how sad. But seriously, what I actually still don't get is what the problem with the daughter's pregnancy is/could even be?
People are potentially upset that Palin's daughter had sex at age 17? I was under the impression that pretty much everyone had sex at age 17. (Is that incorrect??)
Or are people potentially upset because she had unprotected sex? And someone out there is prepared to stand up and say "I myself have never ever had unprotected sex and thus condemn you!" Really?
Any explanations? Is sex itself against Republican values? That would be awesome.
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Cats
Here are some photos of my cats with their new favorite toy, a piece of brown string. The all-black cat, whose name is sixy, she carries it around with her everywhere and brings it to me and meows until we play fetch with it.
45 comments:
You've probably just gained the republican party a few votes with those first two photos. Cease and desist before you do more harm! A woman with an AK47 in a stars and stipes bikini, with her man (a man) drinking a Shlitz in the background. Too funny. Priceless.
please tell me those are real pictures. please.
They are apparently from her "beauty pageant days."
http://nerve.com/CS/blogs/scanner/archive/2008/09/02/real-or-fake-nude-sarah-palin-photo.aspx
Notice that the headline askes "Real or Not??" but they are refering to the tiny middle picture you have to click on, which is apparently Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, nude.
Actually, I'm no longer certain if they are implying it's real or not. News of the World is the only cited source....
I'm psyched about Sarah Palin, and I think she's a great pick. :)
It's a good sign that liberals are worried when they use a "decoy". They try to divert our focus away from real issues and get us to focus on, say, a bikini instead.
Bristol's pregnancy is another decoy. What does this have to do with Sarah's "family values"? A parent can give their kid advice, and be a role model (Sarah's first pregnancy wasn't until 24) but it's difficult (impossible?) to control a 17-year-old short of locking her up 24 hours/day.
And her reaction to it was quite normal--she'll help and support her daughter through what will almost certainly be a rough patch. She's not doing anything crazy like kicking her out.
How did this story come up? According to the New York Times:
"The announcement came after a swirl of rumors by liberal bloggers that the governor’s fifth child, who was born in April, was in fact her daughter’s."
And are conservatives upset by this? The vast majority are not:
"[T]he initial reaction of several delegates to the convention here was supportive of the family."
"But seriously, what I actually still don't get is what the problem with the daughter's pregnancy is/could even be?"
It’s the hypocrisy of the “family values” party that is so galling. It’s their holier than thou attitude and air of moral superiority and certitude that make their falls from grace all the more entertaining.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cenk-uygur/what-if-bristol-palin-was_b_123107.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/raymond-leon-roker/palins-babys-baby-mama-dr_b_123109.html
And anyway, it’s the kind of news that draws the media to their frenzied feeding feasts. It’s in the same realm as the incessant coverage of pregnancies of the likes of Katie Holmes, Jamie Lynn Spears, and Angelina Jolie.
All of these photos are fakes.
that is a hot picture of palin. my cat's favorite new toys are a piece of onion skin and a pistachio shell
"But seriously, what I actually still don't get is what the problem with the daughter's pregnancy is/could even be?"
I have no problem with it. I don't think anyone has a problem with it. The problem is that Sarah Palin is not only a rabid anti-choicer but a rabid adherent to abstinence-only education. And if it doesn't even work in her house, it should be difficult to sell it to the rest of the country. Not that they won't try.
While we're at it, it's also irksome that she and her party can demand to be left alone with this and that it's a "private matter." That's fine, because it is. However, it never occurred to any of them before now that other teenage pregnancies are also private matters. They had (and some of them probably will still have) absolutely no problem sticking their noses into other families' business, but they can invoke the right to be left alone that we liberals fought for, against their mocking insults every step of the way.
Rick Massimo
"Anti-choicer"?!?!?
Heh! The lengths you folks will go to to avoid the dreaded 'A' word. Go ahead, don't be shy, you can say it: A-B-O-R-T-I-O-N.
Excuse me but am I understanding this correctly. You posted photos which even you now admit are phony (as should have been obvious to anyone--the photos of her face are obviously recent and unless you have several holes in your brain you can't possibly believe a sitting governor would pose for such photos) and now, knowing they are phonies you don't remove them or post a follow-up indicating that you were duped?
