Pondering Palin
Today marks the big “beginning” of the Republican Convention (was obviously late in starting due to Hurricane Gustav) so I feel I want to post on my two cents about his VP candidate, Sarah Palin. First and foremost, let it be said regarding what’s come to light about Sarah’s 17 yr old pregnant (and unmarried) daughter, that Obama has been the FIRST to respond that this is off limits to his campaign. Now, to me, that’s pure class and tact. I can bet my last breath on earth, that if the tables were turned, the GOP would be salivating with their “family values” tongues and literally licking the blood from Obama’s wounds.
Now, it’s my 2 cents. No one asked, but I don’t care. Do I personally care that Palin has a pregnant unwed daughter of 17 years old? Absolutely not. Is it any of our business as a Veep candidate? Potentially, and here’s why.
Look at her voting record folks. She’s voted continually against safe sex education in schools. She believes that abstinence is the ONLY way to reduce teen pregnancy. She believes safe sex education is immoral and irresponsible. Seriously? Irresponsible?
And thus my rebuttal: God has a way of showing ALL of us that we’re not the Judger nor are we God. And what I mean by this is can you truly tell me it’s coicidental that someone who is so against safe sex education has a 17 yr old child who gets pregnant? Do you not see the life lesson in this? That maybe God is teaching Sarah Palin that her view isn’t the only view on this topic? Maybe I’m going a bit overboard, I’ll even admit, but I just find hypocrisy in politics so amusing. And I will say that I am BIASED in this next statement: I feel the Republican Party is full of hypocritical leaders.
My facts? Look at all who think being gay is sinful and an abominiation, yet they get caught having sex in public restrooms. Look at all who preach that being gay and being a pedophile go hand in hand, yet one of their own leaders in Congress gets caught sending absolutely inappropriate emails to teenage boys. It’s just too funny to me that people refuse to see the hypocrisy.
So that’s my point, my fellow Republicans who are reading this… don’t call Democrats jerks or sexist or anything of the like when they raise their eyebrow with the news that Sarah Palin’s 17 yr old daughter is pregnant. We’re not judging her daughter. We’re judging Palin’s refusal to see that safe sex education is absolutely needed and required and that NO MATTER WHAT, teens are teens and will have sex regardless of what you preach at them. So WHY NOT show them the safe way?
Thoughts?
Tags: Personal Opinion, Politics, Pregnancy, Republican, Sarah Palin
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:10 pm
I feel, in advance, that I’m going to underperform in this reply. That said…I’m okay with that.
I’m a born-again Christian who supports gay rights and gay marriage. I have never supported gay promiscuity. I believe God will bless a same-sex marriage. I’ve actually seen it. I know a Christian gay couple who pastor a church in Arkansas, of all places, and their relationship is blessed! In the same way the church has extended grace to divorced people (who Jesus condemned), I long for a church who extends grace to gay couples (who Jesus never condemned).
Sarah Palin didn’t fight for safe sex because safe sex isn’t the answer. Safe sex is the distraction. Sex without commitment … heterosexual or homosexual is dangerous. Sex is meant to be between people with a life-long commitment. As a Christian, I think that applies to me and I think it applies to a gay couple as well.
I’m not a Christian who thinks gay people need to change. I’m a Christian who thinks gay couples should hold themselves to the same standard as a straight couple. If being gay is wrong … it’s God’s problem and quite frankly, I would disagree with a God who think being gay is wrong.
I believe in a God of grace who loves us all and wants us to have a blessed life. I’ll go to the throne of judgment to defend my gay Christian bothers and sisters, because a Jesus who doesn’t accept us all isn’t worthy of worship.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:47 pm
This is not a rhetorical question or a criticism: Do you have sources for the abstinence-only stuff? All I’ve come across is a rejection of “explicit” sex education. I’d like more info on her practical applications.
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:07 am
Hi Jeff,
I am not going to comment directly on this one aspect of Sarah Palin, because I think it is just part of her package. I am honestly a little tired of everyone talking about experience in this election.
I am less worried about experience and more worried about judgement. Our current president had lots of experience and NO judgement.
Have a great day!
B
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Jeff, just because your opinion is biased doesn’t mean you haven’t hit your mark. The bedroom isn’t the only place where hypocrisy is happening. Throughout McCain’s campaign those in his camp used flat out lies and libelous statements to smear Obama relentlessly, and then they cry foul when you take facts, that were made public by the party/candidate and use them logically to debate the election.
Hypocrisy abounds, and I, for one, am most upset by the consistent rejection of logic by certain party members, and supporters.
But i agree with you, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, she can’t run her own home, how can she run a country? For what it’s worth, I said the same about Bush when his daughters were out partying, and I would say the same if Obama’s daughters were getting knocked up, or on drugs. Don’t bray about values if you haven’t the ability to make yourself a good role model.
