In response to feminist leader Gloria Steinem's Los Angeles Times article that appeared in The Japan Times on Sept. 9, "Palin: wrong woman with wrong message": I hate to say it, but Steinem is off the radar for most young women. My two, well-educated, world-traveled daughters (in their 20s) are looking at U.S. vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and saying, "That's what feminism is really about!" Steinem and her ilk are unable to get beyond some old-time mantras:

• On creationism. Teaching it in school does not mean teaching some religious tenet. It means admitting that we don't know what caused the Big Bang. It means admitting that science is not certain of everything and that there could have been a prime mover, aka God, behind it all.

• On global warming. A huge list of the world's top scientists disagree with Al Gore's "science." There's political motivation to hush up a wider discussion.

• On stem cell research. Just a few weeks ago it was revealed that Japanese scientists have been able to obtain stem cells from wisdom teeth. Last year other scientists obtained stem cells from umbilical cord tissue. We don't need the fetal stem cell argument anymore.

• On guns and shooting wolves. When you're out in the middle of nowhere, you can't call "911" if you have a problem. When Steinem has a pack of aggressive coyotes in her backyard, I'll guarantee that she'll want to shoot them.

• On abortion. If something is alive and you kill it, there is plenty of reason to make sure this is done only in the most extreme cases. An abstinence program is a good idea. We owe it to our daughters to let them know that the sexual revolution requires more individual responsibility than ever. Young men need to be taught the ramifications of an unwanted pregnancy. A man can't just expect the woman to obtain an abortion -- that in itself defies all that feminism stands for.

Yes, the women in my family like Palin. She is the new face of feminism in America. Long live the queen.

barbara smith