-
Pray and Grow Rich
May 16, 2013 | 63 comments
-
Ruthie’s Way
May 2, 2013 | 6 comments
-
A Free and Indivisible Union
April 25, 2013 | 70 comments
-
Revoke Obama’s Peace Prize
April 18, 2013 | 80 comments
-
What the New Atheists Ignore
April 11, 2013 | 103 comments
Eminentoes
A Multi-Mixed Message
Bristol Palin is a curious ambassador for abstinence.
I have a question for all the moral equivalency experts out there. Isn’t hiring Bristol Palin to be the spokeswoman against teen pregnancy a bit like appointing Tommy Chong drug czar? Ms. Palin, daughter of former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, is currently teen ambassador for a nonprofit group dedicated to spreading the word about the consequences of teen pregnancy. On tour, Ms. Palin, 18, tells audiences of impressionable teenagers that abstinence is a realistic way for teenagers to avoid unwanted pregnancy. Palin’s position on birth control evidently has undergone a revolution since last February when she told Fox News that abstinence is “not realistic at all.” Meanwhile the father of Palin’s baby, Levi Johnston, has also been enjoying the spotlight, appearing on daytime talk shows and telling CBS News that condoms and birth control should be “enforced,” though he neglected to say whether local, state or federal law enforcement agencies should be responsible for condom enforcement.
Ms. Palin’s public appearances are awkward, cringe-inducing balancing acts that hold, on one hand, the awesomeness of having a child, and, on the other, dire warnings about having life-destroying babies. Her Tripp is “awesome,” Palin told Good Morning America. He is the “the love of my life,” and “the best thing that ever happened to me.” Motherhood is wonderful and a blessing. Here, just look at these adorable photos! Oh, but unplanned teen babies will also ruin your life. The fact is Ms. Palin is sending more mixed messages than a Blackberry in a blender.
When Palin’s employer, Candie’s Foundation — the nonprofit wing of the “sexy” shoemaker — went after a high-profile spokeswoman it must have found the pickings slim. After all, no one wants to listen to a pitiful, unknown teen mom drone on about safe sex. And there are just not that many teenage celebrity moms, thankfully, due to the obvious reason that babies are major drags on one’s career. But for Bristol Palin, unwed teen pregnancy has been a career-booster, even if she tells millions of television viewers that she does not want to be a celebrity. Ms. Palin has gone from obscure child of a famous politician to America’s most famous unwed teen mom.
Signing Ms. Palin was a coup for the Candie’s Foundation too. Palin has beauty, presence, star-power, name recognition, and an adorable baby. She is good TV, especially with her dad, the “First Dude,” of Alaska, sitting supportively by her side. No doubt, the hard part was to train Bristol to go on national TV and, with a straight face and without sounding like an utter bimbo, say she regrets getting pregnant, but she does not regret having the baby, and how the baby is the love of her young life, but no one else should have such a love in their life, at least till they are much older and preferably married.
Marriage does not seem to be in the cards at the moment for Bristol and Levi, particularly with Levi continuing to make an ass of himself on afternoon talk shows, and both families talking trash about the other. At one point Sarah Palin’s father called Johnston a deadbeat dad, and Johnston’s mother, adding another chapter to the Johnston family white trash legend, was busted for allegedly selling drugs to an undercover cop. Indeed, Levi seems destined for a career as regular guest on The Howard Stern Show or a celebrity contestant on some as-yet dreamt up Fox reality TV show co-starring Joey Buttafuoco and Kato Kaelin.
DESPITE HER rhetoric about the hardships of motherhood, Palin’s baby is certainly not the burden it would be for most single teen moms. No doubt she will have a lot of expensive help in the governor’s mansion when it comes to child rearing. When Bristol goes off to college, the governor’s grandchild will have the best governesses, or will attend the best daycare, and, later, the best private schools. But for poor teens whose mothers are not governor, single parenting is not so breezy. Most will drop out of school, end up on welfare, and suffer through a series of disastrous relationships. Addictions and abuse are common aspects of a single teen mother’s existence. Sadly it is these poor, working class teens that idolize B-list celebrities like Bristol Palin, and take it to heart when she says her baby is the best thing that ever happened to her. And probably could not understand all the fuss over Palin’s pregnancy to begin with.