Furthermore, her voting records, two investigations into abuse of power in two years, and insistence on promoting religious agendas in government is abhorrent.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:50 pm
To be blunt, I think there’s something truly obscene in the way religious right politicians like Palin try to have it both ways. They try to regulate everybody else’s personal lives based on their religious beliefs but, when anyone tries to point out their hypocrisy, or criticize their beliefs, suddenly it’s all above criticism since it’s so deeply personal….
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:51 pm
and, as for your opinion being biased…there’s no other kind.
September 3rd, 2008 at 1:33 pm
I completly agree with you. This has been a topic of conversation with me and several friends/coworkers the past few days. I think that the hypocrisy is what is at the center of this entire vp selection.
You have hit the nail on the head.
luculent
http://web-justice.blogspot.com
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:00 pm
I’ve avoided giving this issue much attention, but I believe you have approached it well. I agree with Obama that families should be off limits, but you and others have raised an interesting point.
I was also going to add this, but you’ve said it quite well:
“I can bet my last breath on earth, that if the tables were turned, the GOP would be salivating with their “family values” tongues and literally licking the blood from Obama’s wounds.”
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:12 pm
“I can bet my last breath on earth, that if the tables were turned, the GOP would be salivating with their “family values” tongues and literally licking the blood from Obama’s wounds.”
Without a doubt, if this were happening to Obama’s children, people would be exploding with outrage, probably more so than they are with Palin (and you can guarantee that conservatives would be leading the charge with a vengeance).
Bottom line, though: both parties contain their fair share of hypocrisy. I’m much more concerned about Palin’s potential abuses of power than I am about her family issues.
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Wow, I am absolutely shocked at all the comments and how many of you agree. Thank you. If even you didn’t agree, this is obviously a hot topic to a lot of people from all diverse backgrounds.
Time shall tell.
September 4th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Palin has definitely stirred up emotions in most of us. How strange….I guess that is probably what McCaint wanted…
September 9th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
As an update … It’s very interesting to note that Sarah wasn’t for abstinence only education. That was a story her opponents created. Like me Sarah is a Christian who has her own values, but doesn’t impose them on her politics. Based on every video I’ve watched of her, she is 100% a real Christian and 100% real Christian’s are not a threat to gay Christians. I way more focused on judging myself. I don’t have time to judge you.
September 10th, 2008 at 7:35 am
Neal,
With all due respect… you don’t know Sarah Palin and you choose to watch things that are pro Palin just as much as I watch things that are anti Palin, so lets not act like we know her.
And, you’re absolutely incorrect – look it up – she DID back abstinence only sex education programs. It’s all over the media about what she did and did not back.
She’s as hypocritical as the next one. And NO, I don’t think she’s this Christian girl that you choose to believe.
For God’s sake, she said the Iraq war and the pipelines in Alaska were GOD’S WILL. Seriously? She’s a freaking whack.
September 10th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Links to sources would help a lot. In my research, I’ve still yet to see any evidence that Palin supported abstinence-only education. In fact, it looks like she did not. Quoted, from 2006, in the LA Times: “No, I’m pro-contraception, and I think kids who may not hear about it at home should hear about it in other avenues. So I am not anti-contraception.” (http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-sexed6-2008sep06,0,3119305.story)
Regarding the God’s will stuff, it’s more questionable, because it’s open to interpretation. About Iraq, she said we “should pray ‘that our national leaders are sending them [the soldiers] out on a task that is from God, that’s what we have to make sure we are praying for, that there is a plan, and that plan is God’s plan.’” (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/06/us/politics/06church.html?_r=1&em&oref=slogin) Praying that God’s will be done cannot be considered fringe Christianity. The only concern would be if she was certain of what God’s will is. So far, I haven’t seen conclusive evidence of that either.
September 11th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Conlan -
These are just a few – check them out. She is absolutely PRO-ABSTINENCE.
http://californiafaultline.wordpress.com/2008/09/01/sarah-palins-abstinence-only-education-policy-fails-in-the-worst-way/
http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/09/01/palin-s-record-on-family-issues.aspx
http://rockrichard.wordpress.com/2008/09/01/sarah-palin-abstinence-only-ed-works-daughter-bristol-begs-to-differ/
September 11th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Jeff, to clarify, I think Palin would even characterize herself as “pro-abstinence”. You’ll get no argument from me on that. But the issue at hand is whether she supports abstinence-ONLY programs. It appears she did not.
The Newsweek and Rock Richard blogs you linked to referenced Palin;s answer to a survey, “Yes, the explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support.” This answer was clarified in the LA Times article I linked to above, where Palin says contraception is not “explicit”, and she supports teaching about it.
The California Faultline blog references incorrect information about Alaska’s public-health division applying for a federal abstinence program. The Newsweek article it references, the same one you also linked to, was updated to state this was incorrect (see Editor’s Note at bottom).
I appreciate the concerns about Palin, but I really think the “abstinence-only”/hyprocrisy/whatever argument does not hold up based on the facts. Unless I see something other than the over-interpretation of the “explicit sex-ed” answer, and a refutation of the LA Times article, I have to conclude that Palin favors a education about contraceptives as well as abstinence.