stuffed animals, we dont know exactly where Palin was photographed and the circumstances concerning the decor. We don't know if she inherited those animals from the previous governor, if she's even in her office, etc etc. In any case, I think it's silly to jump to strong conclusions about Palin supporting animal cruelty.

Kathili- she hunts for sport, that is well documented.

'No...This is a lovely room of death!' -Ace Ventura

That's absolutely revolting. As are those shoes.

Sonya made a good point, pro life but pro bear rug? kinda ironic.

I read the other day that she was suing the Bush admin b/c they agreed to put polar bears on the endangered species list. What does she have against bears???

As a VP candidate she made the decision and was positioned where she was for this photo op. If she didn't like or support her surroundings ie dead bear & giant crab, her shoes or that hideous hotel sofa and matching coffee table the photo would not have been released. She is making a statement about her home state and there are bears and king crab is very popular. Does this mean she is fit for office or can do a good job? She clearly has no taste for decor but then again neither did John McCain in his over wrought piano and terrible "south western" type design. These people are normally never in their homes enough to have a real sense of style anyway.
What is clear from this picture besides Palins lack of taste is that she supports her states main economic life force - hunting and fishing.

The majority of comments are opposed to taxidermy and hunting. No one should really have an opinion until they are educated on the matter!
I was never pro-hunting or anything like that. Till I met my brother-in-law, an avid hunter. He also is one of the biggest animal lovers that can be.
Most people don't realize that hunters are huge supporters of wildlife. Going on hunts could cost thousands of dollars, and a big portion of that money is put toward the safekeeping of wildlife and their land.
Many, many hunters only kill for food - maybe people don't eat bobcats (as one poster mentioned) but their meat can be used for other purposes - sent to zoo's to feed animals.

Please before you boast about how hunting and taxidermy is wrong, educate yourselves.

Crazy, no. Just... no. While it's true that animals aren't protected unless they're "worth" something, and hunting makes them "worth" something, it's totally inaccurate to say that hunting dollars go towards safekeeping. That's idiotic. It goes towards PRESERVING animals for use during later hunts. Somehow that just doesn't seem "safe" to me, and i doubt it does to animals either. If we love animals so much, lets protect them so they can live their own lives, not so they can live until we decide they should die for our entertainment. Hunters choose pain over peace, death over life.
I think maybe you're the one who needs the education. I'd pick up a copy of "Dominion" by Matthew Scully if I were you. A big portion of the book is about big game hunting. Maybe you could loan the book to your brother in law when you're finished.
PS- If I love kids is it cool to go shoot them and hang their skins from the wall so I can admire them?

Crazy, those preservation efforts are beneficial to the land and the animals that aren't being hunted -- but not for the animals that ARE being hunted! The hunters are trying to create the best environment for those animals to live and breed in so that they can be hunted more.

Also in what universe is the meat from bobcats being given to zoos and not just thrown away by the processor? I'm not anti-hunting, but there is a difference to me between hunting "for sport" and hunting for food.

I grew up in Alaska, so I've seen my fair share of taxidermy decor. It has always bothered me and it will always disgust me. I can't believe she has that thing in her office.

Ew....crab + bear + gross shoes =ew

How the hell did I miss the gigantic crab?!?!?!?!?!

HeidiMD, I had to take a double take too!
I was just so mortified by the bear that I missed the questionable crab decor!

La_Luse- my thoughts exactly (LOVE that movie).

I agree with al the shoe comments. As for the taxidermy I just find it disgusting!

I think it is tacky decor. I find 70s decor offensive as well, but to each their own!

Also being pro life and having a stuffed bear is not hypocritical. Ridiculous! That's like saying you support serial killers if you support hunters.
Completely different issues and an offensive comparison at that!

FTR, being pro-hunting doesn't mean you're anti-wildlife and animals. It is well documented that hunters contribute some of the largest amounts of money to wildlife conservation, habitat rehabilitation, etc.

I hunt. I don't kill for a "trophy" and I eat what I kill. If someday I end up with a "trophy" elk, deer, antelope, etc., I might consider mounting it, but that isn't what I go out into the field looking for. And, I'm more inclined to donate my hides, antlers, etc. to local native Americans for making drums and other traditional items.

Some people dig mounts and like to display them. A lot of hunters don't. I wouldn't have mounts in my regular decor. Perhaps in a certain room or garage (giggle) I might agree to accept my hubby putting them if he so wanted.

Also, yes, people eat bear. I haven't tried it yet, but if we ever get a bear, you bet that we'll eat the meat.

All the hunters that I know are huge advocates of wildlife and are massive animal lovers. Hunting is a necessary element in managing wildlife populations in our country. Nothing is more tragic to me than seeing animals become over populated for what their habitat can support and suffer - it is a horrible thing to watch deer dying of starvation and disease because their range has been burned out by wildfire and there isn't enough forage to support the number of animals. It is tragic to watch animals become over populated and do that which is natural to them - forage - but do so in populated areas and then people who have moved into their habitat get their panties all in a bundle because a BEAR (or other animal) broke into their garbage cans/house/car/tent/etc. Then those animals have to be euthanized because they cannot be effectively relocated in most circumstances.