The scandal, you may recall, came right in the middle of the McCain-Palin campaign and threatened to flatten the Palin/GOP Convention bump like a dead polecat. After all, Gov. Palin had been preaching the virtues of “abstinence only” for years, and here her own daughter could not resist her own carnal desires in the arms of a high school hockey hunk. Since they were already leading in the polls, Democrats judged they did not have to say much of anything about the Palin affair, and they were right. The story spoke for itself. Besides, why risk your lead taking potshots at a teenage girl in trouble?
Doubtless some will ask, who are we to judge? After all, everyone makes mistakes, and teenagers often make enough to last a lifetime. True, but it is another, perhaps larger mistake not to call Ms. Palin and the Candie’s Foundation on the blatant mixed messages they are sending teens. Bristol Palin is not the real face of unwed teen pregnancy. She is the rock star image. The real face can be seen in the Candie’s Foundation’s own statistics: daughters of young teen mothers are three times more likely to become teen mothers themselves; eight out of 10 fathers don’t marry the mother of their child; sons of teen mothers are twice as likely to end up in prison.
If you want to show your teenagers the real face of unwed teenage pregnancy, organize a field trip to the state penitentiary, and once inside ask the prisoners there about their awesome single-parent childhood.
About the Author
Christopher Orlet writes from St. Louis.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (70) | Leave a comment
More Articles by Christopher Orlet
More Articles From Eminentoes
http://spectator.org/archives/2009/05/19/a-multi-mixed-message
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
Ed Wallis| 5.19.09 @ 6:32AM
I see NO mixed messages; that's what Leftists WANT you to "see."
The author heads towards my point in the last brief paragraph:
Try THIS analogy on for size: Having former drug addicts as the most effective/persuasive advocates of "just say no to drug use."
This is the perfect example of hypocrisy which Leftists use - if someone has led a less-than-pure life, "how dare they" pretend to lecture the rest of us about how to live...all the time while nannying/dictating our lives away themselves.
dennisintn| 5.19.09 @ 7:49AM
when you approach a subject with a negative attitude, you usually end up with a negative impression of it.
bristol is just telling the truth about a very personal subject to her and to her listeners who count. the young ladies faced with the potential of facing the same problems she has had and will continue to have. abstinence is the only form of birth control that works 100% of the time WHEN PRACTICED FAULTLESSLY. all other forms have failure rates, some greater than others. leave the young lady alone, she, and the other young ladies she's talking to, understand the problem.
dennisintn
Michael L. Hauschild| 5.19.09 @ 7:52AM
I have a sneaky suspicion that this clown's solution for "life-destroying babies" is not abstinence. His first query to those "moral equivalency" pundits should be, "What is moral equivalency."
Becky| 5.19.09 @ 7:52AM
I agree with Ed. Unless you have experienced something, walked around with a big scarlet letter affixed to you, you do not understand it. The most compassionate people are those that went through self destructive behaviors and survived. I assure you Bristol has empathy for young pregnant girls as much as anyone. Could she possibly be future Supreme Court material?
It is not hypocrisy to recognize that a behavior has created trials in your life and wish to warn others. It is hypocrisy to preach about a behavior while concurrently indulging in it (especially trying to keep it secret, therefore acknowledging the hypocrisy), for instance, scolding others for heating their 1,200 s.f. homes up to 72, while cranking the thermostat up on your 55,000 square foot palace to 90.
Viva| 5.19.09 @ 7:58AM
Ed Wallis, the difference is that drug addicts don't go on about how drugs are the best thing that ever happened to them. Usually they say the direct opposite.
Pingback| 5.19.09 @ 8:00AM
Twitted by poptalk links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Big J| 5.19.09 @ 8:02AM
Wow. If the author's logic were universally applied, no one on planet earth would be allowed to endorse any moral cause. If memory serves, there has been only one person to inhabit this planet free of sin.
An old adage comes to mind:
Something about glass houses, throwing stones...