So...you posted photos which, surprise surprise, reinforce your preconceived and frankly misogynist notions that Governor Palin is a dumb bimbo, presumably to prove to your 5 readers that your instincts were correct, while in fact all you've done in the end is prove how biased you are.
Sheesh. Hate much?
ok, ok
There's no problem with the pregnancy in itself. Stuff happens.
The problem is that Palin is a proponent of "abstinence-only" sex education and pregnancy prevention as public policy. Her daughter is living, breathing proof that such an approach does not work.
"Is sex itself against Republican values?"
Yes, outside of marriage.
Wow. Credit where credit is due. I didn't really expect you to change the caption of your post but you did. I doubt there is much we would agree on in terms of political issues, but you, Elizabeth, are a class act.
Why do cats like the simplest toys? I buy my cat all kinds of neat things from the pet store and all she wants to play with are strings and shoelaces as well!! And q-tips, which to be honest is an odd obsession of hers....
Have a good one!
We have a black cat at home that looks very much like yours. For years his favorite past-time has been playing with a ribbon that my wife teases him with. He will go so far as to pick up the ribbon with his teeth and bring it to her when he thinks it is time to play. Cute photos.
It is Palin's anti-abortion and abstinance only policies (which have been proven to not work by reputed statistical data) stances that are so galling. And it is galling when all the same people who are defending Palin were also people who slayed Jamie Lynn Spear's teen momhood. And it is galling when she uses her children as political props in her campaign but cries foul when people then want to talk about her family. This isn't just about having cute kids walking around on stage-- she uses her special needs baby and Iraq war son to score political points. Well, her teen pregnant daughter becomes fair game the moment she does that.
Add it all up, and you have a lot of gall. And to top it off, she gives a sniveling, petty little speech of snide jabs and fluff putdowns. She used sarcastic air quotes! Her speech sounded like something from a student council meeting.
I have to say that I was impressed that she didn't sound completely ridiculous, but I'm sad that this is where my standards are.
I have to agree with the preious poster that Palin did sound awfully like she was running for the student council. Somehow the insane crowd breaking into ludicrous chants of USA, USA made her seem relatively intellectual.
I actually liked the weird "Drill Baby Drill" chants....
The USA USA chants sounded like Homer Simpson's common non-sequitur chants. At one point, she ripped Obama a new a-hole and some guys started chanting "USA! USA!" as if the USA stood for belittling other people. I guess maybe it does.
Of course, since her speech was written by McCain's campaign before they even knew who the VP nominee would be, it lacked a certain something.
But it was competently delivered, and somehow that's supposed to count. The GOP's greatest strength is lowering expectations, and they did it again. Apparently, because she didn't come out in a gingham dress, shoot a shotgun into the ceiling and start speaking in tongues, we're supposed to think she did great.
Anon 11:02: Abortion. There; I said it. Do you feel like you won something? Clarified anything for anyone in any way? Actually, you're trying to do the opposite. "Anti-abortion" makes it sound like pro-choice people are "pro-abortion." And that's about as accurate as saying someone in favor of our Iraq occupation digs war in general.
Rick Massimo
Vickary> "I have to agree with the preious poster that Palin did sound awfully like she was running for the student council."
To my ear, that was true of the first 10 minutes of her speech but not the last 10 minutes. Perhaps it takes a few minutes to adjust to so many people watching you!
At least she's finally put to rest the silly caricatures of her that have been circulating on... ahem... rather liberal blogs and explained some of the admirable things she's done:
"While I was at it, I got rid of a few things in the governor's office that I didn't believe our citizens should have to pay for.
That luxury jet was over the top. I put it on eBay.
I also drive myself to work.
And I thought we could muddle through without the governor's personal chef - although I've got to admit that sometimes my kids sure miss her."
(The full speech is available online.)
Now, if you want to hear a great speech, listen to Fred Thompson. To me his is hands-down the most captivating speech delivered at either political convention.
+ Fred Thompson, pI
+ Fred Thompson, pII
+ Fred Thompson, pIII
Rick - "The GOP's greatest strength is lowering expectations, and they did it again."
Um, Rick, it wasn't the GOP that was lowering expectations; it was you and folks like you (e.g., see Elizabeth's 9/1 post)(no offense meant to E.V. who seems like a perfectly nice woman, but, I mean, come on!) I say this in part because I know it will not change the way you think but I'm convinced that one of the biggest advantages the Republicans have had in recent years is the Democrats absolute refusal to take seriously the Republican candidates and their ideas. So by all means please carry on.