That's not fair or right. It's better to manage wildlife populations to avoid the alternatives.

I didn't grow up around hunters or in a family that was into the activity. I used to be fairly "anti-hunting" but educated myself and actually have grown into the activity.

These are my opinions. You may disagree. I'll respect your opinion, but please respect mine.

Oh, and on the shoes, yah, not very attractive with that outfit. However, as an avid flip flop wearer who often forgets to change shoes before heading into the office, I have to kind of chuckle, because I can totally see myself in that position - wearing a nice outfit and having a tacky pair of flip flops on my footsies, as it's happened. I actually usually walk around my office bare foot, maybe that would look better with the outfit - no?

nevadamtnbear - it is also a horrible thing to watch a deer die a slow death from a non-lethal shot by an amateur hunter. I saw that many a times when I lived in NH.

A better way to manage the deer population is to reintroduce carnivorous hunters like wolves...

who, btw, Palin supports shooting from airplanes....

Creepy

Plus - I don't disagree that that is sad as well. However, re-introduction of predators is an imperfect solution. In states here, like Nevada where grazing is predominate, opposition is practically insurmountable. Also, because we humans have intervened so much, it just doesn't work out as well as it had in a "wild" state. Kind of like wildfires - we've "managed" wildfire for so long that when we attempt to let it go on it's own, it ends up worse than it would without years of human intervention.

In an ideal world, I agree that it sure would be nice. Unfortunately, we've meddled for hundreds of years in such a manner that we aren't in a position to go "au natral" just yet.

Having actually been To Alaska, and into people's homes, I can tell you that hunting and taxidermy is part of their culture. They all do it. If you look at Alaska on a map, it is next to Canada, not the lower 48. It's their lifestyle. Dont ever ask them what they think of Brangelina, they will laugh at you!

You'd have to understand things up here to get it--bears aren't exactly cute fluffy creatures, they eat you. There have been 5 bear attacks in Anchorage alone this summer and one woman was dragged sleeping from her tent and mauled. A biker was attacked during a bike race, dragged from her bike and chewed on.

So it's not exactly as if Palin's posing with stuffed bunnies or kittens or anything.

There was a pack of wolves that terrorized the east side of town earlier this spring here in Anchorage, attacking joggers and eating people's dogs (no lie).

If I had my way they'd shoot every bear that comes into the city limits--there was a black bear on our cul de sac two days ago where my kids play and I'm not exactly excited about them getting eaten or mauled. I'd much rather take a bear's life than have it be my child's life.

These guys are predators and omnivores. They don't even attack to kill, they're trained by the end of the summer to eat only the vital organs for the most nutrition so you get to be alive right up until the end. Nice huh?

I dig it, personally, but I don't like it in the typical, log cabin kind of way. No bears or rams heads or ducks. For me, it's sort of Victorian, gothic, Douglas Little, steampunk, Jules Vern and bohemian. I have a small alligator head on top of my teevee, and am on the lookout for a fox and a couple of dried seahorses. Yes, it's creepy. That's what I like about it.

I would also like to add that this photo is very, VERY typical of traditional Alaskan decor, and deserves some respect as it's own culture.

Not all taxidermy involves sport-killed animals, for the record. Many are animals that died of other causes--ie. hit by a car.
While I don't doubt that Ms. Palin's taxidermy animals were hunted, not all is that cruel.

Sh!t like that always makes me want to change the way eat and more conscious of the way I buy things. I wish to god I wasn't raised to eat meat, but I would never have something like that in my house.

We have to review these videos at work before they go out to the Conroe Taxidermy - http://www.conroetaxidermy.com/index.html ...when we do we get SO grossed out. One of the girls got so sick she cried. She is a total softy.. major animal lover/vegetarian. I turn the dvds on behind me so I won't have to stare at that crap.

Of course George Sr. would be on their website - http://www.conroetaxidermy.com/videography.html

it is so disgusting what they do to get these animals. And they get SO excited about it. It is SO white trashy. They call it 'the hunt'... and 'the Lion'. And they all get hard-ons when they get the biggest kill. I had to watch this award show last time OVER and OVER about it.

It's like a generation thing too. They have everyone from young boys to their OOOOld grandfathers killing these animals to these old botox goose steppers winning these awards. They actually cry when accepting their awards.

...the people that bring this stuff in for us to edit and put together for them get our work for practically free because my boss is a pushover. He always complains about how he has to do the work for them for nothing, but he choses to do it anyway. And they are always so rude to us, making all of us rush the work for them[like a 3 day project crammed into 24hrs]. (And not only that, they have to travel/commute a little over an hour to get their 'work' footage to us.) Just don't get it.

(Kind of funny too... for all the work we do for them for practically nothing you would think they would have a link to our production company up there.)

seriously what the hell thats just monsters and it speak out her personalty

that's just gross