Pingback| 5.19.09 @ 8:40AM
The American Spectator : A Multi-Mixed Message | BEST DIAPER CAKES links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Bram| 5.19.09 @ 9:32AM
Her message is exaclty the same as Obama's, Kennedy's, Algore's, and every other rich liberal: "Do as I say, not as I do."
Seek| 5.19.09 @ 9:39AM
Bristol Palin is a beautiful, sexy young woman. If I were her age, I'd be with her in a New York minute.
As an aside, single-parenthood isn't the worst thing in the world for a child to experience. What puts a person at risk of winding up in a penitentiary isn't "fatherlessness," but abuse and feelings of emotional impotence. That can happen in two-parent homes, sweetie. And, yes, race matters. Take a look at your typical inmate population -- there don't seem to be too many whites.
Fair is fair| 5.19.09 @ 9:48AM
Bristol Palin enjoyed the benefits to be had from being an unwed mother and now she's trying to pull the ladder up behind her so that other young ladies will not get the same chance. How dare she!
Mattled| 5.19.09 @ 10:06AM
I find it amusing about the whole Sarah Palin thing.
Here we have a proven dunce, Katie Couric, winning an esteemed award for her interview with a supposed small-town stupid hick. Talk about lowering the bar of expectations. If she's so stupid, how hard is it to "trip" her up? Liberals continue to make fools of themselves and don't even realize it.
Meanwhile, CBS's ratings continue down, down, down. Who's the dummy? I'd say CBS execs.
Todd| 5.19.09 @ 10:07AM
I completely agree with the article, I think is in bad taste to see her making the talk show circuit and it is a mixed message being sent. I think posters here are missing the point like Big J, this has nothing to do with expecting perfection from anyone endorsing a moral cause. I think in Bristol's case, she is not representative of situations most single Mothers face and really cannot bring any realistic perspective on the issue. Frankly, it rubs me the wrong way that her parents saw fit to have go on the talk show circuit even if the motivation was good but I do not see the wisdom in it.
I for one am not anxious to see Sarah Palin run for President in 2012 and hear more about the soap opera that surrounds their family. Nothing personal as I think it is a good family overall but it has become a bit much. She can do a fine job as Governor but I think the Republican party has far more qualified candidates like Romney or Jindal we should be building up. I would rather have the focus on the issues and have someone who can intellectually debate them rather than the personal issues around the family.
jim rice| 5.19.09 @ 10:19AM
none of this is new, but this letter put it all beautifully. This was hilarious. Thank you!
Sure, I'd be all up on Bristol in about 2 seconds too, but damn she sucks. Not as much as her mom, of course, but still. Viva's comment is dead-on. She's being two-faced... you can't say that something is the best thing that ever happened to you and then tell other people not to do it.
Unless of course she remembered to say all the stuff at the end about how it's good for her only b/c she comes from upper-class money. I wonder if she still likes to get down... or if it's a bit like throwing a hot dog down a hallway now...
Only one way to find out... hopefully she comes to my town to tell me to stop screwing.
Todd| 5.19.09 @ 10:28AM
Real class act Jim you ass. You are probably in your mid-40's and still try to hit on teenage girls like a real scumbag.
jim rice| 5.19.09 @ 10:32AM
no, you're about 15 years off.
And sometimes it's fun to be dirty. Especially when stupid people do stupid stuff like the Palins and deserve to be derided for their idiocy.
Matt Morehouse| 5.19.09 @ 10:47AM
What is this fixation with the Palins? I'll tell you what it is: STUPID. In fact beyond stupid to keep flacking people who contributed greatly to the victory margin of BHO the Magnificent.
Conservatives and Republicans should ignore the Palins. They will be hyped enough by the MSM to the great detriment of the Conservative movement.
Genecar| 5.19.09 @ 11:12AM
I do not know how many times it has to be reiterated that Sarah Palin has never preached so called "abstinence only" sex education. She has always insisted that while abstainence is the best sure-fire policy, there was also a need for education in contraceptive methods.