Doug, look around you and tell me how those Republican ideas have worked out, and why they should be taken seriously.
As for Sarah Palin specifically, what exactly are her ideas? She gave a natonially televised speech last night and I still don't know anything she thinks, other than that being a community organizer is a bad thing. Which McCain's team wrote for her.
likesforests: Thompson's speech? The one where he took the story of the crucifixion and replaced "Jesus" with "John McCain"? I thought the Obama supporters were supposed to be a cult.
He also blew it for McCain, if anyone didn't notice:
"Now, being a POW certainly doesn't qualify anyone to be President."
Election over. Obama wins.
Rick Massimo
I take John McCain seriously. I would take a host of Republican women seriously-- Olympia Snow comes to mind. But I cannot take Sarah Palin seriously. She has no ideas except to bad mouth people. She outright lies in her speech about earmarks (her small town of 6000 hired an earmark-lobbyist to bring millions of dollars to her town) and the bridge to nowhere, which she supported.
At least we know she can use a computer, unlike John McCain. After all, she sold that plane on E-bay.
Massimo> "Of course, since her speech was written by McCain's campaign before they even knew who the VP nominee would be, it lacked a certain something."
They began writing it before she was announced, but certainly Sarah was there to finish it. I'll grant that David Axelrod had more time to polish Obama's speech for him... and it shows! Obama / Biden didn't copy anyone else's speech (this time). Credit where credit is due.
(Biden's own presidential aspirations disintegrated after it was discovered that he plagiarized a speech (and more) from a British politician; also, it turned out he failed one of his law classes because he passed off another's work as his own and got caught!)
(Obama also "recycled" the speech of one Deval Patrick. Afterwards, Hillary famously said of him, that's "Change you can Xerox!")
But I hope most American will not focus so much on the details of presentation, and instead ask themselves questions like: Which candidate(s) have proven we can trust them to put our country first? Which candidate(s) have proven that they can work with both parties, to unite what now seems to be a divided nation? Which candidate(s) will take us into the future in the right direction?
We won't all agree, and that's fine--this is America. :)
I haven't watched either of the conventions because both parties conventions have long ago turned into coronations. Gone are the days where the point was to pick the best candidate! Now both parties are more concerned with picking the candidate who has the best chance to "win". Whatever that means??!!
I can't really watch election coverage anymore. I try to gather information on the candidates from their websites, c-span and any writings I can find. Election coverage has turned into an intellectual sportscenter for politics that does not focus on what the candidates are saying and standing for but instead pays way to much attention how they say and how others are perceiving what they said.
I must get off my soapbox now before I fall off...
That "photos" were fakes should have been obvious from the outset.
http://www.snopes.com/photos/politics/palin.asp
Regarding Bristol Palin, Sarah Palin, and the pregnancy: It should have no role in the discussion of Sarah Palin's fitness to serve as Vice President. In the previous comments about what Sarah Palin advocates and what Bristol was taught, the assumption is made that simply because a child is taught the right way to conduct their life that they will not make mistakes as adults. That is silly. The instructive behaviour in this episode is how the family is embracing Bristol in spite of a mistake. The child will have a father and a mother, and the Palin family will make sure it is lived and raised correctly.
Democrats tried, with lies and innuendo, to smear Palin over the birth of her young son. That is why the daughter and her fiancee must now endure the harsh light of publicity. The grace of the Palin family in this episode has, despite the slings and darts of the uncouth, come to the fore.
What the detractors miss in this and every similar instance where they decry Christian principles as having failed because someone has not lived up to the standards set is the love for each and every person, and the loving forgiveness freely offered to those who transgress. We are all imperfect beings. What makes one a Christian is the capacity to accept the failings and love the person. The Palins have demonstrated this.
Have you?
Steve in TN,
Abstinance only sex education does not work very well. How many times does this fact need to be retold? I wouldn't have a problem with Palin's daughter being pregnant if Palin herself advocated normal, give-out-all-the-facts-about-sex education. Mistakes do happen-- but it started with Palin's abstinance only plans.
I also have a problem when the same people who called Jamie Lynn Spear's parents bad because her daughter got pregnant are now saying that Palin's parents aren't responsible. That is just un-Christianly to lie and be a hypocrite like that!
