Palin and the GOP: Making the accidental case for sex ed
Filed by: Ricci Levy
September 2, 2008 9:00 AM
I am following all of the rumors about Palin's daughter being the real birth mother of Trig, followed by the release of information that her 17 year old unmarried daughter, Bristol, is pregnant.
McCain's own staff said they released this information in an effort to stop the rumors about the baby, Trig, being Bristol's.
Enter - comprehensive sexuality education that would have taught those folks that having one child doesn't preclude having another, and that lots of women get pregnant when their first child is only three or four months old.
But it seems to me that this is all family stuff, not the meat of a political campaign when we have so very much on the line politically. If Palin did lie to protect her daughter from a scandal, it wasn't when she was a candidate for VP and it has little to do with her qualifications (or lack thereof) for that position.
It's fun (for us) and it's news and it's gossip and it's the "other side" for many of us - but aren't we losing sight of the issues in this campaign?
And while we're busy relishing this distraction, there are things like this going on that are getting little coverage.
Protesters here in Minneapolis have been targeted by a series of highly intimidating, sweeping police raids across the city, involving teams of 25-30 officers in riot gear, with semi-automatic weapons drawn, entering homes of those suspected of planning protests, handcuffing and forcing them to lay on the floor, while law enforcement officers searched the homes, seizing computers, journals, and political pamphlets. Last night, members of the St. Paul police department and the Ramsey County sheriff's department handcuffed, photographed and detained dozens of people meeting at a public venue to plan a demonstration, charging them with no crime other than "fire code violations," and early this morning, the Sheriff's department sent teams of officers into at least four Minneapolis area homes where suspected protesters were staying.
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5 Comments
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Ricci, you make a fine point about these rumors being a distraction from the real issues. Maybe I'm cynical, but I think McCain's campaign probably leaked this info on purpose.
Serena Freewomyn | September 2, 2008 10:10 AM
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A friend just sent me an article http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26501863 that could be potenteially explosive for the McCain Palin ticket,among other things
McCain spokespersons all claim the campaign knew about both "Troopergate" and Bristol's pregnancy. I have my doubts. If that were the case, people speaking for McCain would have been given a written response to questions on both issues. Their halting and clearly uneasy responses would seem to indicate they were caught flatfooted and unaware. And, if the McCain camp was aware of "Troopergate", it may have been downright foolhardy to pick Palin until the legislature finished its investigation -- unfortunately not expected until sometime in October. What's going to happen if, after she gets the nomination, the Alaska legislature determines she did abuse her position as governor in trying to get her ex-brother-in-law fired. Talk about a potentially explosive mess
rick_from_kansas | September 2, 2008 10:12 AM
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This is a case for sex education, but it's also a case for choice. The Palins said that they discussed it and made the choice to keep Sarah's grandchild.
So there. They think it's a choice for them, but not for everyone else.
Alex Blaze | September 2, 2008 8:23 PM
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Did you see that Palin herself had to elope with her husband because she pregnant - and the baby wasn't born 9 months later? Perhaps if she became an advocate for real sex ed, history wouldn't be repeating itself.
Bil Browning | September 2, 2008 9:53 PM
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I'd like to offer to make a written agreement with Bristol Palin: If, in the name of promoting sex education, she will wear a T-shirt for the next nine months that says, A condom could have postponed this to a better time. then I will someday let her chisel the exact same words on my tombstone.
Fair enough?
A. J. Lopp | September 3, 2008 8:41 PM
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