JP| 5.19.09 @ 11:36AM
It appears some very unskilled political operators are attempting to keep Govenor Palin in the spot light for a run in 2012. It appears thier efforts have backfired. Nothing against her, but Govenor Palin's attempt to turn her personal family problems into a politcal advantage have backfired.
Palin's rise to fame last year was due to McCain's weaknesses with his base. Until the Wall St meltdown it looked like his choice for Veep was a stroke of genius. The smart thing for Govenor Palin would have been to return to Alaska, and continue to build her reputation as a solid administrator. All of this attention on her children and grand children just emphasizes things that are frankly no ones business. She's just asking for trouble.
I think she sees such a weak field (mainly moderate to liberal candidates) for the upcoming 2011-2012 campaign cycle, that she figures she has as good a chance as anyone. But her displaying of her families dirty laundry for all to see (esp the plight of her daughter and her daughter's former boyfriend) is rather vulgar, Oprahfied twaddle. Does she want to be taken seriously or not?
I can imagine Katheleen Parker, David Frum, and Peggy Noonan are all grins.
MikeF| 5.19.09 @ 11:44AM
Bristol Palin is a fine spokesperson in this area. Abstinance does work, you just need to abstain. She didn't. She got pregnant. She and her family chose not to see the baby as "punishment" like President Obama said he would view it with his daughters. They chose to see it as a blessing. I believe this family would help her raise this child even if the benefits of Sarah Palin being the governor were not available to the Palin family. As Bristol and the baby go through life, Bristol can also, if she chooses, be an example of how making a mistake and having a baby as a teenager is not the end of your life and dreams.
As for the author's statement that we should look at the prisons to get a real life look at the outcome of teen pregnancies, I would challenge the author to look at the root cause of the problem. The problem did not start with the 60's revolution and "free" sex, but that and liberal policies, bad court decisions and welfare promoted having babies out of wedlock. I dare say, these policies were not promoted by conservatives and continue to be fought and opposed from that group. The "real" teen pregnancies are what you get as a result of following decades of liberal policies that have essentially promoted teen sex and promoted the destruction of the traditional family and the commitment that traditional marriage used to represent.
VidOmnia| 5.19.09 @ 12:35PM
Why is Orlet spreading the myth that Palin is a supporter of abstinence-only sex education? She's not - she's always supported teaching about contraception also.
Do some research!
Doorgunner| 5.19.09 @ 1:18PM
"Especially when stupid people do stupid stuff like..." Jim Rice "... and deserve to be derided for their idiocy. "
Actually, Jim, I'd have guessed that you're about twenty, like to tell your 'friends' you're "just addicted to Grey Goose", that you've dropped/failed out of a second-tier state school, but you still hang around the frat. At least that's my guess by the way you speak of young women you don't even know.
Andersonh1| 5.19.09 @ 3:31PM
Ms. Palin speaks with authority on this subject. Having made the mistake of pre-marital sex which resulted in pregnancy, she knows firsthand the consequences of such actions. She's a credible spokeswoman when she warns of the problems of teenage sex, which she has and continues to experience firsthand.
JP| 5.19.09 @ 3:39PM
I'm not sure what the sex life of a person's teenage daughter have to do with whether that person is qualified to lead the GOP in 2012.
jim rice| 5.19.09 @ 3:50PM
Has Bristol said it was a mistake? Has she said that she would take it back? Has she learned any hard lessons that she can pass on?
No... she's just a spoiled rich brat. Who in the world possibly is going to look up to her and decide to keep the chastity belt on? No one... this is just a farce and a publicity stunt.
jim rice| 5.19.09 @ 3:52PM
And JP is EXACTLY right. It should have NOTHING to do with it except for all the family-centric "values voters" out there want to believe in the myth of a "good" or "wholesome" American family... and that such a family should run the country.
Dustoff| 5.19.09 @ 5:01PM
jim.
No... she's just a spoiled rich brat.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
She is?
So in other words your jealous.
Funny you want to trash a young girl who goofed as many have at this early stange in life. Yet we had a much older Prez who have jump that girls bones in a heart beat. So who should be mad at for being dumb?
Plus should we bring up Edwards too.
