She is Trash that Won't Burn

It's a sad day when a woman with a family in such turmoil is a vice presidential nominee. Any woman at any time of her life should be able to take her place on that ticket, but I believe that if my teenage daughter had found herself in the position that young Boise or Billings or whatever her name is finds herself in (being knocked up, unmarried, not out of high school and possibly suddenly completely exposed to the entire world) I think I might opt to close ranks and get my house in order. And I think it's trashy. The entire thing is trashy. The fact that she's pregnant, the acceptance of the knocker-up and that we have to watch the distasteful events unfold (I shudder to think of watching her as she 'shows' and starts shopping for cribs. Gross...)

If Sarah Palin were some sort of free love wielding hippie I could forgive the low rent behavior much more easily. But this is a woman and mother who preaches abstinence. And now she's put her daughter in the impossible position of having absolutely no choices. Can't choose an abortion, can't easily choose adoption (most good adoptive parents wouldn't want this much notoriety surrounding their adoption and any adoptive parents who would seek such attention are probably nut cases), she can't decide to remain unmarried and most importantly, she can't opt to quietly make her personal decision without the entire world looking on and sitting in judgement. This is what Billing's mother chose for her (I know her name is Bristol. That's ridiculous too).

So, what bothers me is not that Sarah Palin has a tiny babe who has some special challenges and she's not staying home to care for him. She was already opting for work over home, and I admire her for that because I was a lousy stay-at-home parent. No, it's just the timing and the realm that bother me. Pushing private problems into a public space for our consumption is not a choice that seems to fit with the platform of Family Values. The Republican Platform and the solidity of that platform in the face of turmoil is what I question. I have always believed there is no moral center there and the center-stage appearance by this teenager who got herself knocked up is the proof.