To make Palin a triple idiot-- she also talks about her daughter's choice to keep the baby, even though Palin wanted to force teen moms to have parental consent for abortions. Her State Supreme Court blocked that, thank God, but it telling shows the two-face that Palin is. What she really meant to say was not, "my daughter's choice," but rather, "MY choice."
(whisper-- they don't believe in choice, so why do they get to use the word?)
So either Palin doesn't think too hard, or she is a liar, or she is an outright idiot.
Please add that to Palin's list of imperfections -- idiot, liar, or lazy. If you need to add righteous anger to my list, I accept it.
Oh I forgot--
Isn't it strange that Palin wants parents to be responsible for their teen daughter's abortion choices..... yet at the same time, it is the daughter who is responsible for her baby?!?
So, Gov Palin, who is responsible?
Dear anonymous,
You are making the following assumptions, almost certainly without any basis in fact whatsoever:
1.) That the daughter was not using birth control,
2.) That the "same people" who complained about one teenage mother (who the hell is Jamie Spears, btw???) are not complaining about Palin's daughter.
I don't care what your opinions are on abortion or any other political issue, but you should at least have enough honesty to acknowledge that the reason you think Palin is an idiot is because she has the temerity to disagree with you.
And by the way, you spelled abstinence wrong.
Sarah Palin doesn't think that birth control and other information about sex should be used to teach sex education. FACT. Maybe her daughter is smarter than her mother and learned about birth control on her own, but her Mom's *absintence*-only policies certainly don't want to provide that information. FACT. Jamie Lynn Spears is the famous sister of the pop star Britney Spears. Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly for example blamed Britney Spear's parents for her teen pregancy. FACT. He now says about Palin that it is a private matter and that the parent's are not to blame for mistakes of the daughter.
These facts are easy enough to learn with a simple Google search. I can point you to all the data on the failure of abstinence only sex ed if you need more help. I may have typoed it in my last posts, but that doesn't change the facts of the matter.
When someone says one thing, does another, and believes a third thing, I think by most people's standards the issue goes beyond disagreeing or agreeing and goes right to whether someone has any mental honesty or sophisticated mental processing at all.
Limbaugh on Teen pregnancy:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Rush+LImbaugh+and+Jamie+Lynn+Spears&aq=f&oq=
O'Rielly
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/tucker/stories/2008/09/03/tucked_0903.html
Palin on sex education
http://cbs5.com/investigates/palin.sex.education.2.810633.html
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/01/1320417.aspx
What abstinence only means:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstinence-only_sex_education
One site about how it doesn't work, with lots of facts.
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/stateevaluations/index.htm
I'm not assuming much of anything.
anonymous @ 2:11pm,
"So either Palin doesn't think too hard, or she is a liar, or she is an outright idiot."
What kind of comment is this? Who is being idiotic?
some amusing contradictions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMdRSmHxVdo
What other options for Palin's bizarre mental states are possible? Misinformed? Ok, but that doesn't explain all the contradictions. Naive? Again, it is like one part of her brain doesn't communicate with the other. Split-brained? That doesn't really explain it either.
I guess she could be a panderer, but that is a special type of liar.
Oh- she could have a kind of amnesia. That would explain why she thought in her speech that she was against the bridge to nowhere (she was for that bridge).
Maybe, just maybe, she has changed her mind about some of her ideas and her policies. I guess that I am being a little unfair in that case. I certainly hate it when people think that being constant as the Northern Star is a good thing, when the fact is that people can learn and change over time.
But I doubt her rabid anti-choice views and her other social engineering ideas haven't changed one bit. If they did, then the base she is supposed to appease will wilt away. But you're right -- I better withhold judgement until her views come out in the next two months. Any bettors?
The name Palin sure sounds familiar..
Oh yeah, Michael Palin for President !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf1y9s73Nos
Everyone has sex at 17? As a 17-year-old myself, that's news to me. :)
hilton is a stud he thinks everyone does it at 14
If you dont have sex by 15-16, there is something wrong with you, if you are a guy that is.
I think that Democrats are taking their eye off the ball. Bill Clinton said: "It's the economny, stupid", and nothing has really changed. The more they talk about what Sarah Palin is doing, rather than what their plan is to help the ecomony, the more they play right into the Republicans' hands.
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