Yellowstone | 5.19.09 @ 6:22PM
jim rice, you pantywaist little punk. You are able to get away with your scatological remarks here, that you would never attempt in a gathering of real men and women because you know that your teeth would be slapped down your scrawny chicken throat. You worthless POS.
Amber| 5.19.09 @ 8:02PM
I personally, am offended and disgusted with this entire article.
"Most will drop out of school, end up on welfare, and suffer through a series of disastrous relationships. Addictions and abuse are common aspects of a single teen mother's existence."
That quote really got me. I am a 19 year old Mother of a seven month old. I go to college full time, work part time, and I have nothing to do with the welfare system. I was with my daughters father for three years, and I have nothing to do with abuse or addictions.
While I don't agree with Bristol Palin using her situation to gain "celebrity" status, it's article like this that give people like me a bad name.
I would really appreciate it if you would not stereotype all teenage mothers. I find the girls that don't take care of their children, or themselves to be absolutely embarassing and would not like to be compared to them. Ever.
M| 5.19.09 @ 8:11PM
Don't be so hard on Bristol. She gave birth to this child in difficult circumstances, and is finding her way in life. Her message is completely honest: she loves her child, but wishes she was more prepared to raise it.
Dennis| 5.19.09 @ 9:09PM
"Isn't hiring Bristol Palin to be the spokeswoman against teen pregnancy a bit like appointing Tommy Chong drug czar?"
Typical straw man argument from a liberal. Try this, Chris: How about not using former addicts to work rehab clinics; former alcoholics working AA and rehab clinics; former fat people extolling the virtues of weight-loss programs; former smokers helping others kick the habit?
How's that work for you, moron?
jim rice| 5.20.09 @ 12:03AM
John Edwards isn't running around telling people not to cheat on their wives on one hand and telling them how awesome it is to have cheated on his wife on the other. The two are nothing alike.
And Amber... the article... as you quoted it... said "most"... that's simply stating a fact. Not stereotyping a group of people. I'm sure you are (and everyone has the possibility to be) a great mom... but it doesn't change the statistics of reality.
And yeah, sure... I'm jealous. It'd be nice to be born into privilege so that I could do more-or-less whatever I wanted without really having to worry about the consequences.
All of you trying to compare Bristol to recovered alcoholics just don't get it. NONE of them go around telling everyone how amazing it was to do what they did and then telling those same people not to do it.
I'm not trashing her b/c she "goofed." I don't care who fucks who, when, or how often. Just don't be hypocritical about it. And especially don't go running around on national tv doing the same. She sucks (no pun intended), her mother sucks, and this is a ridiculous attempt to keep them in the spotlight for those few idiotic Christians who still think that her mom is the second coming. (no pun intended.)
jim rice| 5.20.09 @ 12:07AM
*laughs at Yellowstone*
thanks for adding to the conversation! Your points will be taken under serious consideration.
Matt Morehouse| 5.20.09 @ 12:26AM
You people must all be addicted to the Fat Lady on TV. If you are anywhere serious about getting Conservatives elected forget the Palins and their soap opera. Get on to selecting and supporting credible Conservative candidates. Let the Palins play in the sandbox with the MSN.
They were and continue to be a detriment to serious political discourse.
Angel| 5.20.09 @ 2:57AM
Jim Rice says the mid-forties are about 15 years off his real age--that makes you 60, dude. What a dirty old pervert you are! You should get the death penalty just for looking at Bristol. Eww.
lynnrockets| 5.20.09 @ 3:01AM
SARAH PALIN FOR PRESIDENT! 2012!!
Smitty| 5.20.09 @ 3:04AM
Jim Rice --Poster boy for liberal douche bags everywhere.
John Burke | 5.20.09 @ 12:29PM
My sentiments exactly. Bristol should stay at home and take care of her baby. That her parents approve of her TV blitz reflects poorly on whatever advice they give -- past or present.
I've blogged about this:
http://thepurplecenter.blogspot.com/2009/05/bristol-palins-new-teenage-pregnancy.html
Richard Baker| 5.20.09 @ 3:13PM
Since Bristol's Mom is a celebrity, it's hard to not have the limelight shine on you. Her mistakes are freely admitted and isn't a Christian supposed to hate the sin and love the sinner? The difference between her and Bill Clinton, for example, is freely repenting. What did Jesus say to the harlot who was going to be stoned? " Go, and sin no more". Do you think that she'll sin this way again?
MT| 5.20.09 @ 6:26PM
As far as I know, Bristol didn't obstruct justice. Leave her alone.
Jeff H.| 5.21.09 @ 4:22AM
Strange how the author would devote an entire article to someone he apparently thinks is little more than a spoiled misguided pile of trailer trash.
There seems to be a rather sick tendency on the part of certain parties to use high profile people for the rather transparent reason of simply drawing attention to their article/blog/book.
Al Franken and David Frum also come to mind.
Their resulting efforts rarely make much objective sense, because they are disingenuous with their motives for writing, and they don't bother with research (for the umpteenth time, Sarah Palin didn't "preach" abstinence. Governesses? Private schools??) or context because that's not really what they're concerned with. They're just out to use someone else's notoriety for their own selfish and rather shallow gain.
Great response to this exercise in arrogant appropriation here:
http://tinyurl.com/owbkmb
JohnfromPhiladelphia| 5.21.09 @ 5:19AM
This article is fraught with inaccuracies, is wrong and mean spirited. Because of sanctimonious people like this author, I gave a sizable donation to a crisis pregnancy center in Ms. Palin's honor. She made the right choice and is speaking the right message. Here is a far better article to read on the subject.
http://www.conservatives4palin.com/
LuisfromColumbus| 5.21.09 @ 6:58AM
I usually come to the American Spectator for sound, logical, and conservative writings. Then, Mr. Orlet writes this nasty and incoherent article and I lose faith. What a hypocrite!
Jean| 5.21.09 @ 7:08AM
Christopher Orlet,
You are a f###### creep.
Newagegop| 5.21.09 @ 7:46AM
Good thing we've got good republicans like this on our side. Thanx Mr. Orlet for being an ass. I guess you can't make up for mistakes in America anymore. I suppose only perfect people are allowed to be examples. What is it about so many "republican" writers that make them such tiresome sanctamonious jerks when Sarah Palin comes up.
The Ancient Mariner | 5.21.09 @ 10:50AM
You know, I don't demand that people approve of what Bristol Palin is doing -- if that's based on actual knowledge of actual facts. It gets *very* old when people lie and invent things in order to make it look like their disapproval is based on who she is and what she's doing, when it is in fact based on something completely different (usually, the desire to tear down her mother to clear the way for some other politician, like Romney or Gingrich or Jeb Bush). Learn the facts: http://www.conservatives4palin.com/2009/05/bristol-palins-choice.html
GeneCar| 5.21.09 @ 12:21PM
Does anybody seriously believe that even if Governor Palin did not 'put her family out there' that the national media and her political opponents would leave them alone. The ploy here is obvious. It operates like a protection racket. Give up any national ambitions you might have Sarah, or we will inflict continuing pain on your family, not excluding Trigg!
CJHill| 5.21.09 @ 2:03PM
Wow. The level of ignorance here is truly amazing. How about you check your facts before you start criticizing things you clearly know nothing about?
First, Bristol Palin is 18. She does not need her parents approval to do anything. She is an adult and her decision to work with Candies was just that - her decision.
Second, Mr. Orlet has completely missed the message Bristol is trying to send. Perhaps he, and some of the others here, should listen before they react.
Third, Bristol does not have a bevy of nannies taking care of Tripp.
And finally, the Palin's are far from rich.
Oh, and a final comment to 'genecar' - how typically liberal of you. Threatening to vilify a year-old child. Class act, you pathetic excuse for a human being.
Keep underestimating the grassroots support the governor has. If she chooses to run, she will be a force to be reckoned with.
Genecar| 5.22.09 @ 10:50AM
CJHill
I think you missed my meaning. I was implying that the Palin haters, not I, who would not spare any member of her family. I am a conservative and strongly support Governor Palin.
Angel| 5.22.09 @ 7:48PM
Genecar, Palin supporters are a little sensitive when it comes to the Governor and her family. They get made even when you're trying to support Sarah. LOL!
Dawnride| 5.27.09 @ 12:44AM
Re: the author claiming she was sending "mixed messages" by talking about the struggles of being a teenage mom, as well as loving her baby - No, Bristol's not sending mixed messages at all. Being a teenage parent IS a mixed bag ... as are many real-life situations. It's not an either/or, black or white situation!. I found this comment to be rather bizarre-would you prefer she either hated/detested this whole experience and her baby as well, or on the other hand, embraced being a single teenage mother and thoroughly enjoy all the struggles and limitations which come with it? It's ridiculous to claim she's sending mixed messages, as being a teenage mom IS a mixed bag.
As far as the privileges Bristol will have compared to other single teenage moms, the author is absolutely right-although I hesitate to believe that it will be on quite that grand of a scale. Nonetheless, it will be easier for Bristol, particularly considering that the overwhelming majority of teenage moms are living at or below poverty level. The U.S. is #1 for teenage pregnancy and although it happens within all socioeconomic classes, the rates are escalated with those families with less economic resources.
So yes, she'll have it easier than those girls, in that regard - and although I think calling Bristol the "rock star image" of teenage mothers is kind of extreme, at least she is out there talking about it.
Do you really think our media is going to canvass the great U.S.A. to search for a spokesperson who is a closer representative of the realities of teenage motherhood? Heck, no, even though their stories are closer to the true experience. Just as with a plethora of other social problems facing this country, it is those people who have had previous public exposure and some degree of celebrity or fame, who ARE the spokespersons for creating social change. More power to her.
John| 7.5.09 @ 1:02PM
When I was Bristol's age I didn't have any idea
of the political persuasion of my parents.
Not did I care. The phrases "left wing"and "right
wing" were mumbo-jumbo to me.
Then Jimmy Carter came along and , well.....
My first real job was at Aircraft Radio Corp.
A division of Cessna aircraft. A plant where almost
1400 people had worked. Presently it's an empty shell.
High interest rates and aviation fuel prices destroyed it.
Now (then) I'm becoming politically aware.
Reagan came along. I remember Sam Donaldson
telling me , after a Reagan speech, "what I heard,
what he said". I'm screaming NO....NO !
About then my 15 year old cousin got pregnant.
Long story short, het parents raised that kid.
My 21 year old unmarried daughter has recently made
me a grandfather.
Moral of story ?
Conservative parents don't equate to conservative
kids. Hillary Clinton is an example.
Nor are they likely always be judicious in the activities
they choose to engage in.
Bristol's "advantage" is not wealth or notoriety.
It's being raised in a loving family with wise parents.
Parents who love her dearly as well as their new
grandchild. I know, I'm one.of those .
And my Daughter is also.
The writer of this snarky bit of lo-ball "journalism"
doesn't have a clue !
And yes, my daughter WAS on birth control
against my wishes but my wife insisted.
The pill endorses unwise behavior by ,
supposedly, eliminating the consequences.
THAT'S why conservatives think it's use is
a bad idea. That way of thinking follows
liberal philosophy. Eliminate consequences
and the behavior is OK. Sometimes endorsed !
It frees the mind of guilt. No guilt=no judgement.
Take heart Bristol. Your child is precious in the
eyes of God. The hardships build character.
Their is no love that can be stronger than that
of mother, father and child.
But only when minds are right.
Only when the precepts of God and family are
completely understood and lived by.
And THAT'S the difference.
Striving for goodness and decency VS eliminating
consequences.
Bristol, you have had to endure more crap, public
character assination, etc than ANYONE at your
age should EVER have to go through.
A SHAME on those who participate in this slime.
God Bless YOU and your whole family.
The weeds will be disgarded from the garden
on judgement day
Pingback| 8.6.09 @ 3:36AM
The American Spectator : A Multi-Mixed Message | Gifts For Babies links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 10.6.09 @ 2:35AM
The American Spectator : A Multi-Mixed Message | Newborns First Gift links to this page. Here’s an excerpt: